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Essay / Research Paper Abstract
An 8 page paper which examines how the author explores the theme of sin and its effects on the individual and society in the characters of Hester Prynne, Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale, Dr. Roger Chillingworth and Pearl. Bibliography lists 6 sources.
Page Count:
8 pages (~225 words per page)
File: TG15_TGslsin.rtf
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Unformatted sample text from the term paper:
Having been born and raised in the rigid, judgmental and God-fearing moral climate of New England, Hawthorne was appalled by the hypocrisy of his so-called Christian neighbors. They preached
the word of God and conducted themselves according to the strictest code of virtue and yet were either unwilling or unable to practice forgiveness. To sin was for the
Puritan community the ultimate sin and all sinners were expected to pay for their crime against humanity by imprisonment and social ostracism. In the novel The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne
explores the theme of sin and its effects both on the individual and on society through the characters of Hester Prynne, her daughter Pearl, Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale, and Dr. Roger
Chillingworth. Through these memorable characterizations, Hawthorne exposes the Christian hypocrisy he found so repugnant while offering a somber commentary on a society that insisted on complete conformity at the
expense of individuality and diversity. It becomes evident from the first introduction of Hester Prynne that "Hawthorne allies Hester with the disenfranchised members of society, those on the periphery" (Elbert
259). Because she committed the abominable sin of adultery, she was not only incarcerated but was forced by society to spend the remainder of her days with the red
letter A embroidered upon her chest as a lasting reminder of her sin. Because Puritan women were regarded as paragons of virtue, they were judged even more harshly for
sinful conduct than were their male counterparts. Despite her permanent stigma, upon her release from prison, Hester would courageously face her accusers with her head held high as men,
women, and children stared at her as if she was a human oddity. One female onlooker seemed to speak for everyone when she remarked, "This woman has brought shame
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