Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter has been a interesting read, mainly due to being outside of what I normally read. When Ms.Powell warned that the book would be a bit difficult to read because of its language, I thought I could do it. Of course, this was not blind self-confidence. Last year, I was forced to read various plays from the Greeks to Shakespeare.
If I had to describe what it felt like, it would be similar to walking through a maze of mirrors. However, this book The Scarlet Letter was akin to walking through a bog of text. With Hawthorne’s way of writing it really felt that way. as the words seem to weigh you down from your goal the same way mud does in a swamp. Anyways enough about my difficulties with the book, let get to the main topic. What was the book suppose to tell us?
First, we have Hester Prynne, a woman who was forced to wear the Scarlet Letter for life because of her sin of committing adultery. She struggled with her isolation from the rest of the community, but still managed to endure it. Not giving into the despair of her situation, she made the Scarlet Letter elaborate and beautiful. I suppose this tells us to accept our sins or faults because it is a part of who we are?
Next, we have Arthur Dimmesdale, a reverend who has committed the sin of adultery with Hester Prynne. He could not cope with the fact that he has committed a sin and feels extremely guilty, so much in fact that he starts to torture himself physically. Apparently, you are suppose to whip yourself to forget your pains. I know for a fact that that is not how you deal with any situation. This character further reinforces the idea that you should accept your sins or faults. Why? Because you may start whipping yourself or carve big letter A’s onto yourself with a knife, and finally die dramatically in front of everyone.
On the other end of the spectrum, we have the judger Roger Chillingworth. After finding out that his young, beautiful wife cheated on him, he went insane with the thought of revenge. This old, deformed man seeks to inflict the greatest possible injury on Arthur Dimmesdale, thought preferably psychological. However, after the ‘host’ Dimmesdale dies, the leech Chillingworth has no will left to live, so after a year he dies. Here is a lesson to be learned kids! Do not proceed in life with the sole purpose of accomplishing revenge against someone because after the person dies or you have carried out your revenge, you would just die. A valid lesson to learn indeed.
Lastly we have Pearl or otherwise known as the demon child. Okay, I have no idea what she is suppose to tell you. Certainly, you would be called a demon child as a kid! But wait, here more. You end up inheriting money from a man your mother was married to, but not your father and end up marrying a rich husband. Yup, that can totally happen to you! Not.
So what did you learn from this book The Scarlet Letter?
-Andy Dong
If I had to describe what it felt like, it would be similar to walking through a maze of mirrors. However, this book The Scarlet Letter was akin to walking through a bog of text. With Hawthorne’s way of writing it really felt that way. as the words seem to weigh you down from your goal the same way mud does in a swamp. Anyways enough about my difficulties with the book, let get to the main topic. What was the book suppose to tell us?
First, we have Hester Prynne, a woman who was forced to wear the Scarlet Letter for life because of her sin of committing adultery. She struggled with her isolation from the rest of the community, but still managed to endure it. Not giving into the despair of her situation, she made the Scarlet Letter elaborate and beautiful. I suppose this tells us to accept our sins or faults because it is a part of who we are?
Next, we have Arthur Dimmesdale, a reverend who has committed the sin of adultery with Hester Prynne. He could not cope with the fact that he has committed a sin and feels extremely guilty, so much in fact that he starts to torture himself physically. Apparently, you are suppose to whip yourself to forget your pains. I know for a fact that that is not how you deal with any situation. This character further reinforces the idea that you should accept your sins or faults. Why? Because you may start whipping yourself or carve big letter A’s onto yourself with a knife, and finally die dramatically in front of everyone.
On the other end of the spectrum, we have the judger Roger Chillingworth. After finding out that his young, beautiful wife cheated on him, he went insane with the thought of revenge. This old, deformed man seeks to inflict the greatest possible injury on Arthur Dimmesdale, thought preferably psychological. However, after the ‘host’ Dimmesdale dies, the leech Chillingworth has no will left to live, so after a year he dies. Here is a lesson to be learned kids! Do not proceed in life with the sole purpose of accomplishing revenge against someone because after the person dies or you have carried out your revenge, you would just die. A valid lesson to learn indeed.
Lastly we have Pearl or otherwise known as the demon child. Okay, I have no idea what she is suppose to tell you. Certainly, you would be called a demon child as a kid! But wait, here more. You end up inheriting money from a man your mother was married to, but not your father and end up marrying a rich husband. Yup, that can totally happen to you! Not.
So what did you learn from this book The Scarlet Letter?
-Andy Dong