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Archive 1

Number Three?

The recent addition of the number three as a symbol seems to me a fair stretch. Young Pearl, the rosebush, the letter itself, and the forest are central symbols of the book, and are widely discussed and explored in literature classes all over America; the use of the number three, which is one of the most common numbers around for a variety of reasons, is at best an echo of a device. I find one or two non-notable references to this theory on a light web search, but nothing that suggests it should be included as a dominant symbolic theme of the novel. Unless there's a solid cite presented soon (per the Wikipedia:V verification rules), I'll remove it. Also, the letter does not measure three inches; it's three and a quarter, exactly. - Corporal Tunnel 06:16, 7 October 2006 (UTC)

what?

"It is noteworthy that hester means "hidden" in Hebrew -- this word is associated with feminine modesty and hiddeness, virtues that Hester is shown to possess despite her adulterous affair."

Do we have a citation for this because when I tried to look it up I kept getting that it meant "star" instead. Silverthorn 10:34, 17 January 2007 (UTC)

Trivia

The Trivia section, which I removed, said

Erin means "hidden" in Hebrew -- this word is associated with feminine modesty and hiddeness, virtues that Erin is shown to possess despite her adulterous affair.

If this is true for the actual main character's name, "Hester," I would appreciate it if someone would re-insert it with the appropriate change. Thank you! Emmett5 22:18, 4 March 2007 (UTC)

Films based in etc

These categories "Films set in Massachusetts | Films shot in Vancouver" are interesting but give no indication as to which film adaptations these apply to. Can someone amend the adaptation text to give some idea to which these categories apply or better still develop articles for the films themselves and the categories can be moved to those articles. Thanks :: Kevinalewis : (Talk Page)/(Desk) 09:00, 17 January 2007 (UTC)

I think those categories are irrelevant as this article is for the novel. At least one article exists for one of the film adaptations (The Scarlet Letter (film), so others are welcome to be created as well. I've removed the film-related categories. Midnightdreary 23:23, 7 March 2007 (UTC)

Erin?

Who is 'erin', do you mean hester??

It's either a weird error or vandalism; it has been corrected. (By the way, please sign your posts by placing four tildes (~~~~) at the end of your comments). Emmett5 22:19, 4 March 2007 (UTC)
"Erin Crocker" or some variation shows up repeatedly throughout. I'd guess vandalism, if anyone wants to make the adjustments. Midnightdreary 23:27, 7 March 2007 (UTC)

Explanation of the novel's title

This subsection currently reads: "The title of the novel refers to a cloth letter that the governor forces Crocker to wear sewn into her clothing to indicate her shame, the letter "A" indicating adulteress. Also, you look at the title closely, it is called The Scarlet Letter. Later we find out that Dimmesdale creates the letter A on his chest by whipping himself. That creates a scar on his chest. The first four letters of the word "scarlet" is scar and Dimmesdale has a scar on his chest. The phrase "Scarlet Letter" has come to have the metaphorical meaning of a mark of shame that an individual is forced to wear."

Forget about the spoiler that's stuck in there... Is this section really necessary? If so, would it make more sense after the plot summary? Just some suggestions. Midnightdreary 23:25, 7 March 2007 (UTC)

While we're here, I'm also noticing that there are two sections discussing the introduction and the customs house. Can they be merged? Midnightdreary 23:28, 7 March 2007 (UTC)

Missing Themes

Someone needs to add isolation resulting from sin to the themes section. Theleap59 18:56, 26 March 2007 (UTC)

the letter

As I recall, the movie (with Demi Moore) shows the letter to be "A", but the book doesn't actually say what the letter is. --ChadThomson 06:21, 27 September 2005 (UTC)

btw, why did someone delete my comment above comment? I've reinstated it. --chad 10:29, 1 December 2005 (UTC)

The letter is identified in the prologued entitled "The Custom-House" as the letter A. This is also affirmed in the very last sentence of the novel.

This rag of scarlet cloth,—for time, and wear, and a sacrilegious moth, had reduced it to little other than a rag,—on careful examination, assumed the shape of a letter. It was the capital letter A. By an accurate measurement, each limb proved to be precisely three inches and a quarter in length.

--BAW 12:03, 10 December 2005 (UTC)

Also at the end of the second chapter it says; "And the letter A in scarlet, fantastically embroidered with gold thread, upon her bosom!" 172.215.128.168 11:09, 13 March 2006 (UTC)

"On the breast of her gown, in fine red cloth surrounded with an elaborate embroidery and fantastic flourishes of gold-thread, appeared the letter A."66.127.55.8 04:02, 9 October 2006 (UTC)

I think what chad meant was that it never actually says that the letter a stands for "adultery". It says many times that it is the letter "A." FerralMoonrender 03:00, 30 March 2007 (UTC)

Someone is vandalizing the summary. The letter is "A."

If you were taught that the Scarlet Letter stood for aldultry then you were robbed of a decent education. You have to USE the Custom House as the literary frame work for the entire novel. Hawthorne is at the time, losing his job in the custom house as a surveyor-a government job. The recent presidential election had changed the politcal party from Democratic to Whig, when President Polk lost the election to Mexican-War hero which is why Hawthorne is losing his job. At this time he is writing the novel for money, but who is selling at this time? Sensational romantic novels written by women at the time. Hawthorne considered them novelist with no creativity and would consider instead, himself an (A)rtist writing a body of work known as transcendentalism that the current population of mid 19th century readers couldn't understand. Puritan Boston is an (A)llegory for the era he was then living in. So the allegory is the past substituting for the present. The population of the then puritan past can't understand Prynne, just like the population of readers that can't understand Hawthorne. Overall, the Scarlet Letter represents the problem of representation, a theme of later Transcendentalism. Margrett Fuller, Emerson, Alcott, Brownsown, Parker etc. are all part of this high brow intellectual movement that face similar problems. No one more than MELVILLE himself, the author of the great MOBY DICK exemplifies the problem of representation better. At this historical point of time the national literacy rate was booming but the intellectual cirlce didn't flourish. They argued that capitalism was making everyone automons, incapable of reading a piece of artwork. Every Transcendentalist writer has their particulars, but Hawthorne would never, I mean NEVER make a book cover surface deep. Like Ishmael describing how you interpret a whale, you harpoon it, hang it, cut open the outer layer, then delve into it's interior and explicate deeper meaning.

Criticism

Might I suggest adding Criticism:

this book is good if you can follow the moral of the story, between innocence and selishness, yet you still may need cliff notes


heyyyy ; )

Some have suggested that this book is far too descriptive, to the point that the words loose meaning, and the reader is desensitized to the message that the author is trying to convey. This also causes the book to lose pace, and turn off readers to reading Hathorne's work entirely. Which is somewhat a pity, considering Hathorne was quite the author in writing short stories, and poems. Perhaps he felt he needed to write a book on the subject because it was personal, however, many feel it is a short story with the length and pace of a great tome.

Hey back

Hawthorne's works really are good, but i did find that this book did use too many words when just 1 or 2 would have been sufficient.

Methinks that's more a result of Romantic style than it is his individual word choice. The excess of words can be found in other books of that era, like Frankenstein (particularly Percy's edit) --MaskedSheik 02:50, 6 January 2007 (UTC)

Contrary to what some believe, this is a good book, I think it is fine in it's methods of descriptions, though I will agree that at times you do get bored with it. Then again, every book has it's less interesting parts. If you like to figure out symbolism or you like to see how people react in certain situations, psychology, it is interesting. Or you might read it due to the simple fact that it is required for school.


Irrelevant of whether you guys think that this book is good or not, the Criticism section needs references. Perhaps including articles of literary critics, or some other documented criticism of the novel? Just saying "this is a good book" doesn't negate the need for such a section, and saying "Some have suggested" is bordering on weasel words. Let's use actual citations, not our own opinions.

Although I personally agree that this book sucks, I agree with the comment above. If the article contains any opinions (which is debateable whether it should), they must (a) be balanced, and (b) be from credible sources. Please see Wikipedia:Describing points of view and Wikipedia:Neutral point of view. Might I also suggest that we sign our comments using four tildes (~~~~). Thanks. FerralMoonrender 03:14, 30 March 2007 (UTC)

Coleen Moore

I just noticed, in the film adaptations section, it says that Coleen Moore starred in a 1917 version. Yet, according to Coleen Moore's wikipedia page, it says her first film role was in 1918. Obviously something is wrong. According to IMDB, the 1917 version starred Mary Martin, Coleen Moore apparently was not in the Scarlet Letter until 1934. So.... I'm changing the article. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 74.112.238.90 (talk) 11:29, 11 September 2007 (UTC)

I think the "Major Themes" section needs to be seriously slimmed down or eliminated.

"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 human."

This theme is so general that it adds nothing to an understanding of the book.

"Their answer to Hester’s sin is to ostracize her. Yet, Puritan society is stagnant, while Hester and Dimmesdale’s experience shows that a state of sinfulness can lead to personal growth, sympathy, and understanding of others. Paradoxically, these qualities are shown to be incompatible with a state of purity."

Did this writer read the book? It's not about "personal growth and understanding of others"! AD, for example: how did he "grow"? And what did HP understand about others except that they excluded her? And how are "growth, sympathy, and understanding . . . incompatible with a state of purity"? Does the writer of this theme mean that the "growth" etc. experienced by HP and AD was incompatible with the Puritans?

I could go on, but I guess my problem with the "Themes" section is too much. Give the plot and some links and leave it like that. Pomerpants 07:29, 16 October 2007 (UTC)JP

Characters

There are articles for the characters. This is senseless. They only appear in one book, and their personalities and motives are clearly explained in the summary. They all should be deleted. BioYu-Gi! 19:45, 22 October 2007 (UTC)

Well since I couldn't delete them I just made them redirects, but if someone could delete them that would be great. BioYu-Gi! 18:53, 25 October 2007 (UTC)

Allusions/references from other works

The comic book "Indian Summer" of Hugo Pratt and Milo Manara is in part inspired by "the Scarlett Letter". Pratt mentions Hawthorne among the bibliographical references of the postscript. (bewhathybe 02:02, 4 November 2007 (UTC))

Publication date

My 1963 edition says the first edition was published in 1859. Sometimes, Wikipedia isn't right, so which one is it? 68.205.129.63 (talk) 22:37, 24 November 2007 (UTC)

1892 version

I have the 1892 copy of The Scarlet Letter, I've read it many times and is still a wonderful story.......... If you would like I will take a picture of it and put it here..... Have a wonderful day and God Bless....

Rianon Burnet 17:04, 6 December 2007 (UTC)


DUH —Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.190.231.160 (talk) 23:19, 17 December 2007 (UTC)

Hannah VS Pearl

The article goes back and forth. What is the little girl's name? Will someone PLEASE fix that? Jaded531 23:17, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

In my edition, a Penguin Classic, she's called Pearl. I'll see if I can find any other sources for the name Hannah, otherwise I'm changing it back to Pearl. Lunapuella 07:19, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

The little girl's name is Pearl. If you look at the original book of The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, there is no Hannah mentioned. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 96.227.165.222 (talk) 04:14, 7 February 2008 (UTC)

Hawthornian definition of "romance"?

None of the entries under romance seem to apply to "romance" as Hawthorne used it (something of a synonym for "novel"). Can Hawthorne's "romance" be defined, either in this article or in its own? Until the latter is done, this work should be referred to under the more common word "novel" in the first sentence of the lead. (The preface to The House of the Seven Gables is relevant here. [1]) Robert K S (talk) 00:54, 17 February 2008 (UTC)

copied..

The plot overview section is directly plagiarized from SparkNotes... —Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.19.99.141 (talk) 00:36, 5 November 2007 (UTC)

Yeah, I also noticed how the wiki and Sparknotes article are exactly the same. 71.225.82.191 23:20, 1 December 2007 (UTC)

Noticed this as well, but we'd just need someone to reword everything. (Actually, come to think of it, I can't recall Sparknotes used as a source before. Anyone know if there's any specific reason for this, or have I just not looked at enough articles?) Krin (talk) 00:00, 29 February 2008 (UTC)

Am I the only one who sides with Chillingworth?

I'm the type of person who cares more about what people actually do than about what they say, if they look eerie, have a nasty name or what you think their motives are?

Chllingworth has made considerable personal sacrifices to achieve the level of medical knowledge he possesses. When Chillingworth comes home to see his wife (and indirectly himself) publicly shamed, he comforts Hester, medicates her and her daughter and expressly states that he is as much to blame as poor Hester. He does state that he thinks her partner in crime should bear the shame too, but does not press Hester as to who he is. This is very generous behaviour under the circumstances in my opinion.

He acts very kindly towards the degenerate priest who expressly admits that Chillingworth has saved his life through his medicine. Chillingworth correctly insists that Dimmesdale will never fully recover until he relieves himself of whatever is weighing his heart.

When Hester asks to be relieved of her promise to secrecy, he kindly grants that too.

At the end of the story, he posthumously gives all his money to Pearl, despite knowing she is not his daughter. Only now do we get to know that he was rich. He could have lived a good, pleasant life from his money, but he choose to develop medical skill and use it to serve the citizens of Boston.

The Puritans of Boston seem ungrateful for having a man who has put so much effort into becoming a great doctor for them and seem to interpret everything he does in the worst possible light. Even accusing him of witchcraft.

Hester is certainly not grateful for Chillingworth’s forgiving attitude towards her. She expressly states that she hates him. What is it with some women that makes them hate people that treat them better than they deserve and love men that treat them like crap?

When Dimmesdale realises who his doctor is, he blames the victim of his adulterous crime (and the man who by his own admission had saved his life) to the point of actually considering him some sort of a devil. What a stinking, ungrateful, weak, hypocritical creep! What a thoroughly despicable man!

Everyone, including the narrator and (when talking to other people) Chillingworth himself assumes that he is doing everything for the very worst of reasons. But if you look at what he actually does and not the supposed "why"s he comes across like an extremely gentle and self-sacrificing person.

Therefore I think the following things should change in the article:

1. The kind acts that Chillingworth actually does, forgiving and medicating Hester and Pearl, making great efforts to be a good doctor, keeping Dimmesdale alive should be mentioned in the plot part of the article. Right now he comes across as just a vengeance-obsessed sadist.

2. The contrast between what everyone (including the narrator and Chillingworth himself) thinks of him and his actual actions is of course no accident. It is a deliberate point from the author possibly saying that why we do something is more important than exactly what we do? That there is a world of difference between prolonging someone’s out of mercy or out of wanting to see the patient suffer longer –even if they objectively do precisely the same thing? If so this should definitely be included under themes/sin.

Sensemaker

First of all, you can't include original research in an article. Also, Chillingworth doesn't forgive Hester; he keeps Dimmesdale alive and under his influence for revenge. Nice idea though. Istillcandream (talk) 21:32, 30 July 2008 (UTC)

It is not original research to ask for a more correct and fair summary of what actually happens in the book. Perhaps you are right in that Chillingworth strictly speaking doesn't forgive Hester but he does not seek vengeance on her and he expressly states that he thinks it was mostly his own fault:
"Hester," said he, "I ask not wherefore, nor how thou hast fallen into the pit, or say, rather, thou hast ascended to the pedestal of infamy on which I found thee. The reason is not far to seek. It was my folly, and thy weakness. I--a man of thought--the book-worm of great libraries--a man already in decay, having given my best years to feed the hungry dream of knowledge--what had I to do with youth and beauty like thine own? Misshapen from my birth-hour, how could I delude myself with the idea that intellectual gifts might veil physical deformity in a young girl's fantasy? Men call me wise. If sages were ever wise in their own behoof, I might have foreseen all this. I might have known that, as I came out of the vast and dismal forest, and entered this settlement of Christian men, the very first object to meet my eyes would be thyself, Hester Prynne, standing up, a statue of ignominy, before the people. Nay, from the moment when we came down the old church-steps together, a married pair, I might have beheld the bale-fire of that scarlet letter blazing at the end of our path!"
"Thou knowest," said Hester--for, depressed as she was, she could not endure this last quiet stab at the token of her shame--"thou knowest that I was frank with thee. I felt no love, nor feigned any."
"True," replied he. "It was my folly! I have said it. But, up to that epoch of my life, I had lived in vain. The world had been so cheerless! My heart was a habitation large enough for many guests, but lonely and chill, and without a household fire. I longed to kindle one! It seemed not so wild a dream--old as I was, and sombre as I was, and misshapen as I was--that the simple bliss, which is scattered far and wide, for all mankind to gather up, might yet be mine. And so, Hester, I drew thee into my heart, into its innermost chamber, and sought to warm thee by the warmth which thy presence made there!"
"I have greatly wronged thee," murmured Hester.
"We have wronged each other," answered he. "Mine was the first wrong, when I betrayed thy budding youth into a false and unnatural relation with my decay. Therefore, as a man who has not thought and philosophised in vain, I seek no vengeance, plot no evil against thee. Between thee and me, the scale hangs fairly balanced."
I'd say that it is pretty obvious from this dialogue that Chillingworth mostly blames himself and that he at least decides that he and Hester are even. In my opinion that is even more generous than forgiveness. Someone who forgives someone else essentially says "you wronged me unfairly but I will not seek retribution I will act as if it never happened", Chillingworth even goes a step further and says that he is as much or more to blame than Hester. That is a very, very generous attitude. Compare that to Dimsdale who cannot forgive Chillingworth for saving Dimsdale's life(!) and even calls Chillingworth a devil! This is not a "nice idea". It is just what the text says.
Sensemaker

u r —Preceding unsigned comment added by 70.173.227.128 (talk) 00:24, 30 September 2008 (UTC)

Significance

Is there any significance to the introductory passage The Common-House? I've found that it's more work to read that section. Could one simply skip over it? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 208.157.10.33 (talk) 15:33, 10 August 2009 (UTC)

Prologue: The Custom House

Why is there no discussion of the Prologue? It is significant as a literary frame and is lengthy, somewhat tedious, and presents a significant barrier to reading the heart of the story in my experience. To appreciate it, one would need to carefully reread it, having read the main story already, to pick out the themes and background it sets up. Some mention, at least, should be made of the Prologue in discussing "The Scarlet Letter". DT (talk) 15:05, 6 January 2009 (UTC)

I agree. Considering the length and dreadful style, something should be said of why this is present in the book at all. 70.186.172.214 (talk) 11:34, 24 May 2009 (UTC)
There was a section on the Prologue here, a couple of years ago. However, since this page is repeatedly vandalized and, on top of that, has been rewritten for no reason again and again without any consistency, it is long gone. - Corporal Tunnel (talk) 14:58, 1 October 2009 (UTC)

Taylor Swift

Pop culture references could contain Taylor Swift's mention that "I was the scarlet letter" in her 2007 song Love Story. One might even explain how it fits into her song at all, as it seems unlikely that the young protagonist of the song would actually have gotten in trouble for adultery. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.23.70.80 (talk) 21:51, 20 October 2009 (UTC)

The line refers to the ignominy that would have been applied onto the 'Montagues' of the song if 'Romeo' had married 'Juliet'. (Aurumpotestasest (talk) 20:36, 14 December 2009 (UTC))

Short Story

Isn't there a short story as well as a novel? If so, why are there no references/entries for it? 134.106.199.29 17:35, 17 April 2007 (UTC)

Yes you're correct, I was surprised that there were not any references to it. The short story (if it can be called that) sets the scene for The Scarlet Letter and is titled the Custom House. It is included in the Norton Critical Edition of the Scarlet Letter. It details life in Salem in Hawthorne's time and how it has inherited the traditions of the Puritans. Usually, when The Scarlet Letter is discussed at the undergraduate level or above it is not without reference to The Custom House. Fyodorlewis (talk) 14:20, 4 November 2010 (UTC)

"He settles in Boston, intent on revenge"

I don't know the novel and I find this sentence confusing. Revenge against whom? Mainly against Hester? Or her child? Or her child's father? Or all of them? And why does Hester agree to keep his identity secret? -- 77.189.109.38 (talk) 10:13, 18 January 2011 (UTC)

You are right, I have clarified the text.
Sensemaker

Dates of early American colonialism

lets get the clarification clear here the date that the story was first set is in 1642 as it is in the book! Foob (talk) 01:20, 10 March 2011 (UTC)

There is Five dolars in that pit... jump in and you can have them :D — Preceding unsigned comment added by 96.5.161.165 (talk) 15:01, 28 September 2011 (UTC)

Censorship ?

I've read on lot's of websites that the book had been banned or censors in schools or countries (Russia ?) but nothing clear. Has somebody a serious information about the potential censorship of the book ? --Martvefun (talk) 14:31, 20 October 2012 (UTC)

Symbolism

The Scarlet Letter is a novel rich with symbolism. There needs to be a section on symbolism in the wikipedia article. One could argue that symbolism and plot are the primary ways in which Hawthorne expresses his themes.

Prominent symbols include: the Letter itself, the color red, Pearl (she is a symbol as well as a character), light, the scaffold, the woods, the color green, the stream, the rose (appears rarely but significantly), and there are more... As I said, this is a novel rich in symbolism. Fyodorlewis (talk) 14:38, 4 November 2010 (UTC)

Symbols are subjective and express speculation. Symbols are like a secret code that everyone solves in his/her own way. Any discussion of symbolism in Wikipedia must merely be a list of some published author's opinion of what are taken to be symbols.173.72.63.150 (talk) 05:20, 5 December 2013 (UTC)Delphi Oracle

The Scarlet Letter is in the Canon

  • canonicalthoughts.wordpress.com/2011/12/08/why-the-scarlet-letter-is-in-the-canon/
Why The Scarlet Letter is in the Canon
"Any one of these elements is often enough to allow a text to enter the canon. What is extraordinary is when a text contains all of these things. And what really testifies a work’s integrity is its ability to stay in the canon. The Scarlet Letter is all of these things, and is perhaps the prime example of canonicity, for it goes one step further. The text is written beautifully, teaches society about certain values, and criticizes another society. These qualities allowed The Scarlet Letter entrance in to the canon. Why it stays in the canon, and often at the forefront of the American Canon, is simply because people like it."

This article leaves out how important this work is in the US, how much it was an essential part of a standard education in the twentieth century. When did it become something that all school students in the US learned about? What grades? Did this vary much by state? -71.174.188.43 (talk) 16:50, 16 March 2014 (UTC)

Assessment comment

The comment(s) below were originally left at Talk:The Scarlet Letter/Comments, and are posted here for posterity. Following several discussions in past years, these subpages are now deprecated. The comments may be irrelevant or outdated; if so, please feel free to remove this section.

Can someone explain the power of The Scarlet Letter has on Hester Prynne. Also what are atleast 5 examples of the Governers hyprocrisy, opulence, sumptous proclivities.

Last edited at 04:20, 7 February 2008 (UTC). Substituted at 15:58, 1 May 2016 (UTC)

Personal comments

Here's my take on it (sources noted):

In The Scarlet Letter Hawthorne’s character Arthur Dimmesdale descends from his priestly celibacy into immorality through his elicit love affair with Hester Prynne. Hester refuses to give the name of her lover up and through her secrecy the descent of Dimmesadele begins. Although in the book Hester is the only one convicted of this crime, due to her inability to hide her pregnancy; Dimmesdale constantly condemns himself. Throughout the years after the discovery of Hester’s affair, the priest continues to spiral downwards into ultimate guilt-filled depression. He continues to grow ill and with the help of Roger Chillingworth continues to be haunted by his sin. His own lashings only contribute to this deterioration. A victim of love and human weakness, the priest loses his life to shame. Dimmesdale’s repentance and suffering make him the ultimate tragic hero. His actions condemned by society and his faith, Dimmesdale tries to receive an equal punishment, one as sever as his lovers, through his own remedies. Yet his efforts prove worthless and even destructive. His only door out is confession. Through his confession at the end of the novel, on the scaffolding, Dimmesdale’s grief is released and his supreme satisfaction allows the ultimate release; death. Dimmesdale’s affair was truly and act of love, yet the strict Puritan society in which he lives in and the rules in which he lives by did not allow him to openly express his sin without fear of total reprimand and disapproval of the people. His hidden sin presses upon his back, and the weight of his pain is too much. In facing his responsibility and confessing, it is easy to see Dimmesadle as the tragic hero of Hawthorne’s The Scarlet letter. Bruce Granger states that “even though Arthur Dimmesdale does not move down center until late in the action, The Scarlet Letter is finally his story and, what is more important, that he is a tragic hero… Hawthorne's allegorical romance centers on a good man's struggle with and eventual victory over the guilt he experiences after committing lechery.” (Granger, 1). Kenneth Pimple agrees; “Dimmesdale is caught in a dilemma: he values both his social face and his immortal soul, but he cannot save one without losing the other. His inner torment springs from this dilemma, and his effort to serve two masters leads him into continual doubletalk and makes his life an ongoing deception. His dual values split speaking in twain and slowly tear him apart.” (Pimple, 12). Dimmesdale “was halting, and wavering, and becoming more and more perplexed and worn down with woe, because he had violated the dignity of his position, and had broken a law which his education had made more prominent than any law in his own soul.” (Loring, 2) states George B. Loring. In justification to Lorings’ statement that Dimmesdale had violated the law which was most prominently taught and highly valued; Richard H. Fogle states that “The Puritan code is arrogant, inflexible, (and) over righteous.” (Fogle, 3) “They are ‘a People amongst whom religion and law are almost identical’.” (Fogle, 3) Dimmesdale, therefore, not only felt that through his confession he would be letting down his Lord, he would also be debasing and contradicting everything he had been told to live for. (Fogle, 3) While Dimmesdale does not initially admit to his sin “he knows himself to be a sinner and never mistakes penance done on earth for penitence. Like all men tragically great he sees with unflinching honesty the distance separating his ideal from his actual self and, seeing this, tries to bridge the gap.” (Granger,). His piety and desire for forgiveness doe not make him the tragic hero of The Scarlet Letter. The eventual outcome, his eventual confession make him tragic; his immediate death because of the relief of “letting go” makes him tragic. That fact that after finally coming all the way, after admitting and coming out, and being a hero, he dies.(Granger, 3) “Dimmesdale's confession is the act of a man who is tragically great.” (Granger,) Just as Granger states, “Arthur Dimmesdale is a tragic hero. Tragedy…arises from the tension between illusion and reality--illusion meaning the there and then, reality the here and now; illusion meaning the ideal and reality the actual conception one has of himself. The quality of the illusion matters greatly, the noblest being man's aspiration to free himself from his particular time and place; the aspiration, in Christian terms, to return to that state of bliss in which he existed before the fall. But here a dilemma arises: all men require illusion to bring order out of the chaos of the present, but if a man persists in hiding behind his illusion he is incapacitated for meaningful action. Ethically meaningful, that is to say tragic, action is possible only when a man, guided by this noblest of illusions, steps out from behind it and, fronting the terrors of the here and now, acts in obedience to a secret impulse of his character.” (Granger, 3). Marius Bewley states that “the essence of Dimmesdale’s sin is concealment” (Bewley, 2). In order to lift the pressure of this sin Dimmesdale must rid himself of this concealment (Bewley, 3). He “must now recognize and deal with previously hidden, subversive, and disobedient part of himself.” (Baym, 2) according to Nina Bayam. In doing so the ability to see Dimmesdale as a tragic hero is easy. While the other characters, like Hester, also plays the game of adultery, Dimmesdale’s confession remains most pure. He openly admits to his sin, and in doing so, comes form his allusion into reality. (Granger, 5). Dimmesdale’s final public confession proves this heroic tragedy; “Dinnesdale goes to his early grave humbled and penitent, “ unlike Hester who follows him to hers many years later and apparently unrepentant still. (Granger, 4). Hawthorne tells us that although “one tombstone served for both,” there was “a space between, as if the dust of the dust of the two sleepers had no right to mingle.” (Hawthorne, ) In the end this holly sinner steps out form behind his lies and deception, even against the grain of the Puritan society, in order to actually become the pious person he had fooled everyone into believing he was. Trapped in society’s grasp, filled with remorse and tossed about by the harsh sea of sin; Dinnesdale pushes through with honesty and became the tragic hero of Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter.

Bewley, Marius . Nineteenth Century Literature Volume 10. Detroit: Gale Research, 1989.

Baym, Nina. Nineteenth Century Literature Volume 10. Detroit: Gale Research, 1989.

Fogle, Richard. Nineteenth Century Literature Volume 10. Detroit: Gale Research, 1989.

Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Scarlet Letter. New York: Bantam Dell, 2003.

Granger, Bruce. Nineteenth-Century Fiction Volume 19. : 1964.

Loring, George. Massachusetts Quarterly Review Volume 3. : 1850. Pimple, Kenneth . Studies in the novel Volume 25. : University of North Texas, 1993.

=

And ... you lost me at "elicit." — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2601:18D:0:2D66:1CC7:8776:F38E:466D (talk) 16:07, 2 October 2015 (UTC)

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Lead Section

The article correctly points out that the lead section does not provide a proper summary. Instead it contains a particular person's opinions about the book. What is needed is:

  1. A shorter, objective introduction to the book, its date, author, themes, and place in American literature (max, say, 200 words)
  2. A plot summary

Would any qualified person care to provide these, after which the present lead section could probabky be deleted? 182.149.189.236 (talk) 03:14, 3 March 2016 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 9 November 2016

197.210.255.182 (talk) 12:52, 9 November 2016 (UTC)

Not done: as you have not requested a change.
If you want to suggest a change, please request this in the form "Please replace XXX with YYY" or "Please add ZZZ between PPP and QQQ".
Please also cite reliable sources to back up your request, without which no information should be added to, or changed in, any article. - Arjayay (talk) 14:26, 9 November 2016 (UTC)

Symbolism Section

Should this be removed? This entire section is fairly subjective and not very encyclopedic. Also the only source used is a link to the barnes and noble store page for the book — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2600:8800:1C80:B540:5C10:A8BF:AD48:D678 (talk) 00:58, 29 July 2018 (UTC)

"Pearl - one person one life" listed at Redirects for discussion

An editor has asked for a discussion to address the redirect Pearl - one person one life. Please participate in the redirect discussion if you wish to do so. Hog Farm (talk) 03:56, 16 February 2020 (UTC)

merge suggestion

The Effects of Isolation in The Scarlet Letter should be merged into this article. There's alot in TSL that should be in this article, including the stuff on isolation, and all we have right now is a synopsis of the story. --Though Hester is punished for what she's done in front of the public, Arthur Dimesdale is tortured on the inside. I personally believe that he has to take on the much harsher form of punishment. He isn't able to tell anyone about it because he is the priest and he is supposed to be "godly". Spangineer 16:07, Dec 15, 2004 (UTC)

Is it historical?

Was it usual to treat adulterous women in Boston at the end of the 17th century the way Hester Prynne was treated? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 213.196.227.720 (talk) 10:22, 15 July 2008 (UTC)

The book suggests that this was considered a comparatively merciful sentence and further suggests that this may be because her husbands long absence and possible death was seen as a mitigating circumstance. If I am allowed to speculate, the fact that she had chosen to bear her shame rather than commit suicide or do an abortion or downright infanticide might also be a mitigating circumstance. If I were a judge I would not sentence such an adulteress to death simply because you would have no deterrent against the much worse crimes of infanticide or suicide if death sentence is compulsory for adulteresses. -Sensemaker — Preceding unsigned comment added by Sensemaker (talk • contribs) 11:03, 15 July 2008 (UTC)
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