Here is the synopsis of our sample research paper on Scarlet Letter/Sin of A Guilty Heart. Have the paper e-mailed to you 24/7/365.
Essay / Research Paper Abstract
A 3 page essay that discusses the nature of sin in Hawthorne's most famous work. Hester's punishment for adultery--the wearing of the scarlet letter that symbolizes her ostracism from Puritan society--constitutes a principle feature of the narrative. However, beyond this surface meaning of sin equaling adultery, there is a deeper interpretation that indicates Hawthorne's perspective on the nature of sin, which shows that the greatest sin portrayed in the novel is one of a guilty heart, of not accepting responsibility for one's misdeeds. Bibliography lists 2 sources.
Page Count:
3 pages (~225 words per page)
File: D0_khslsin.rtf
Buy This Term Paper »
Unformatted sample text from the term paper:
the scarlet letter that symbolizes her ostracism from Puritan society--constitutes a principle feature of the narrative. However, beyond this surface meaning of sin equaling adultery, there is a deeper interpretation
that indicates Hawthornes perspective on the nature of sin, which shows that the greatest sin portrayed in the novel is one of a guilty heart, of not accepting responsibility for
ones misdeeds. This point is starkly demonstrated in the difference between the fate of Hester and her illicit lover, Reverend Dimmesdale. Hester embraces and loves the physical manifestation
of her sin, her daughter. Dimmesdale hides the truth of his sin and keeps his relationship to the child a guilty secret in his heart. Hesters life has meaning and
she eventually returns to the village of Salem as a teacher and mentor; Dimmesdales conscious eats away at him, causing him an early death. Although Dimmesdale cannot bring himself
to publicly confess, he indicates early on in the novel that he realizes the effect that his sin is having on his soul. When Governor Billingham considers taking Pearl away
from Hester, as he does not consider her to be a fit mother, Hester appeals to Dimmesdale to argue for her. He says, "This child of its fathers guilt and
its mothers shame has come from the hand of God," and, in so doing, works upon the heart of her mother, both giving her joy and providing a constant reminder
of her fall from grace (Hawthorne Chapter 2). Dimmesdale goes on to describe how the sacred gift of this child preserves the soul of the mother, keeping her from falling
further into sin, but also providing a sign of the Creators "sacred pledge," which is that "if she bring the child to heaven, the child also will bring the parent
...