What does The Scarlet Letter say about society?

The Scarlet Letter reflects various shades of the Puritan society like relationships, religion, community, discipline and punishment, and is also a moral and psychological study of life. The novel outlines the consequences of sin on the individual as well as on the social level.

What are important quotes from The Scarlet Letter?

Preview — The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne

“No man, for any considerable period, can wear one face to himself and another to the multitude, without finally getting bewildered as to which may be the true.”
“She had not known the weight until she felt the freedom.”

What does the forest symbolize in The Scarlet Letter quotes?

It symbolizes nature’s relationship with man as a place of refuge and as a place of empowerment. The forest in the book symbolizes hope, love, and truth. Utilizing the forest, Hawthorne is able to develop the literary devices: theme, mood, irony, and character.

What is the social setting of The Scarlet Letter?

The novel The Scarlet Letter is set in the theocratic and patriarchal Puritan society of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. The year is 1642, which means that this particular group of colonists settled in the area of Boston, and were part of a second wave of settlers that came from…

How is the Puritan society presented in The Scarlet Letter?

The Scarlet Letter presents a critical, even disdainful, view of Puritanism. The narrator depicts Puritan society as drab, confining, unforgiving, and narrow-minded that unfairly victimizes Hester.

How is guilt shown in The Scarlet Letter?

In The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne explores themes of guilt to present a new perspective on morality and sin. Through the suffering of Hester Prynne’s secret lover, Reverend Dimmesdale, Hawthorne presents the ravages of guilt on the body, mind, and spirit. Guilt eats the body alive, consuming its vitality.

Who said it irks me nevertheless the partner?

-Arthur Dimmesdale, chapter 20,’The Scarlet Letter’. 12. “It irks me, nevertheless, that the partner of her iniquity should not, at least, stand on the scaffold by her side.”

What does the scarlet letter symbolize?

The scarlet letter is meant to be a symbol of shame, but instead it becomes a powerful symbol of identity to Hester. The letter’s meaning shifts as time passes. Like Pearl, the letter functions as a physical reminder of Hester’s affair with Dimmesdale.

What does the black man symbolize in The Scarlet Letter?

In the Scarlet letter Nathaniel Hawthorne uses the Black Man to symbolize the devil and his messenger in the form of Roger Chillingworth who is the devil. Hester refers to Roger as the black man because she thinks he caused all the suffering that she has gone through.

What does the scaffold symbolize in The Scarlet Letter?

The scaffold plays a vital role in The Scarlet Letter. In the novel, it’s both the symbol of sin and shame, as well as the site of ultimate redemption.

What type of community is Hawthorne portraying?

In The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne uses the repressive, authoritarian Puritan society as an analogue for humankind in general. The Puritan setting also enables him to portray the human soul under extreme pressures.

How did the Puritan society view Hester Prynne in The Scarlet Letter?

This Puritan society viewed Hester with scorn and disdain. In their minds, she had committed an unpardonable sin and then added to it by not revealing the name of her fellow sinner. Specifically, with no husband in view, she bears a child. Puritans held strict views about sexual relations and Hester had violated them.

What are some quotes from the Scarlet Letter?

Here are a some quotes from The Scarlet Letter that explore its timeless themes: 1. “One token of her shame would but poorly serve to hide another.”. 2. “Ah, but let her cover the mark as she will, the pang of it will be always in her heart.”.

What was the effect of the Scarlet Letter?

In the town, which is only then a tiny colony at the edge of the Western World in what was known as the Massachusetts Bay Colony, this scandal causes quite a to-do. As such, this token’s effect on the townspeople is quite strong—magical even: the Scarlet Letter had “the effect of a spell.”

What was Chapter XV of the Scarlet Letter about?

Chapter XV, ‘Hester and Pearl’ “She had wandered, without rule or guidance, into a moral wilderness. Her intellect and heart had their home, as it were, in desert places, where she roamed as freely as the wild Indian in his woods. The scarlet letter was her passport into regions where other women dared not tread.

What did the Puritans think about the Scarlet Letter?

The Puritan community created legends about Hester Prynne’s scarlet letter, including this idea that it glowed at night and actually burned its wearer. This repressed community had a vivid imagination, fueled by fear of the supernatural and a fundamentalist religious zeal.