The Image of the Puritans in Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter and Several of His Short Stories PDF Download

Author: Alison (Young) Bauer
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Literature
Languages : en
Pages : 108

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Author: Nathaniel Hawthorne
Publisher: E-Kitap Projesi & Cheapest Books
ISBN: 6059285287
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 374

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Book Description
The Scarlet Letter is an 1850 romantic work of fiction in a historical setting, written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, and is considered to be his magnum opus. Set in 17th-century Puritan Boston, Massachusetts, during the years 1642 to 1649, it tells the story of Hester Prynne, who conceives a daughter through an affair and struggles to create a new life of repentance and dignity. Throughout the book, Hawthorne explores themes of legalism, sin, and guilt. The experience of Hester and Dimmesdale recalls the story of Adam and Eve because, in both cases, sin results in expulsion and suffering. But it also results in knowledge – specifically, in knowledge of what it means to be immoral. For Hester, the Scarlet Letter is a physical manifestation of her sin and reminder of her painful solitude. She contemplates casting it off to obtain her freedom from an oppressive society and a checkered past as well as the absence of God. Because the society excludes her, she considers the possibility that many of the traditions held up by the Puritan culture are untrue and are not designed to bring her happiness. As for Dimmesdale, the "cheating minister", his sin gives him "sympathies so intimate with the sinful brotherhood of mankind, so that his chest vibrate[s] in unison with theirs." His eloquent and powerful sermons derive from this sense of empathy. The narrative of the Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale is quite in keeping with the oldest and most fully authorized principles in Christian thought. His "Fall" is a descent from apparent grace to his own damnation; he appears to begin in purity but he ends in corruption. The subtlety is that the minister's belief is his own cheating, convincing himself at every stage of his spiritual pilgrimage that he is saved. The rose bush's beauty forms a striking contrast to all that surrounds it – as later the beautifully embroidered scarlet "A" will be held out in part as an invitation to find "some sweet moral blossom" in the ensuing, tragic tale and in part as an image that "the deep heart of nature" (perhaps God) may look more kind on the errant Hester and her child than her Puritan neighbors do. Throughout the work, the nature images contrast with the stark darkness of the Puritans and their systems. Chillingworth's misshapen body reflects (or symbolizes) the anger in his soul, which builds as the novel progresses, similar to the way Dimmesdale's illness reveals his inner turmoil. The outward man reflects the condition of the heart; an observation thought to be inspired by the deterioration of Edgar Allan Poe, whom Hawthorne "much admired".

Author: Marina Boonyaprasop
Publisher: Anchor Academic Publishing (aap_verlag)
ISBN: 3954895447
Category : Literary Collections
Languages : en
Pages : 114

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Nathaniel Hawthorne is one of America’s most noted and highly praised writers, and a key figure in US literature. Although, he struggled to become an acknowledged author for most parts of his life, his work “stands in the limelight of the American literary consciousness” (Graham 5). For he is a direct descendant of Massachusetts Bay colonists in the Puritan era of the 17th and 18th century, New England served as a lifelong preoccupation for Hawthorne, and inspired many of his best-known stories. Hence, in order to understand the author and his work, it is crucial to apprehend the historical background from which his stories arose. The awareness of the Puritan legacy in Hawthorne’s time, and their Calvinist beliefs which contributed to the establishment of American identity, serve as a basis for fathoming the intention behind Hawthorne’s writings. His forefathers’ concept of wilderness became an important part of their religious life, and in many of Hawthorne’s tales, nature can be perceived as an active agent for the plot and the moral message. Therefore, it is indispensable to consider the development behind the Puritan perception, as well as the prevailing opinion on nature during the writer’s lifetime. After the historical background has been depicted, the author himself is focused. His ambiguous character and non-persistent lifestyle are the source of many themes which can be retrieved from his works. Thus, understanding the man behind the stories is necessary in order to analyze the tales themselves. Seclusion, nature, and Puritanism are constantly recurring topics in the author’s life and work. To become familiar with Hawthorne’s relation to nature, his ancestors, and religion, it is essential to understand the vast amount of symbols his stories. His stories will be brought into focus, and will be analyzed on the basis of the historical and biographical facts, and further, his particular style and purpose will be taken into consideration.The second part of this book analyzes two of the author’s most eminent and esteemed works, namely ‘Young Goodman Brown’ and ‘The Scarlet Letter’ in terms of nature symbolism and the underlying moral intention. Further, it is examined to which extent the images correspond to the formerly explained historical facts, and Hawthorne’s emphasized characteristic features. The comparison of the two works focuses on the didactic purpose for in all of his works, Hawthorne’s aim was to give a lesson. Thus, it will [...]

Author: Nathaniel Hawthorne
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780395051535
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 436

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The Scarlet Letter, among Hawthorne's larger works, has been generally rated as his characteristic best.

Author: Nathaniel Hawthorne
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781515366478
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 330

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Book Description
The Scarlet Letter is an 1850 romantic work of fiction in a historical setting, written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, and is considered to be his magnum opus. Set in 17th-century Puritan Boston, Massachusetts, during the years 1642 to 1649, it tells the story of Hester Prynne, who conceives a daughter through an affair and struggles to create a new life of repentance and dignity. Throughout the book, Hawthorne explores themes of legalism, sin, and guilt.The experience of Hester and Dimmesdale recalls the story of Adam and Eve because, in both cases, sin results in expulsion and suffering. But it also results in knowledge - specifically, in knowledge of what it means to be immoral. For Hester, the Scarlet Letter is a physical manifestation of her sin and reminder of her painful solitude. She contemplates casting it off to obtain her freedom from an oppressive society and a checkered past as well as the absence of God. Because the society excludes her, she considers the possibility that many of the traditions held up by the Puritan culture are untrue and are not designed to bring her happiness.As for Dimmesdale, the "cheating minister", his sin gives him "sympathies so intimate with the sinful brotherhood of mankind, so that his chest vibrate[s] in unison with theirs." His eloquent and powerful sermons derive from this sense of empathy. The narrative of the Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale is quite in keeping with the oldest and most fully authorized principles in Christian thought. His "Fall" is a descent from apparent grace to his own damnation; he appears to begin in purity but he ends in corruption. The subtlety is that the minister's belief is his own cheating, convincing himself at every stage of his spiritual pilgrimage that he is saved.The rose bush's beauty forms a striking contrast to all that surrounds it - as later the beautifully embroidered scarlet "A" will be held out in part as an invitation to find "some sweet moral blossom" in the ensuing, tragic tale and in part as an image that "the deep heart of nature" (perhaps God) may look more kind on the errant Hester and her child than her Puritan neighbors do. Throughout the work, the nature images contrast with the stark darkness of the Puritans and their systems.Chillingworth's misshapen body reflects (or symbolizes) the anger in his soul, which builds as the novel progresses, similar to the way Dimmesdale's illness reveals his inner turmoil. The outward man reflects the condition of the heart; an observation thought to be inspired by the deterioration of Edgar Allan Poe, whom Hawthorne "much admired".

Author: Nathaniel Hawthorne
Publisher: e-artnow
ISBN: 8027201772
Category : Juvenile Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 2860

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This carefully edited collection of "THE COMPLETE SHORT STORIES OF NATHANIEL HAWTHORNE (Illustrated)” has been designed and formatted to the highest digital standards and adjusted for readability on all devices. Excerpts: "I am afraid this ghost story will bear a very faded aspect when transferred to paper. Whatever effect it had on you, or whatever charm it retains in your memory, is, perhaps, to be attributed to the favorable circumstances under which it was originally told.” (The Ghost of Doctor Harris) American novelist and short story writer Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1864) published his first work, a novel titled Fanshawe, in 1828; he later tried to suppress it, feeling it was not equal to the standard of his later work. He published several short stories in various periodicals, which he collected in 1837 as Twice-Told Tales. Much of Hawthorne's writing centres on New England, many works featuring moral allegories with a Puritan inspiration. His fiction works are considered to be part of the Romantic movement and, more specifically, Dark romanticism. His themes often centre on the inherent evil and sin of humanity, and his works often have moral messages and deep psychological complexity. Table of Contents: Biography of Nathaniel Hawthorne Collections of Short Stories: Twice-Told Tales (1837) Grandfather's Chair (1840) Biographical Stories Mosses from an Old Manse (1846) Wonder Book For Girls and Boys (1851) The Snow Image and Other Twice Told Tales (1852) Tanglewood Tales For Girls and Boys (1853) The Dolliver Romance and Other Pieces, Tales and Sketches (1864) The Story Teller Sketches in Magazines

Author: Nathaniel Hawthorne
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 315

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The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne. When Hester Prynne bears an illegitimate child she is introduced to the ugliness, complexity, and ultimately the strength of the human spirit. Though set in Puritan community centuries ago, the moral dilemmas of personal responsibility, and consuming emotions of guilt, anger, loyalty and revenge are timeless. "The scarlet letter was her passport into regions where other women dared not to tread. Shame, Despair, Solitude! These had been her teachers--stern and wild ones--and they had made her strong, but taught her much amiss." Nathaniel Hawthorne Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1864) was an American novelist, Dark Romantic, and short story writer. Hawthorne published his first work, a novel titled Fanshawe, in 1828; he later tried to suppress it, feeling it was not equal to the standard of his later work. He published several short stories in periodicals, which he collected in 1837 as Twice-Told Tales. Hawthorne's works belong to romanticism or, more specifically, dark romanticism, cautionary tales that suggest that guilt, sin, and evil are the most inherent natural qualities of humanity. Many of his works are inspired by Puritan New England, combining historical romance loaded with symbolism and deep psychological themes, bordering on surrealism. His depictions of the past are a version of historical fiction used only as a vehicle to express common themes of ancestral sin, guilt and retribution.

Author: Nathaniel Hawthorne
Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
ISBN: 9781494474737
Category : Adultery
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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In 18th century Boston, a Puritan girl is condemned to wear the letter "A" for bearing an illegitimate daughter.

Author: Nathaniel Hawthorne
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781976001123
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 198

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Set in the harsh Puritan community of seventeenth-century Boston, this tale of an adulterous entanglement that results in an illegitimate birth reveals Nathaniel Hawthorne's concerns with the tension between the public and the private selves. Publicly disgraced and ostracized, Hester Prynne draws on her inner strength and certainty of spirit to emerge as the first true heroine of American fiction. Arthur Dimmesdale, trapped by the rules of society, stands as a classic study of a self divided. About Nathaniel Hawthorne : Nathaniel Hawthorne was a 19th century American novelist and short story writer. He is seen as a key figure in the development of American literature for his tales of the nation's colonial history. "Behold, verily, there is the women of the Scarlet Letter; and, of a truth, moreover, there is the likeness of the scarlet letter book running alongside her" Let's talk a little bit about self-fulfilling prophecy. If an entire community, and religious sect, brand a girl's mother as a sinner, whether justly or unjustly, then surely the girl will take some of this to heart? If the only world she has ever known is one when he only parent is considered ungodly, blasphemous and full of sin, then surely she will begin to reflect some of these ideals? When the Puritans branded Hester with the Scarlet Letter, they also branded her daughter (metaphorically speaking, of course.)" " Actually, I've read this book twice, the first time when I was in high school. Reading it again after some thirty years, I was amazed at the amount of meaning I'd missed the first time! Most modern readers don't realize (and certainly aren't taught in school) that Hawthorne --as his fiction, essays and journals make clear-- was a strong Christian, though he steadfastly refused to join a denomination; and here his central subject is the central subject of the Christian gospel: sin's guilt and forgiveness. (Unlike many moderns, Hawthorne doesn't regard Hester's adultery as perfectly okay and excusable --though he also doesn't regard it as an unforgivable sin.) But his faith was of a firmly Arminian sort; and as he makes abundantly clear, it's very hard for sinners mired in the opposite, Calvinist tradition to lay hold of repentance and redemption when their religious beliefs tell them they may not be among the pre-chosen "elect." (It's no accident that his setting is 17th-century New England --the heartland of an unadulterated, unquestioned Calvinism whose hold on people's minds was far more iron-clad than it had become in his day.) If you aren't put off by 19th-century diction, this book is a wonderful read, with its marvelous symbolism and masterful evocation of the atmosphere of the setting (the occasional hints of the possibly supernatural add flavor to the whole like salt in a stew). Highly recommended! "

Author: Nathaniel Hawthorne
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 272

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This book special included Classics illustrated: ✓ Original & Unabridged Edition ✓ Tablet and e-reader formatted ✓ Short Biography is also included ✓ more than 20 images from the original Set in Puritan Massachusetts Bay Colony in the 1640's, Hester Prynne conceives a daughter in an adulterous relationship and is publicly punished and shamed by the townspeople. As part of Hester's punishment, she is required to wear a scarlet letter "A" on her dress at all times.The father of the child is unknown to the townspeople and Hester refuses to divulge his identity. Roger Chillingworth, the local physician, motivated by a personal vendetta vows to uncover the identity of the adulterous man.Originally published in 1850, The Scarlet Letter has been considered a masterwork literary classic today by many critics. This masterful work has inspired numerous film, television and stage adaptations.