Scarlet Letter
Often in literature, themes are often influenced and developed through literary techniques. There is no exception for The Scarlet Letter, written by Nathaniel Hawthorne. The main theme of this novel is suffering, punishment, and redemption. Many characters such as: Hester, Dimmesdale and Pearl go through these stages somewhere in the novel. The three literary techniques that show how this theme is influenced and developed are symbols, setting, and structure. Some of these symbols are the forest, and the scarlet letter "A". The setting, such as the marketplace and the forest help add to the theme. An example of the technique of structure is the scaffold, which also contributes to the theme. The Scarlet Letter has many literary techniques that influence the theme of suffering, punishment, and redemption. There are a few characters in this novel that support the theme of suffering, punishment, and redemption. The first character is Hester Prynne. She has committed adultery and now she must endue her punishment. Her punishment is that she must stand on the scaffold, (a place for punishment and shame) for one afternoon with her daughter, Pearl. A townsman speaks of Hester, "the woman has been a dweller here in Boston, no tid
No one knows he committed the sin and that he is the father of Pearl. The "A" has as different meaning for each of the characters. He is the other character who commits the sin of adultery along with Hester. Dimmesdale signs the book and then leaves the forest feeling so good that he did not even have to take his medicine. Also the meteor that forms in the shape of a red "A" lights up the sky, Dimmesdale thinks it stands for adultery. Her only punishment is being a symbol of sin. Pearl uses the environment as a basis of her imagination. A symbol that represents suffering and punishment is the scarlet "A. Also it means of being true in the public eye. When Hester is in the forest it seems to be dark because of the sin she has committed. 145) For Pearl, Hester's "A" is a symbol of her. On page 131 Hawthorne states, "when poor Mr. Also her redemption takes place here, when she gets up on the scaffold with Pearl after Dimmesdale finishes his amazing sermon. She suffers worse than any other character in this novel. He also would use a scourge (whip, used for punishment) on himself, "oftentimes, this Protestant and Puritan divine had plied it on his own shoulders; laughing bitterly at himself the while, and smiting so much the more pitilessly because of that bitter laugh.
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