In reading the classic novel The Scarlet Letter I came to find that I evolved intellectually by looking to find a deeper meaning in the things I was reading. By looking for these deeper meanings you can understand things more thoroughly and often understand and look at a piece of writing in a totally different way than you would have if you just read it and didn't see the symbolism and the messages that the author was trying to bring out. Since this novel was first written in 1850 the language used by the author was quite different than that of what we are used to seeing these days. I became a stronger reader and writer because by seeing the vocabulary and the ways certain words were used in the novel it expanded my vocabulary and branched off of the ideas that I would normally use to bring in different ways for me to write things. While writing this blog it did occur to me that I was writing to a fairly broad audience. Writing to a broader audience made me want to make sure that everything I was writing was explained well so that everyone could understand it and I wanted to make sure that things were in depth so that the things I was talking about weren't to vague for anyone and that everyone got a good idea as to what I was trying to get across. I don't normally read older novels, and I've never really thought to, but quite honestly I really enjoyed this one. My understanding of literature was altered in the fact that it doesn't really matter how old the novel is because they have stayed around this long, so they must be good. I never really took an interest in classic novels because a lot of the time I thought I wouldn't be interested in what the authors were talking about, because they were written such a long time ago. Now I see that the themes, ideas, and stories that these novels tell are really worth reading, and they have stayed around this long because, in the case of The Scarlet Letter, the things that happen in that novel really relate to things that could happen today, and the feelings are ones that are shared by the whole world. I also realized that writing novels were a good way for the authors to get a message out about their life or the conditions and times that they were living in. The conditions and nature of human beings really hasn't changed all that much throughout the years either. This book was written many years ago yet the conflicts amongst the people of 1850 and now hasn't changed, you can easily find people with pretty much the same conflicts in life as those of the characters in The Scarlet Letter, which I find quite interesting. Another thing that this novel shows really well about human nature is how forgiving we can be. At the beginning of the novel Hester was a complete outsider, and by the end of it people respected her and looked up to her, they forgave her and forgot what she did; they got past all that had happened and saw what a good, genuine person she was, and it was a great example of how forgiving we can be, which is a nice reminder in times like we have today. What I have come to understand about myself as a learner throughout this project is that I'm really good at learning lessons if I can or have experiences something like it. The lesson from this novel is that suffering can make you stronger, and when i started to think about my experiences I started to realize that although I have had a good life I've had some hard times and a lot of those times have had a lesson within themselves. By empathizing with the characters I also was able to look more in depth into the story itself and by finding deeper meaning in my personal experiences it allowed me to also find deeper meaning in a lot of experiences of those of the characters. Over all this project has taught me a lot about my self and I find myself more interested in reading classic novels and exploring different types of literature. I would definitely recommend The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne to people and maybe you will find deeper meaning in the novel and you can learn from it as I did.

Other Works Researched

"Book Review: The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne." Jandy's Reading Room Book Reviews. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Nov. 2010. .

HAWTHORNE, NATHANIEL. "Nathaniel Hawthorne - Biography and Works." The Literature Network: Online classic literature, poems, and quotes. Essays & Summaries. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Nov. 2010. .

Lombardi, Esther. "'The Scarlet Letter' ." Books & Literature Classics. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Nov. 2010. .

"The Scarlet Letter." Shmoop: Study Guides & Teacher Resources. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Nov. 2010. .

Works Cited

"A Frame for Understanding the 1850s." Assumption College: A Catholic College founded by the Augustinians of the Assumption. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Nov. 2010. .


"Nathaniel Hawthorne." www.kirjasto.sci.fi . N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Nov. 2010.

Apologia

There are many classic novels that have survived the test of time, a lot of them have survived for different reasons, but most of them have one thing in common. They usually all have a great theme or message, and whether it be that it was a good message to get out during that time or one that lives on throughout the years that is usually one reason why they continue to be read. The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne is one of the classics with both a great message and theme. For the time that it was written adultery was a bigger deal than it is today, and this was one if the first books to go in depth into the topic of adultery and going into the lives of people who had to live with adultery in a Puritan community. As if the act of committing adultery was not enough, the person Hester Prynne conceives her child with is a reverend; on top of all of that there is also many parts in the book where deception plays a large role where Roger Chillingworth tries to manipulate reverend Dimmesdale into admitting his sin. All of the things that happen in this novel combine to create a classic that could be read at any point in time and still be related to and enjoyed by the readers. The Scarlet Letter is a classic novel because of the timeless and universal theme, the message it gives, and the nature and timing of the novel itself.

One of the reasons that this novel became so popular in the first place was because of the issues it discussed and the timing it was brought out. The novel came out in 1850 and this was the earliest story about victims of Puritan obsession and spiritual intolerance (Nathaniel Hawthorne, Liukkonen). In the day and age that this novel was written women's rights were a main part of concern along with religious views and this novel speaks out for both of them (A Frame for Understanding the 1850's). Women's rights are still even sometimes a problem brought up nowadays but Hester Prynne, the main character of this novel, is seen as a pioneer feminist and her bravery and strength to go through what she did all alone would have, and still would be, very empowering to many women. In a time where unwanted pregnancies occur fairly regularly this book would reach out to many women both of our time and of the time that it was written, that its ok and that things will be alright. She went through many hardships throughout the novel and had to deal with a whole community that was ashamed and looked down upon her but she turned out to actually be a respected woman of her community and things did get better for her. Today there are also conflicts involving religion and beliefs and what is right and wrong, and the fact that this is a main part of the pain that Hester has to endure also can reach out to the readers. Many people have been through, or heard of, conflicts with religion and this novel shows one of them in a very bold way. Hester is shunned by her whole community, and even so she gets through it, she becomes strong and learns to deal with what happened and this again gives the readers a glimpse of hope.

For a tale with so many lies and disappointments for the characters giving Hester a chance and seeing her get through everything she has to deal with makes the reader feel good about what is happening and if the reader has ever been in that type of situation they really get a good feeling about themselves as well. One of the reasons as to why the readers can relate so well to this novel is because of one of the themes of it. A theme of this novel is suffering, every main character in the book suffers, and they all suffer for different reasons. Each form of suffering we see in the book is completely universal. Hester Prynne suffers because she is looked down upon by her community and she loves a man that nobody can know about. Usually everyone at some point in their lives feels like an outsider for some reason, and we all have secrets that we just wish we could tell to someone but feel as though there is nobody we can talk to. Hester's kind of suffering is one that a lot of people can relate to because it is so broad. Roger Chillingworth suffers in a different way, he had been cheated on by his wife, and he does take responsibility for that being partially his fault, but he yearns to know who it was and will do anything to figure it out. Arthur Dimmesdale suffers alone, he loves a woman, and wants to be with her, but has to suffer by himself with the guilt he bears from not coming forward and suffering through the pain and sorrow that his lover had to. Finally, Pearl, who is completely innocent has to live a childhood in isolation and is consumed by conflicting emotions. Suffering is a universal experience and everyone can relate to what the characters are feeling and going through.

Along with great themes the novel produces a strong message. People can see the progression of Hester throughout the novel, and all the other characters along with her. In the beginning Hester is completely ashamed by what she did and would be afraid to even go about the town, she wouldn't talk to anyone and was even afraid of her own child. By the end of the novel she becomes stronger, more outgoing, and learns to deal with what she did, she then reaches out to people to help them in their tough situations so that they never have to endure what she did. The whole thing made her stronger than she ever was and gave her a complete understanding of what she was able to do. We also saw Arthur progress; at the beginning he was terrified of anyone knowing and lived in guilt and shame, by the end he sets himself free by telling the truth, and though he passes away he ends up overcoming his fears and becoming a stronger man to be able to tell everyone that it was him that was the father of little Pearl. The message that this gets out is that suffering can actually make you strong, and bring out the best in you and it can bring out moral integrity.

There are so many reasons as to why this book will survive the test of time and it will continue to please people, touch people, and relate to people for years to come. The fact that this story is realistic and has a good story line are just minor factors as to why it has been so successful and the deeper things are what really will keep it going. All of the characters have to overcome their suffering, they all become stronger and better people, and all of them get through an extremely tough situation that still occurs today. The problems evident in this book may not occur with such a degree that they do in the book but they do still happen and just like the book, the problems and feelings that are brought out when something like this happens have survived the test of time as well. This is a story that people of any time can relate to and may have to even endure themselves, so this is something that anyone can go to and look back on. Hester becomes a strong, independent woman by the end of all of this and a lot of women that are idolized today have the same kind of persona. It can almost be looked at as the people in the novel had a lot of the same issues as the people of today, we share the suffering, the deceptions, manipulations, but we also share the feeling of hope. The feelings brought out by this novel, along with its theme and message make The Scarlet Letter a classic.

Reading Response #4

My fourth and final response to the Scarlet Letter is going to be about an event that takes place within the last few chapters of the book. Hester meets with Master Dimmesdale in the forest one day and they plan to go away and get away from the town. This puts Arthur Dimmesdale in quite a different state, he seems to be doing a lot better than what he had been previously and when he gets back to his study he ends up refusing the medicine that Roger Chillingworth offered him "The physician knew then, that in the minister's regard, he was no longer a trusted friend, but his bitterest enemy" (Hawthorne, 204). So Roger finally figures out that Arthur knows who he really is, but neither of them decide to directly confront it with one another. Everyone noticed the difference in master Dimmesdale, ""There was no feebleness of step, as at other times; his frame was not bent; nor did his hand rest ominously upon his heart. Yet, if the clergyman were rightly viewed, his strength seemed not of the body....so abstracted was his look, it might be questioned whether Mr. Dimmesdale even heard the music [of the procession]." (Hawthorne, 217-218). He is finally feeling alright and this could be because he is finally getting away from the town, after his sermon they were to take off to another place, he would be away from the town and this way maybe he could relax a little and shake off some of the guilt that he felt every day. After he comes out from his sermon he is back to looking like his old self again though, "The glow, which they had just before beheld burning on his cheek, was extinguished, like a flame that sinks down hopelessly among the late-decaying embers. It seemed hardly the face of a man alive, with such a deathlike hue; it was hardly a man with life in him that tottered on his path so nervelessly, yet tottered, and did not fall!" (Hawthorne, 228). At this point he does something drastic which changes the outlooks of so many people. He went over to the scaffold and reached out for Hester and Pearl's hand. He even reveals the flesh which carried his scarlet letter, the one in which was carved into his skin. He asked Pearl to kiss him on the cheek and he says goodbye to Hester and he passes away. Of course this had the townspeople up in arms and there were many opinions which people had about what really happened and what was true. Hester did move away, but she did return to her cottage in that same town, without Pearl. This might have been because such a huge part of her life was here, the scarlet letter she wore for a lot of her life became her identity, and it kept her connected with her lover, even though it wasn't in the best way. The biggest part about her return though, was that she started to help other women in the community. She learned from her mistake and was tortured for it for years upon years, but now she can help other women, who may have sinned, through their problems in life and make sure that they know that good things can come out of things that might not be so good in the beginning and that you can learn many things about life and yourself from each of these problems. "Hester comforted and counselled them as best she might. She assured them, too, of her firm belief, that, at some brighter period, when the world should have grown ripe for it, in Heaven's own time, a new truth would be revealed, in order to establish the whole relation between man and woman on a surer ground of mutual happiness." (Hawthorne, 239). So, although the experience of having to wear the scarlet letter was torture for Hester she became an extremely independent, smart, and caring woman because of it. That letter helped her grow and with the death of Arthur Dimmesdale she grew even more, she began to help all the other people with similar problems. Arthur Dimmesdale made a huge impact on Hester's life, first with the child, but also with her outlook on many things. When Hester died "a new grave was delved, near an old and sunken one, in that burial-ground beside which King's Chapel has since been built. It was near that old and sunken grave, yet with a space between, as if the dust of the two sleepers had no right to mingle. Yet one tombstone served for both." (Hawthorne, 239). Hester and Arthur would never fully be together and they never fully were together in life, but in both situations they would never fully be apart.

Reading Response #3

This third response that I'm going to do is about a part on the book that is very brief but very interesting. At one point in the story Mr. Dimmesdale has a bit of a realization, and he goes to stand on the scaffold of which Hester had to when she was released from prison to punish himself for his sin. "Mr. Dimmesdale was overcome with a great horror of mind, as if the universe were gazing at a scarlet token on his naked breast, right over his heart." (Hawthorne, 168) Mr. Dimmesdale finally faced the thing that was causing him pain every day, and this was something that had a huge affect on his daily life. Every day his heart would ache and people would notice that he would always put his hand to his heart, or breast area, just like Hester. Hester's pain was caused by the scarlet letter and her sin although Mr. Dimmesdale's pain was caused by his sin, it was reflected internally. There was a little confrontation between Dimmesdale and Roger Chillingworth where this is somewhat explained: "a sickness, a sore place, if we may so call it, in your spirit, hath immediately its appropriate manifestation in your bodily frame." so reverend Dimmesdale's pain is caused by his sin, this bad thing that is in his mind is causing him bodily harm every day, and this makes him so weak, people believed he was dyeing, and he actually believed he was dyeing as well. By going to the place where Hester showed her sin to the town he could feel the shame and possibly release some of this bad thing in his body by taking responsibility for what he had done. He ended up eventually coming to a sense of calm though, in the dead of night standing on that scaffold he thought at one point that the clergymen would find him and the people of the town would see what he had done but he stayed calm, he came to the thought that maybe it was good if people would see what he had done and he remained up on that scaffold. This was the turning point for the reverend, he finally accepted what he had done, and he was almost ready to pay the price for it, he wanted his pain to end and he wanted the townspeople to see that he would stand with Hester and little Pearl. The biggest part of this section of the book was the meteor: "And there stood the minister, with his hand over his heart; and Hester Prynne, with the embroidered letter glimmering on her bosom; and little Pearl, herself a symbol, and the connecting link between those two. They stood in the noon of that strange and solemn splendour, as if it were the light that is to reveal all the secrets, and the daybreak that shall unite all who belong to one another." this meteor brought Hester, Arthur Dimmesdale and Pearl all together, something that both Hester and the reverend never thought would happen, and they all united under this meteor on that same scaffold. She was brought to shame in that exact same place, but really, while they stood hand-in-hand under the stars it was kind of nice for all of them even though they were in that spot of guilt. They were all finally together and they both shared the degradation, Hester had accepted what she had done and the reverend was finally beginning to accept it, at this point it was a new beginning for all of them. They all stood under the light, but something else extraordinary happened while they were all coming together: "looking upward to the zenith, beheld there the appearance of an immense letter,-the letter A-marked out in likes of dull red light." (Hawthorne, 175) the reverend saw this letter A in the sky as a sign from god, and once again his guilty conscience came "but with no such shape that his guilty imagination gave it; or, at least, with so little definiteness, that another's guilt might have seen another symbol in it." (Hawthorne, 175) other townspeople perceived it differently though, they saw it as the letter A standing for angel. You can look at Mr. Dimmesdale's situation like this as well, in one way, coming forth with what he had done would be looked at as an outrage and a huge sin which he would never live down, but you could also look at his coming forth as a blessing, because if he did he would be able to be with the women he loved, and enjoy the child that they conceived together.

Reading Response #2

The second response I'm doing is about Hester's long-lost husband's return. He happens to return while she is being paraded around town and he visits her in prison before she's released. You would think that the husband would be somewhat mad when he returned to find that his wife had a child, but he really wasn't all that mad at her, he was very civil surprisingly. "'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 the philosophized in vain, I seek no vengeance, plot no evil against thee. Between thee and me, the scale hangs fairly balanced. But, Hester, the man who has wronged us both! Who is he?" (Hawthorne, 100) even when Hester is asked by her own husband and will not tell him who the other man was. She keeps to this as well when the clergymen of the town ask her as well, they even give the other man a chance to come forward and join her in shame while she is paraded around town, and when he doesn't come forward she keeps standing tall, by herself in all her shame. She goes through years as a single parent with nobody knowing who the man is that she had a child with. Little Pearl, Hester's daughter grows up with no idea of who her father is or who it could be, but Hester's husband had his mind set that he would find out who it was. "'One thing, thou that wast my wife, i would enjoin upon thee,' continued the scholar. 'Thou hast kept the secret of thy paramour. Keep, likewise, mine! There are none in this land that know me. Breathe not, to any human soul, that thou didst ever call me husband! Here, on this wild outskirt of the earth, I shall pitch my tent; for elsewhere a wanderer, and isolated from human interests, I find here a women, a man, a child, amongst whom and myself there exist the closest ligaments. No matter whether of love or hate; no matter whether of right or wrong! Thou and thine, Hester Prynne, belong to me. My home is where thou art, and where he is. But betray me not!" (Hawthorne, 101). Nobody knows who Roger Chillingworth (as he goes by now) actually is. Hester's husband takes up a false name when he gets there because nobody knows him and he wants to go unknown, but Hester does question his reasoning as to why he would choose to do this "'It may be,' he replied, 'because I will not encounter the dishonour that besmirches the husband of a faithless woman. It may be for other reasons." and these other reasons we come to find are to find the man who betrayed him. Hester's husband, although doesn't come up very much in the book, plays a big role. Hester now has to deal with keeping two major secrets, both in which hold the identities of people. Thats a lot to bear along with the pressures of being a social outcast and having a child in which she believes to be an elf. Her husband does end up getting some suspicions about relearn Dimmesdale, and these happen to be right. He ends up manipulating the reverend and this causes the reverend a lot of discomfort because he doesn't realize what Roger Chillingworth is doing to him. After seven years Hester wants to tell Roger's secret and this creates even more problems with his suspicions about the reverend and if he confirms them it could really be a mess.