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The Scarlet Letter Blog 10: Overall Opinions

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Overall, “The Scarlet Letter” by Nathaniel Hawthorne opened my eyes to a whole new perspective of judgement and hate towards pregnancies outside the bounds of marriage. Society has changed over the years, definitely a lot more progressive and accepting of some topics than people were centuries ago. Still, there is sexism, racism, and homophobia all around the world. What I got most out of this book was the idea of hate, and how it can truly be a powerful thing. Whether it be collective towards one person, like Hester had towards her, or self hate like Dimmesdale, it is a true test of character. Hester was able to let this rage roll of her back, while Dimmesdale had been eating away at himself, torturing himself with his guilt, so much to make him physically sick. In the end, the symbol for Adultery, the was meant to cause shame and embarrassment, driven by hate, was on the tombstone of both Dimmesdale and Hester, proving how much hate was an impact in their life. The hate is generate...
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The Scarlet Letter Blog 9: Death

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The final pages of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “The Scarlet Letter” ends in an rathering general resolution: death. In the end, we will all die, death is inevitable, but we can choose if we want to fear death. The idea of death often times stops many from truly living due to the possibilities of dying. But in reality you are choosing paths that lower your chances of dying at that second. Because in all honesty, we cannot control our entire lives. When we leave this Earth is not necessarily up to us. We are here, we are alive, so live we shall. Another thing I think people fail to realize is that we do have ONE life, live the hell out of it. You cannot throw it all away on some superficial distraction that alludes to the idea that life is terrible all the time. You are alive now and expect to live until one day you don’t but until the day comes, just try to live a good life. Hester lived a good life, although it took 7 years, she rebuilt her reputation above of one mistake. A mistake that w...
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The Scarlet Letter Blog 8: Hawthorne Wrote Pure Poetry, Unlike Me

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The intriguing book “The Scarlet Letter” written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, comes to his last pages when I realize, this book was written in the 17th century. The story line not only in such a close minded era, but this is what it was like, what Hawthorne saw and inspired him to actually decide to write this book. Such a controversial plot of morality is a lot to take in the 21st century, let alone the 16th, it is insane. Hawthorne writing back in his youthful age, the ideas flowing from his brain, falling in the form of words on a page. His book grew in fame, and everyone knew his name, for the story of a girl who committed sin, that took a turn and turned on society so she could win. Living in peace, while her counterpart in pieces, she found the keys to freedom by not caring in the least. And Dimmesdale in pain, while Chillingsworth was not help keeping him sane. He kept at it until the day they walked in a cane. And Hester decided, she needed to let him go, and she needed Chillingsw...
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The Scarlet Letter Blog 7: Psychological Toll

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As the loosely moraled novel “The Scarlet Letter” begins to draw to a close, we see the harsh reality of the sins committed by Hester and Dimmesdale and how hard it hit them. When Dimmesdale comes to the time of his death, Hester asks if they will meet again in heaven and he rejects the idea, saying they need to pay for what they have done. Something which, happens a lot more commonly nowadays. It says a lot about not only how time was then, but also how it is now. Hester was forced to stand on a stage in front of the town to be shunned for hours. The was seen at the women of sin, having a child with a man she is not married too. Things are different now, gratefully, society does not publically shun the personal life of other people. But what I wondered was the psychological effect that having a child with, according to society is “the wrong person” does to someone. Many changes have happened over time in terms of humanity, but I believe has to be some type of emotional scar that sta...
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The Scarlet Letter Blog 6: Love

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The ideology of love in the novel “The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne is very subdued. An act of adultery was what caused such commotion in the book, but was their acts truly out of love, or just physical attraction? Towards the middle to end of the book Hester meets Dimmesdale in the woods and after such discussion and and an encounter with Chillingsworth, you see where Hester’s love stands. She tells Chillingsworth that she never really loved him, and he is crushed. She then confesses to Dimmesdale Chillingsworth true identity as Hester’s husband, which brings logical reasoning to the fact the Dimmesdale has been getting worse and realizes he was being tortured and guilted into his secret more than usual because of Chillingsworth’s presence. All facts aside, where was Hester’s love before all this? It is evident for 7 years she has focused on Pearl, and after Dimmesdale and Hester plan to run away together she has love for him. But even before then, did she mean what she sai...
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The Scarlet Letter Blog 5: ObjectificAtion

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In the classic novel “The Scarlet Letter” by Nathaniel Hawthorne, the letter has symbolized something degrading, leading to the objectification of women in the book. Something that I realized halfway through was the idea of the A on her chest, is contradicting to what an A usually is supposed to do when exploited as it originally is. When you think of an A on the fridge, it is an accomplishment you take pride in. But what they did to Hester, was pushing her down, and trying to objectify her while STILL trying to use the A as adultery and not accomplishment. This is just an ironic idea I stumbled upon when looking at the storyline. She is treated as an object but is dismissed for operating like one when procreating the Earth, as humans must do. At some point her reputation slowly is regained and her previous perception withers away, just as people do, and the past leaves the world behind for the new people to roam the Earth, free from any reputation for the time being. Only people lik...
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The Scarlet Letter Blog 4: DimmesdAle

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The controversial book “The Scarlet Letter” continues as Pearl reaches her childhood. Hester slowly builds her reputation from rock bottom over the next seven years of Pearl’s childhood. And as she begins to redeem her actions of adultery with acts of selflessness, like making clothes for the poor, Arthur Dimmesale, the town minister has a positive reputation and continues to improve over the next few years as well. Arthur Dimmesdale was the unknown father of Pearl and was internally broken by this secret he kept. While Hester was freed from hiding but was publicly shunned, Dimmesdale was absolutely adored but eaten by the same wrong doings.  Dimmesale became so ill from his guilt he had the town doctor live with him to look after him. This doctor was none other than Roger Chillingworth, Hester’s husband who was presumably dead. He came into the town with this false identity in order to find who was Pearl’s father. After speculating that it was Dimmesdale, he was able to get into...
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