The Scarlet Letter
Early in my life I read Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter. Seeing it as an assignment, however, I could not fully understand how to make judgment on its subject matter, nor could I appreciate the novel. Then, required only to decide whether I like it, my answer was simple: "It was all right." However, I have since learned to think more deeply about parts not only of novels I read but also of the world in which I live. To borrow a term from literary critic Wayne Booth, I have recently "revisited" The Scarlet Letter and have learned that my passive attitude toward the novel has matured beyond like versus dislike. Not only can I decide whether I accept the novel, but I can also establish my reasons with concrete evidence. My "revisit" to Hawthorne's novel was not only a test to see how my thought pattern has changed, but it has also taught me that a novel involves much more than reading. Learning from Booth that an implied author has a responsibility to his readers casts a new light on literature. He must not only put words onto paper but must also create a pattern of desire. Because that pattern functions differently for individual readers and authors must negotiate those many differences, literature becomes even more beautif
Since I read between the lines and below the surface of just words written on the pages, my "revisit" to The Scarlet Letter was a truly positive experience that goes beyond like versus dislike. Considering the implied author's apparent sympathy for Hester, one can immediately relate to his characterization of her and feel compassion for her as well. While I came away with an awareness of my own judgmental habits, I felt and still feel that adultery is wrong despite the circumstances. Immediately, the narrator reports that all her beauty and charm flee: "her beauty . Rarely, if ever, do we see an unattractive woman or man playing the leading role in any film, or do we generally read about women or men in novels how are not pleasing to the eyes. After turning the last page and closing the book, I remained satisfied because Hester is not labeled an adulteress after she returns to Salem and since Arthur Dimmesdale admits his guilt before he dies. In doing so, I think we would immediately look into one's heart instead of directly at the sin and, therefore, we would ultimately hate the sin and love the sinner. When discussing The Scarlet Letter, I find it almost impossible to disregard its most basic element: the letter "A" that Hester Prynne is forced to wear as punishment for her crime and that symbolizes our attachment of sin to the sinner. For example, several people in my own church have committed sins equivalent to Hester's According to biblical instruction and Southern Baptist tradition, one who commits a sin such as adultery should first seek forgiveness from God and then go before the church for public forgiveness. Also like Pearl, who cannot let go of the imbedded connection between the symbol and the sinner, we as Christians cannot let go of the association between the sinner and his sin. In spite of their predictions, however, they view a woman "with a figure of perfect elegance" (64). In the New Testament, by sharp contrast, we are offered a kinder version of judgment and forgiveness. When we see the implied author's description of a beautiful and exotic woman, however, we can picture a default heroine who deserves happiness even if it is only because of her beauty.
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Acceptance Essays
