The scarlet letter character analysis by paige mccoy on prezi. All characters hester prynne pearl arthur dimmesdale roger. Reverend dimmesdale is the ryan gosling of the massachusetts bay colony. The importance of main characters in the scarlet letter. Dec 24, 2012 in the novel the scarlet letter, pearl is the illegitimate child of the book s main character.
A bestselling story and a popular read even today, the scarlet letter is a marvelous story that comes from the mind of nathaniel hawthorne, a brilliant and legendary writer. It symbolizes not just prynnes actions, which, of course, it does symbolize, but it also embodies the towns viewing of her actions as wrong, and as a punishment forced upon her by her community. Hester prynne is the main character in the scarlet letter because she has the most internal and external change, and she has the most strength in the story. This book has a strong independent female main character that has to learn how to. Mistress hibbins another historical figure, ann hibbins, sister of governor bellingham, was executed for witchcraft in 1656. Throughout nathanial hawthorne s the scarlet letter the main characters are deviously developed. The main character of the scarlet letter, hester prynne. The main character of the scarlet letter, hester prynne, is a beautiful young woman who readers first witness standing on the scaffolding of the town pillory. In the scarlet letter, the idea of sin and punishment is the main theme of the novel and how hester prynne, the main character, has been punished for her sin of adultery. She is the daughter of hester prynne and the minister dimmesdale. In june 1642, in the puritan town of boston, a crowd gathers to witness an official punishment. An affair was considered a crime in the time period the book is set in. Furthermore, she must stand on the scaffold for three hours, exposed to public humiliation. Her partner, the reverend dimmesdale, unidentified as hesters lover, goes unpunished by the puritan society and.
Immersed deeper in the novel, a reader learns that her life story is not black and white. Hawthorne clearly says to be true, be true, be true at the end of the novel. He discovers an old manuscript in the buildings attic that tells the story of hester prynne. Symbolism of the scarlet a symbolism has many different meanings, and the scarlet a in the scarlet letter has many different meanings as well. Pearl pearl is the illegitimate daughter of hester prynne and arthur dimmesdale. Hester prynne, pearl, roger chillingworth, reverend arthur dimmesdale. The scarlet letter by nathaniel hawthorne hester prynne.
Authored by nathaniel hawthorne in 1850, the scarlet letter is a fascinating masterpiece featuring hester prynne as the protagonist. Amid facing imprisonment, the main character strives to leave a. Who are the four main characters of the scarlet letter answers. The scarlet letter characters include hester prynne, pearl, roger chillingworth, and arthur dimmesdale as well as some minor characters. The free the scarlet letter notes include comprehensive information and analysis to help you understand the book. Roger chillingworth a true liar in the book the scarlet letter written by nathaniel hawthorne many different themes and morals are expressed. The scarlet letter is an 1850 novel by nathaniel hawthorne set in boston, then the massachusetts bay colony, in the mid17 th century about fifty years before the nearby salem witch trials. Learn all about how the characters in the scarlet letter such as hester prynne and arthur dimmesdale contribute to the story and how they fit into the plot. The narrator describes the letter in detail, noting that its fertility and gorgeous luxuriance pushed it beyond the puritans boundaries of acceptable dress. Throughout nathanial hawthornes the scarlet letter the main characters are deviously developed. He finds his wife forced to wear the scarlet letter a on her dress as punishment for her adultery.
The three main characters in this novel display their own honesty and sins. The underlying sin that hawthorne deals with in the scarlet letter is hypocrisy. Pearl defines hesters identity and purpose and gives hester a. Arthur dimmesdale is the town minister of puritan boston. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. The book has four main characters but two of them plays bigger roles in the novel. He describes the novel as a tale of read full character analysis.
Need help on characters in nathaniel hawthornes the scarlet letter. An analysis of the main characters conflicts in nathaniel hawthornes novel the scarlet letter, 2010. The scarlet letter amazonclassics edition kindle edition. These free notes consist of about 52 pages 15,407 words and contain the following sections.
Then hints began to be dropped, and the theories started. The main character is hester prynne, a young woman who has borne a child out of wedlock. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. However, hesters husband does not arrive in boston. Hester prynne is the main character in the scarlet letter. The scarlet letter character list arthur dimmesdale. The main theme of the scarlet letter is to be true. In the novel the scarlet letter, pearl is the illegitimate child of the book s main character.
Comparison characters in the scarlet letter literature essay. Hester and dimmesdale should have been honest since the beginning. She serves as the central force inciting conflict because she gives birth to an illegitimate child, and then refuses to identity the father of the child. Mistress hibbins is governor bellinghams sister and a witch. Quick and easy the scarlet letter synopsis, analysis, and discussion of major characters and themes in the novel. None of the main characters in the scarlet letter by nathaniel hawthorne are able to be completely free from the effects of sin. The protagonist of the novel, hester is married to roger chillingworth and has an affair with arthur dimmesdale. The scarlet letter by nathaniel hawthorne is a classic. Symbolism is apparent in numerous scenes that support pearls ethereal character. The scarlet letter includes in his novel the infamous christian view of sin and the knowledge that follows it. This study guide consists of approximately 69 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of the scarlet letter. Because the main characters of the novel were not true to their feelings, a long series of conflicts arise from the situation. Even though gothic is not the main genre of scarlet letter, it is a gothic novel because of the forbidden love that the main character has outside of her marriage. The story begins in seventeenthcentury boston, then a puritan settlement.
Hester prynne, is led from the town prison with her infant daughter, pearl, in her arms and the scarlet letter a on her breast. Mar 24, 2010 in the novel the scarlet letter, pearl is the illegitimate child of the book s main character. She is the living manifestation of hesters sin and a symbol of the product of the. At the beginning of the book, you were just wondering why he was continually being mentioned. In both the book the scarlet letter, by nathaniel hawthorne, and the book beloved, by toni morrison, the main characters are harshly and lastingly judged by their peers. All three main characters, hester, dimmesdale, and chillingworth, commit the sin of hypocrisy. The work centers on hester prynne, a married woman who is shunned after bearing a child out of wedlock but displays great compassion and resiliency. The reverend wilson is among the men who judge hester prynne at the beginning of the book. The scarlet letter amazonclassics edition kindle edition by hawthorne, nathaniel.
Accepted by the board of examiners in partial fulfillment of requirements for the degree of sarjana sastra from the english department, faculty of letters, university of. Shes a selfsufficient single mother in one of the gloomiest most. Judgement, especially lasting judgement is not something that should ever be passed lightly. At one point the narrator describes pearl as the scarlet letter endowed with life. Hester plays many roles in the scarlet letter read full character analysis. The original papers, together with the scarlet letter itself,a most curious relic,are still in my possession, and shall be freely exhibited to whomsoever, induced by the great interest of the narrative, may desire a sight of them. Thus the young and pure would be taught to look at her, with the scarlet letter flaming on her breast,at her, the child of honorable parents,at her, the mother of a babe, that would hereafter be a woman, at her, who had once been innocent, as the figure, the body, the reality of sin. Hester prynne is the main character who is forced to wear the scarlet letter as remembrance for the. Set in puritan massachusetts bay colony during the years 1642 to 1649, the novel tells the story of hester prynne who conceives a daughter through an affair and then struggles to create a new life of repentance and dignity. Download the free study guide and infographic for nathaniel hawthornes novel the scarlet letter here. The unnamed narrator is inspired to write the scarlet letter after discovering the scarlet letter and fragments of its story in an attic of the custom house. Main characters in the scarlet letter 751 words bartleby.
Detailed analysis of characters in nathaniel hawthornes the scarlet letter. The virtue of truth and the evil of secret sin are clearly illustrated in the novel, the scarlet letter, written by nathaniel hawthorne. Symbolism in the scarlet letter 1079 words bartleby. Hester bears a child, pearl, who is a byproduct of an adulterous affair. When she is convicted of having committed adultery, hester prynne is forced to wear the scarlet letter a on her breast as a mark of shame. A young woman, hester prynne, has been found guilty of adultery and must wear a scarlet a on her dress as a sign of shame. Throughout nathaniel hawthornes book the scarlet letter, hesters attitudes toward her adultery are ambivalent.
A list of all the characters in the scarlet letter. Hester prynne, pearl, roger chillingworth, reverend arthur dimmesdale, governor bellingham, mistress hibbins, reverend mr. She is a married woman living in puritanera boston. Hester prynne is the condemned to carry the letter of shame on her chest since. A young married woman from europe who has come to boston without her husband. Hypocrisy is the practice of professing beliefs, feelings, or virtues that one does not hold or possess.
Main characters of scarlet letter essay 591 words cram. In order for the reader to analyze the novel in a logical manner he must understand the symbolism of pearl and roger chillingworth. Pearl, hester and arthurs daughter, is the most intriguing character. Analysis of the characters in scarlet letter characters. Governor bellingham represents an actual person, richard bellingham, who came to america in 1634 and was. The scarlet letter characters nathaniel hawthorne youtube. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading the scarlet letter amazonclassics edition. The scarlet letter important characters softschools. Nov 01, 2010 check out nathaniel hawthornes the scarlet letter video sparknote. Hester starts by seeing her act as a sin that she is sorry for committing. But, besides being a classic, it is also a very good book, and i enjoyed it immensely, though the ending was disappointing in that it was a little vague as to the fates of some of the characters.
In the novel, she has insight into the sins of both hester and dimmesdale and is a symbol of super or preternatural knowledge and evil powers. The scarlet letter study guide contains a biography of nathaniel hawthorne, literature essays, a complete etext, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. Like the letter, pearl is the public consequence of hesters very private sin. Pearl character analysis in the scarlet letter litcharts. Mistress hibbins is governor bellinghams sister and a. All of the characters in the book were somehow affected by the main sin, which was adultery. The importance of main characters in the scarlet letter 714 words 3 pages. Who are the four main characters of the scarlet letter.
As nathaniel hawthorne states in this novel, in the view of infinite purity, we are sinners all alike. Letter after discovering the scarlet letter and fragments of its story in an attic of the. Yet also like the scarlet letter, pearl becomes hesters source of strength. The scarlet letter is a classic, american novel written by renowned author, nathaniel hawthorne. The three main characters were the most widely affected, and their whole lives were molded by the way they dealt with the sin. Bellinghams widowed sister, who is executed as a witch during the salem witch trials during the time span of the book.
In the novel, she has insight into the sins of both hester and dimmesdale and is a symbol of super or preternatural knowledge and evil. The scarlet letter readon classics kindle edition by. This ambivalence is shown by breaking the book into three different parts. Main characters of scarlet letter essay 591 words 3 pages actions that people take not only affect them but also affect the people closest to them. Hester character throughout nathaniel hawthornes book the scarlet letter, hesters attitudes toward her adultery are ambivalent.
Interestingly, though the letter represents prynnes guilt to the other characters in the book, it has a somewhat different meaning to the reader. Be sure to consider which character occupies the central position in the climax of the book when making your decision. Hester prynne exhibits the essence of truth and pride when she bravely faces the humiliation of the scaffold. Several years later, hester returns to boston, resumes wearing the scarlet letter, and becomes a person to whom other women turn for solace. The scarlet letter is a book that centralizes on the importance of being true to ones feelings. A romance is a work of historical fiction by american author nathaniel hawthorne, published in 1850. Hester prynne hester prynne is the main character and principal protagonist of the scarlet letter. While there are traces of feminism in the novel, the scarlet letter is not a feminist work as a whole simply because the book s main focus is on the church and the puritan way of life. Examples of these many themes include greed, envy and deceit which can be commonly found in the main characters of the book. When we figured out that dimmesdale was the father of pearl, we werent super shocked, he.
On her chest hester wears a scarlet letter a, affixed with beautiful embroidery that strikes some women in the crowd as inappropriate. Main characters is usually a protagonist and a protagonist is the main figure in a real situation. In the scarlet letter, he witnesses hesters punishment and is a symbol of civil authority and, combined with john wilson, of the puritan theocracy. Hester is from england, where she married an elderly man who sent her to the colonies ahead of him. In this painting, the scarlet letter by hugues merle, hester prynne and pearl are in the foreground and arthur dimmesdale and roger chillingworth are in the. Hester believes herself a widow, but her husband, roger.
While she waits for her husband to arrive, hester has an affair with the puritan. She must wear the scarlet letter a on her body as punishment for her. Hester believes herself a widow, but her husband, roger chillingworth, arrives in new england very much alive and conceals his identity. In the scarlet letter pearl and hester, chillingworth and dimmesdale are all affect by the sin of adultery committed by hester.
Nathaniel hawthorne the scarlet letter the main characters. Main characters is usually easy to spot in a book, movie, shows, and plays but in the scarlet letter by nathaniel hawthorne its really hard to tell. Roger chillingworth s name fits the coldness and malevolence of his character. The scarlet letter follows three characters, hester prynn, reverend dimmesdale, and pearl. His health deteriorates and roger chillingworth, who lives with dimmesdale, tends to his health. A short summary of nathaniel hawthornes the scarlet letter. While they each deal with the consequences of sin in different ways, none of them ever still seem able to fully reconcile themselves with their sin.
Sep 20, 2017 download the free study guide and infographic for nathaniel hawthornes novel the scarlet letter here. Hester prynne, the protagonist of the novel, is the mother of pearl. After hester refuses to name her lover, chillingworth becomes obsessed with finding. There are four main characters youll need to remember if you want to understand nathaniel hawthornes the scarlet letter. The scarlet letter, novel by nathaniel hawthorne, published in 1850.