Literature Analysis #4

The Scarlet Letter
by Nathaniel Hawthorne

General:
1. Hester Prynn, an unfortunate lover, was sent to America with her daughter, without the father ever meeting them in the new world. Hester's lonely travels in America led her to have an affair. The story begins explaining the meaning of the red A that Hester wears upon her chest to show that she has been marked as an adulteress. Though Hester is heckled and ridiculed, she is charitable and kind to the community, and therefore the community develops a bond with Hester and her daughter. As things seem to go smoothly, Chillingworth, the father disguised as a medicinal man, becomes close with Hester and the authorities of the village. Dimmesdale is then watched over by Chillingworth, who is secretly planning to kill the man, but first to expose him as the man that Hester had loved. Dimmesdale's distress and urgency, because he is a preacher, leads him to an unbearable discovery at the end of the story in front of the town, where he dies upon the scaffold that introduced at the very beginning.

2. The theme is to develop relationships that can not so easily be taken from you. Hester's relationship with Dimmesdale was strong, but could have led to the downfall of both of them, as it was revealed in the end. The relationships that are developed for your own personal gain or lust are most of the time those relationships that are not meant to be made.

3. Hawthorne uses a tone that is unlike any other story I've read. His ability to write in a dreamy tone is entertaining. The characters are often thinking in their own minds of possibilities to come, while the others are trying to discover the present. When Hester and Pearl are in the forest, the reader is able to discern real from unreal, but can understand the emotions of love and lust, confusion and uneasiness. These are elements that make Hawthorne a good writer.

4. The author uses implication very often when  Hester reacts with other characters. Her scarlet A is seen and the characters reactions to that imply that Hester is a sinful person. Foreshadowing is used many times in the story. It is used to reveal her lover, used to reveal her husband, and used to eventually reveal the babies true father. Hyperbole is used when describing Pearl as a nymph, little devil, or an angel, her actions and looks are all exaggerated by the author. Hawthorne also uses surrealism, which can be seen in the forest scenes and when viewing Pearl.

Characterization:
1. Direct characterization would most likely be connected with Hester. Other's in the story describe Hester as a sinner. But I think that this is put in the story to show the indirect characterizations of the person so that the reader can see the obvious discernment between the people and Hester.

2. When describing the important characters in the story, I notice that you can divide them from the normal cast by noticing the change in syntax. The descriptions of the characters also seem to change in diction, for the characters become more animated by the writing and the sentences are long and descriptive so that you may judge the character, similar to how the people in the story judge her. Simply by face value.

3. Hester could be described as static, or dynamic, it all depends on the point of view. Hester doesn't change the way her actions show to people, in order to deceive them, and keep the writing of the story more engaging. On the inside, Hester becomes more in love with the man she had an affair with as she tries to first avoid him. The contact with him is the point where she decides to be more assertive with her ideals.

4. I could feel for the characters in the story. We have all experienced secrecy, but may not to these extremes. Hester's feelings of sorrow and regret fuel the reader with feelings that are of empathy, because the reader understands mistakes. Though Hester has done a terrible thing, the audience feels that she is just acting out of emotion and that her side is pure in intent. It is hard to break  your ideas away from a character that you are exposed to for the entire story.