Theme of Vengeance in The Scarlet Letter Essay - 1388 Words

Vengeance in The Scarlet Letter Vengeance is the act of recovering justice by forcing the opposing individual to endure same punishment or exceed a far more harsh consequence than the victim. People often try to obtain revenge upon others for the wrong reasons due to fact that they believe the actions or sins of another person have affected the victim in a negative way. The Scarlet Letter, written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, uses the relentless character, Mr. Roger Chillingworth, to describe the result of being resentful and unforgiving to his wifes secret lover, Reverend Dimmesdale. The Scarlet Letter also vividly describes how Chillingworth became self absorbed with vengeance and how vengeance changes his physical appearance.†¦show more content†¦The harsh townspeople force her up on the scaffold to be humiliated in front of the whole town. Not only is she sent up on the scaffold with her sin revealed by the â€Å"A† for everyone to see, Hester becomes an example of what a woman should not come to be. The author is talking about Hesters experience on the scaffold and her pregnancy, â€Å"Throughout them all, giving up her individuality, she would become the general symbol at which the preacher and moralist might point, and in which they might vivify and embody their images of womans frailty and sinful passion†(32). Hester looses her individuality and is labeled by the townspeople and known for the Scarlet Letter. Further, the townspeople singled her out as an alien or outcast of the town forcing her to live an abnormal live. She was ridiculed and known for her one sin, unable to have acceptance back into society. Although the townspeople feel as if Hester has brought sin upon there lives, she clearly have not harmed any of the townspeople physically, and they have no grounds to punish Hester. The cause of the townspeoples harsh disciplinary acts on Hester originates from a strict, unrealistic standards of puritan society and the zero tolerance of any ungodly behavior o bserved in the town. Due to the absence of proper justice, Hesters sentencing is left up to the harsh townspeople in which they show no mercy orShow MoreRelatedNathaniel Hawthorne s The Scarlet Letter1631 Words   |  7 Pagesdeveloped the theme for his most renowned literary novel, The Scarlet Letter. In The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne emphasized the impact that societal isolation can have on individuals. Several of the victims inflicted with isolation throughout the novel were ultimately met with their inevitable downfalls. One particular character, Hester Prynne, was selected to undergo a struggle comparable to Hawthorne’s own. Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter centered its characters on a theme of both physicalRead More Essay on The Consequences of Sin in The Scarlet Letter853 Words   |  4 Pages The Scarlet Letter:nbsp; The Consequences of Sinnbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; It can be concluded that the consequences of sin is the theme of Nathaniel Hawthornes, The Scarlet Letter. Hawthorne explored this theme by four distinctive levels of sin. Although each level was equally displayed throughout the novel, the communal sin of mans inhumanity to man outranked all else. 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The recurring themes that are present in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s classic The Scarlet Letter are still relevant in today’s society. When high school students and teachers claim that Hawthorne’s novel is archaic and should be removed from the curriculum, they are absolutely wrong. Hester Prynne, the main character of the novel, commits adultery and as punishment, has to wearRead MoreThe Worst Sinner in the Scarlet Letter1444 Words   |  6 PagesThe Worst Sinner in The Scarlet Letter In The Scarlet Letter there are three main sinners presented to the reader. Hester Prynne, Arthur Dimmesdale and Roger Chillingworth are all written with their own forms of sin, and each has a unique coping mechanism for their sins and guilt. Sin, at this time, was a hugely important part of daily life, and punishment for one’s sins was universally seen as not only a positive thing, but a necessary action to keep the people of the colony pure. Both HesterRead MoreScarlet Letter : The Rejection Of Puritan Values1466 Words   |  6 PagesBenjamin Stoops Mr. Goldhammer Honors American Studies 2 November 2015 Scarlet Salvation: The Rejection of Puritan Values in The Scarlet Letter In The Scarlet Letter, each of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s characters undergo internal challenges. When Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter concludes, many characters’ personal struggles have ended, either in their favor or resulting in their downfall. Hawthorne most notably fixates upon Pearl, Hester, Arthur Dimmesdale and Roger Chillingworth and the challengesRead MoreJosh Lyon. Mrs. Voshell. Honors English 10. 6 January 2017.979 Words   |  4 PagesLyon Mrs. Voshell Honors English 10 6 January 2017 Symbolism in The Scarlet Letter Within The Scarlet Letter Hawthorne uses symbolism, â€Å"the use of symbols to represent ideas† (Bell 10), affluently. The amount of symbolism Hawthorne uses could lead some to believe that The Scarlet Letter is in fact an allegory. Nearly every object in Hawthorne’s novel is symbolic. Hawthorne uses everyday objects and places to symbolize many main themes, concepts, and ideas in the lives of Hester and Pearl as well as