The Scarlet Letter :
Dialectical Journals
"All the light and graceful foliage of her character had been withered up by this red-hot brand, and had long ago fallen away, leaving a bare and harsh outline, which might have been repulsive, had she possessed friends or companions to be repelled by it ( Hawthorne 115)."
Hester slowly begins to lose all trace of her personality as the story continues, which is unfortunate. The bright personality of Hester was passed onto Pearl as the story continues, though Pearl seems to be more intellectually gifted than her mother. This whole quote is describing the scarlet letter on her chest and how it has taken everything away from her. This example of characterization describes Hester’s withering personality very well, and it’s all because of the scarlet ‘A’.
"No, no! He has but increased the debt! ( Hawthorne 125) "
Ever since the sin had been made public, one major theme of Jealousy has become eminent to me. Even though Hester and Chillingsworth never had the best marriage, Chillingsworth is still protective over his wife. In this quote Chillingsworth and Hester are discussing Dimmesdale, and how Chillingsworth continues to poison him. Hester believes that he has been tortured enough, however her husband begs to differ. This is one of the many quote throughout the story that can be used to uphold the theme of Jealousy that is protruding from Chillingsworth’s character.
“In all the seven bygone years, Hester Prynne had never before been false to the symbol on her bosom (Hawthorne 134).”
The scarlet letter on Hester’s chest is known to everyone as adulterer, however innocent Pearl doesn’t understand this quite yet. When reading this quote, it can be used in multiple ways. First, it can support the theme of a mothers love. Hester had been totally honest about her sin and the scarlet letter, until her daughter entered the picture. Not explaining the sin that she had committed to her daughter would keep young Pearl in the dark about the towns view on her mother. Also, it can be used as foreshadowing. It states that Hester has never lied about the symbol on her chest, so it might hint that later on in the story Hester begins to defy what she has always done right.
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