Literature Analysis #1 The Scarlet Letter

1. In the beginning if the book that I read, The Scarlet Letter, it's starts off with a woman named Hester Pryne, and she has to stand up in front of the entire town with the "Scarlet letter A" in to her chest. She committed adultery against her husband, Roger Chillingworth. She will not speak the name of the man she cheated on her husband with to anybody. She also had a baby with the man. The setting is in the seventeenth - century Boston. Hester then supports herself by working as a seamstress and her baby girl named Pearl grows up. They live in a small cottage in Boston. Suddenly, officials of the community want to take pearl away from Hester but a man named Arthur Dimmesdale helps her. But something very sad happens to Dimmesdale which makes Chillingworth move in with him. Suddenly, Chillingworth's suspicions start to rise when he notices something about Dimmesdale and Hester. When tragic events happen Hester and her daughter flee without any notice to anyone.More and more events happen which lead to sad, yet happy ending.

2. In my opinion the theme is the novel is sin and shame. Throughout the entire book Hester Pryne wears a Scarlet letter A and an example of adultery and it's practically a sin. She wears a scarlet A on her breast 24/7, so she feels shame.

3. What made me choose this book is that is had a little of something to do with romance, and I love romance novels. I also thought that it had drama and exciting, thrilling moments in the book. But, honestly, I didn't like it. The exposition is really long, and it made not want to keep reading at all throughout the whole book.

4. I did make some connections throughout the book because I have felt shame all through my life. People always hang stuff over my head for the things that I did in the past. So I really connected with Hester and the scarlet letter.

5. In the novel the author's tone is somewhat bitter or harsh. For example when he described the people in Boston as "being of the most intolerant brood"(Hawthorne 86). He is also very opinionated and descriptive, in example, when he described Mr. Dimmesdale as "more careworn and emaciated than as [we] described him at the scene of Hester's public ignominy"(Hawthorne 86). He also uses harsh words like, "scorned them in their hearts, and ...reviled them with their tongues". 

6. An example of a metaphor in The Scarlet Letter was when Hester considers the scarlet letter A to be the Black Man, and according to my research the Black Man is like satan. Another example of a simile was when the author said, "She has wandered without rule or guidance in a moral wilderness; as vast, as intricate and shadowy, as the untamed forest".

Symbolism: "...The sunshine vanished..."

Imagery: "...gray twilight into which the clouded sky and the heavy foliage had darkened the noontide...".

Characterization

1. An example of direct characterization is when Hawthorne describes when Chillingworth sees Hester while standing on the pillar saying, "...the stranger bent his eyes on Hester Pryne. It was carelessly, at first, like a man chiefly accustomed to look inward, and whom external matters are of little value and import...". Another example of direct characterization is when he describes Hester Pryne and a beautiful, tall, thin,  and dignified person. An example if indirect characterization is when in the book people look as Hester as a tramp or a promiscuous person but really she is dignified and loyal. Another example of indirect characterization is that in the book the impression on Mr. Dimmesdale is that he is helpful and trustworthy.

2. The author's diction does not change when describing a character. Throughout the book the text is written in Shakespeare language, i.e., thy, thou, or shall. 

3. The protagonist is dynamic and round. She plays a very big part in book mostly because she's the main character. She being Hester Pryne. She's very dignified and confident and is described toward the end of the book as loyal. 

4. I did feel like I met Hester Pryne personally because the author describes her significantly as if she was standing in my room. I actually had a vision of her as I was reading. Like when she walked off of the pillory that she was on the head up while people were gazing at her in disgust and shame, but she still stood her ground.

One quote that I liked or will remember from the book is "Ah, but let her cover the mark as she will, the pang of it will be always in her heart". I like this quote because it reminds me of something that recently happened to me a few months ago. Someone really hurt m g feelings to the point where I didn't want to go to the place where I would always see them, but now I have forgiven them, but I will never forget what they did to me.