Religion In The Scarlet Letter
The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne is about symbolism of the ages in which we lived. People and objects are symbolic of events and thoughts. Throughout the story Hawthorne uses Pearl, Dimmesdale, and Hester to signify Puritanism and Roman Catholic philosophies.
Hester, through the eyes of the Puritans, is a massive sinner. She has gone against the Puritan ways and committed adultery. For this harsh sin, she must wear a symbol of shame for the rest of her life. The symbol of a red letter ?A?. The Roman Catholic philosophy of Hawthorne puts down the Puritan beliefs. She is a beautiful, young woman who has sinned but eventually is forgiven. Hawthorne portrays Hester as “divine maternity” and she can do no wrong. Not only Hester, but the physical scarlet letter (a Puritan sign of disownment) is shown through the authors tone as a piece of beauty.
Pearl is Hester?s daughter. She is portrayed as a pure puritan, but only as a child of a sinner who should be treated as such. Ugly, evil, and ashamed of what her mother has brought upon her. One should notice that Hawthorne carefully, and sometimes not so subtly, places Pearl above the rest. She
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