Abstract
This paper explains that, since the 1960s, there has been a significant change in the way men understand right and wrong; and, with this new understanding, readers lost the ability to understand some of the deeper ethical themes in Hawthorne's "Scarlet Letter". The author points out that modern criticism of this novel revolves around its depiction of the harshness of Puritan ethics and its hypocrisy. The paper contends that, in the Puritan world, the nature of man is one who struggles with right and wrong, prospers when he does what is right, and suffers when he does what is wrong; but, when the "wrong" man confesses his deeds to himself, his community, and his God, then he is freed.

From the Paper
"The plight of the hypocritical minister " does Hawthorne painfully create this man in order to encourage castigation of the religious ideals for which he stood" No, Hawthorne's feeble protagonist was not meant to be the downfall of religion, but as an example of how every man suffers with the inability to live up to noble desires. We share a common, incurable pestilence with the reluctant hero. We fail at our desires for good, and while we do, we suffer and sink away from what we could be into a silent and ineffective oblivion. The Puritan ethic of Hawthorn's novel was part of the social order at the time of his writing. If Hawthorne has struck a rebellious attack against the church, and all its members by his tale, he would never have been accepted as the great literalist."

Tags:confession, ethics, hypocrisy, harshness, protagonist

Abstract
This paper demonstrates that the principles of hypocrisy exist within both Nathaniel Hawthorne's "The Scarlet Letter" and Thomas Hardy's "Tess of the d'Urbervilles". The author stresses the presentation of sexuality between the genders in these classic novels.

Abstract
This paper describes the struggles that Dimmesdale goes through to keep his reputation as a loyal and honest minister in the Puritan community. The paper gives examples of the things that Dimmesdale is exposed to, using actual quotes from the novel.

From the Paper
"The character, Dimmesdale is first introduced while Hester Prynne is publicly being criticized on a scaffold in front of the entire Puritan community. The role Dimmesdale plays in this scene is the "remorseful hypocrite" (Brodhead, 157). Melissa McFarland Pennell of the Student Companion to Nathaniel Hawthorne on pages 67-87 explains that, Dimmesdale presents himself to his congregation one way while he reveals another in private; this concealment reflects hypocrisy in Dimmesdale's character. His congregation sees him as saintly and as the perfect husband for some village maiden. Dimmesdale goes to great pain to keep this image, even though showing signs of inner struggle. He knows the truth and longs to expose it, naming himself "a pollution and a lie." Michael J. Colacurcio who wrote, "Footsteps of Ann Hutchinson: The Context of The Scarlet Letter" in the book, Modern Critical Interpretations, Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter page 21 says, "He is an enforcing agent of public discipline who has himself sinned against a clear and serious public law whose absolute validity he (unlike Hester) never questions for a moment; and who refuses to confess and submit the to discipline he has sworn by a covenant to uphold and enforce""

Tags:hypocrisy, theme

Abstract
In "The Scarlet Letter", Nathaniel Hawthorne conveys the noteworthy theme as to the dangers concerning man's judgment, whilst utilizing the novel as liberation of personal grievances against Puritan doctrine. This paper shows how Hawthorne not only confirms such duplicity as iniquitous, yet further proves human denunciation as comparatively irrelevant amongst final judgment. It examines how through the inimitable characters of Hester Prynne, The Reverend Dimmesdale, and Roger Chillingworth, inclusive understanding of hypocrisy with emphasis on condemnation and the desire for vengeance is reached.

From the Paper
"The Scarlet Letter, while regarded as brilliant literature, modestly originated as an expression of Nathaniel Hawthorne's internal defiance concerning Puritan ideology. This resentment is prominent throughout the novel and is assumed to derivate from the author's personal indignity in relation to the corruption of his great-grandfather, Judge Hathorne. Ironically, Hawthorne exhibits the very entity of attempted criticism as he himself debases the Puritans via their merciless denunciation of Hester Prynne. Imperative to grasp at present, still, is this infinite succession of denigration, thus validating the absence of any mortal authority in the eternal judgment over another's character. However, despite the paradoxical nature of condemnation, The Scarlet Letter personifies the hypocrisy of mortal judgment whilst accentuating the consequences of such."

Tags:dimmesdale, hester, prynne

Abstract
"Hester Prynne, the protagonist in Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, is ostracized from her community and forced to wear a cloth "A" signifying she has committed the sin of adultery. However, the novel is a condemnation not of Hester but of the community which has so harshly and hypocritically judged her

From the Paper
"Hester Prynne, the protagonist in Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, is ostracized from her community and forced to wear a cloth "A" signifying she has committed the sin of adultery. However, the novel is a condemnation not of Hester but of the community which has so harshly and hypocritically judged her. Hawthorne's novel portrays both the inhumane effects of the cruel enforcement of the morality of Puritanism, and the courage and love of Hester as she lives to transcend that inhumane cruelty. Hester is shown to suffer not because she is evil, but because her human frailties have been judged evil by a community which refuses to accept such frailty in its members. Ironically, her lover is the man who represents more than any other those Puritan values. In Hawthorne's view, Hester is far more human and moral than the others in the community because she accepts ..."

Abstract
In "The Scarlet Letter," a tale of deception, hypocrisy and revenge, Nathaniel Hawthorne reveals some of the minor flaws of human nature as well as a very dark and vile side of it. The paper analyzes the characters of three protagonists in the novel who commit sins: Hester Prynne, Arthur Dimmesdale and Roger Chillingworth. The paper shows that whereas two of these characters commit their sins as an innocent mistake, only one deliberately and continually transgresses in an abominable endeavor for self-gratification.

From the Paper
"Hester and Dimmesdale both commit adultery and they deeply regret it. They regret a sin that should not affect anyone beside themselves, and is the business of no other but the two of them. Meanwhile, Chillingworth perpetrates a sin that is so devilishly planned out, it focuses on the wounding of Dimmesdale. It is no longer a matter of revenge. It is a scandalous means of survival by watching the anguish of helpless people. This leech is not satisfied until he has brought destruction upon Dimmesdale. He relishes and remains lively in his old age only by sucking out energy from the feeble Dimmesdale. Chillingworth's sin is by far the worst because, unlike Hester and Dimmesdale's sin, its sole objective is of the injuring of another human being."

Tags:morals, God

Abstract
This paper discusses how the Puritan town setting and the forest setting in Nathaniel Hawthorne's "The Scarlet Letter" enhance the themes of the novel through symbolism and character definition. The writer explains that the two environments create diametric worlds representing civilization and moral law versus a land of freedom and moral choice leading to sin or innocence. Both settings lead the reader to a deeper understanding of the main characters, and thereby the themes of the novel, such as Puritan hypocrisy, the role of nature as sympathetic to human emotion, and the philosophical debate of the inherent evil or innocence of humanity.

From the Paper
"Hawthorne's use of the forest setting is ambiguous; it can represent an untamed land of moral depravity or it can represent an Eden-like region providing the freedom to enjoy life and to seek its sympathy and communion. According to Carpenter, "to the traditional moralists, the 'forest,' or 'wilderness,' or 'uncivilized Nature' was the symbolic abode of evil - the very negation of moral law. But to the romantics, wild nature had become the very symbol of freedom" (287). Hawthorne vacillates between the two interpretations to explore themes allowing the unbridled freedom and enjoyment of life in the midst of moral oppression versus the innate depravity of man that flourishes amidst such freedom."

Tags:judgment, environment, merciful, superstitious, association, corrupt, sin, community, framework, temptation

Abstract
This paper explains that Hawthorne was known to have researched his own Puritan ancestry, on which he based "The Scarlet Letter." It discusses how "The Scarlet Letter" takes place in 1642 in Boston. The main character is convicted of adultery and must do public service, which entails being forced to wear a large scarlet letter "A," which stands for "Adulteress." It looks at the way the novel provides an insight into the Puritan concept of law in 1640, which is obviously very different from today's accepted norms.

Table of Contents
I. Introduction
II. Plot
III. Setting
IV. Theme
V. Conclusion
VI. Bibliography

From the Paper
"The Scarlet Letter takes place in 1642 Boston where at that time the community was nothing more than a tiny Puritan settlement. "Hester Prynne enters this small Puritan town in the colony of Massachusetts alone and determined to live her life as she sees fit. She undermines many of the stifling rules that serve as moral guidelines for women. She buys a house on her own, explaining that her husband would arrive shortly. She also begins women's meetings with other ladies of the town." (When Love Becomes Sin) The main character, Hester Prynne, has been convicted of adultery and as the punishment of the time suggests she is to do public service. This public service is nothing like our chain gangs picking up litter on our highways. In fact, a small band of onlookers was awaiting the adulteress to be publicly humiliated as only the puritans could do. Hester appears before the crowd carrying a baby and on her clothes is a badge of disgrace, a large scarlet letter "A" which stands for Adulteress."

Tags:adultress, boston

Abstract
Hawthorne's "The Scarlet Letter," concerning Hester Prynne's rejection by a New England town due to adultery, is clearly a call to readers to alter their Puritan attitudes, and become freer with their thoughts and ideals. This paper discusses the themes of sin, criminal rebellion, evils of isolation and the symbolic meaning of the scarlet letter itself. It shows how Hawthorne's story clearly speaks out against the rigid mores of Puritan times, plainly illustrating why people felt they had to rebel in order to live their own lives. He also calls into question the values of a society that so rigidly adheres to its principles, at the expense of its humanity.

From the Paper
"The saddest part of Hester and Pearl's lives is their isolation caused by their total rejection by the community. Pearl grows up alone, missing the warmth of childhood friends and acquaintances. In effect, Pearl is being punished for her mother's sin, which doubles the evil of the isolation she feels, for she did nothing wrong, but must pay for it according to Puritan principles. Hawthorne is showing how ridiculous this is, and how the punishment is as morally and ethically wrong as the sin."

Tags:Puritan, novel, adultry