The Voice of Mistress Hibbins on The First Scaffold Scenes

When Hester Prynne walked down that eerily long path to the scaffold, I thougt to myself "wow, she must have a lot of guts to commit adultry so nonchalantly like that. Maybe she could come to the forest with me one of these days and I'll teach her a trick or two about witchcraft? I can't believe that she did what she did and is now being shamed for it in front of everyone. If she only knew how to hide her sins well like I do then she wouldn't have to suffer with public rejection for the rest of her life. Such a beautiful woman like that should be praised for her courage and for her beauty, and not be scorned for her passion. Yet maybe she's not as evil as I now think of her to be, and maybe it was just a mistake. Maybe it just happened in a time of great passion and love and it wasn't meant to be out of sin or self induldgence? Whatever it was it definitely ups my thoughts about her and how she doesn't care about how people think of her. If only I possessed that quality...."

The "A" is Similar to Pearl

There are many ways in which the "A" is similar to Pearl. One of the ways that it relates to Pearl is that because of that "A" Pearl was born. I look at the "A" and Pearl as a result of Hester's sin.

The 3 Scaffold Scenes

The 3 Scaffold scenes are in chapters: 2, 12, & 23.

- I think that these scenes are very important because they symbolize the shame or guilt that each character has when they mount the scaffold. The scaffold represents shame therefore anyone who stands on it has something they want to get off their chest.

TERM PAPER THESIS

Thesis: As a Puritan, The Scarlet Letter must be taught in school in order to protect future puritans from great Sin such as Hester's.

quote: " 'At least they should have put the brand of a hot iron on Hester Prynne's forhead. Maddam Hester would have winced at that'. "

-This quote shows how cruel and punishing the mindset of a Puritan was in 17th century Boston.

quote: " 'But she -the naughty baggage- little will she care what they put upon the bodice of her gown!' "

-This quote demonstrates how lowly a Puritan thinks of someone who sins ("....the naughty baggage...")

quote: " 'This woman has brought shame upon us all, and ought to die. Is there not law for it? Truly there is , both in the Scripture and the statute-book.' "

-This quote shows how merciless an average Purtian feels after a fellow Puritan has sinned. It also shows how severly the average Puritan feels the sinner should be punished.

SL Quote from Chap. 7

"At the other end, though partly muffled by a curtain, it was more powerfully illuminated by one of those embowed hall windows which we read of in old books, and which was provided with a deep and cushioned seat."

Character Development: Pearl

Throughout the novel Pearl is viewed more as a symbol than a real character. She is the direct result of Hester and Dimmesdale's sin. So many would view her as a the result of a sin than a little girl. Like her mother, Pearl is also a social outcast in school. All the kids in school could tell that there is something wrong with Pearl and that makes her an outcast. Pearl possesses nearly all the charateristics of her mother. She is strong (internally), passionate and mishciefous just like her mother. It is unfortunate that she is viewed as symbol rather than a real human because of her illegitimate birth.

A Psychoanlyst's point of view on chapters 1-2 in The Scarlet Letter

As a psychoanalyst, there are certain point of views that I have towards certain morals and principals. Although psychoanalysis is the concept of one being upset or depressed as a result of having strange hidden sexual desires towards others, I still feel that what Hester did was wrong. Even though her elderly husband couldn't please her and she was alone in America that doesn't give her the right to give in to her passionate desires towards Dimmesdale. At the time she might have had psychoanalytical feelings towards Dimmesdale but in order to avoid the great sin of adultry and to avoide the life of great scorn and regret she should have held back and kept in her urges as well as Dimmesdale. Hester was punishe greatly for her actions but even though I thought what she did was wrong, I still don't think that she deserved the treatment that she got her whole life.