Scarlet Letter Essay, Research Paper

1) Introduction:a) Nathaniel Hawthorne’s background influenced him to write the bold novel The Scarlet Letter. i) One important influence on the story is money. (1) Hawthorne had never made much money as an author.(2) Birth of his first daughter added to the financial burden. (3) He received a job at the Salem Custom House only to lose it three years later and be forced to write again to support his family (4) Consequently, TheScarlet Letter was published a year laterii) Another influence on the story is Hawthorne’s rejection of his ancestors. (1) His forefathers were strict Puritans, and John Hathorne, his great-great-grandfather, was a judge presiding during the Salem witchtrials. (2) Hawthorne did not condone their actsand actually spent a great deal of his life renouncing the Puritans in general(a) For example, before Hester emerges from the prison she is being scorned by a group of women who feel that she deserves a larger punishment than she actually receives. Instead of only being made to stand on the scaffold and wear the scarlet letter on her chest, they suggest that she have it branded on her forehead or even be put to death.iii) Perhaps the most important influence on the story is theauthor’s interest in the “dark side” (1) Unlike thetranscendentalists of the era, Hawthorne “confronted reality, rather than evading it” (2) The Scarlet Letter deals with adultery, asubject that caused much scandal when it was first published. (3) The book revolves around sin and punishment, a far outcry from writers of the time, such as Emerson and Thoreau,who dwelt on optimistic themes.

b) This background, together with a believable plot, convincing characterization, and important literary devices enables Nathaniel Hawthorne in The Scarlet Letter to the develop the theme of the heart as a prison.2)

a) The scaffold scenes are the most substantial situations in the story because they unify The Scarlet Letter in two influential ways.i) First of all, every scaffold scene reunites the main characters of the novel. ii) Another way in which the scenes are united is how each illustrates the immediate, delayed, and prolonged effects that the sin of adultery has on the main characters.iii) The main characters sharply contrast each other in the way they react to Hester and Dimmesdale’s sin. iv) The novel revolves around two major symbols: light and darkness and the scarlet letter.(1) The book is filled with light and darkness symbols because it represents the most common battle of all time, good versus evil. 3) Conclusion: a) This background, together with a believable plot, convincingcharacterization, and important literary devices enables NathanielHawthorne in The Scarlet Letter to the develop the theme of the heart as aprison.i) Hawthorne describes the purpose of the novel when he says, “Betrue! Be true! Be true! Show freely to the world, if not your worse, yetsome trait whereby the worst may be inferred!” ii) The theme is beneficial because it can be put into terms in today’s world. iii) The ScarletLetter is one of the few books that will be timeless, because it dealswith alienation, sin, punishment, and guilt, emotions that will continue to be felt by every generation to come.