Реферат: The Scarlet Letter The Symbol Of The

in toying with new and fascinating ideas. Driven by reason instead of emotion,

Hester “[casts] away the fragments of the broken chain,” challenging the archaic

doctrines of the Puritans. The author mocks the outmoded and outdated beliefs

of the Puritans by depicting them as these “fragments”; in casting away these

ancient beliefs, Hester is freed from their unfair restrictions, in spirit if

not in body. Instead of being destroyed by the scarlet letter, Hester gains the

courage to question the Puritan’s view of justice; in a sense, Hester is freed

from her punishment, since she casts doubt on the actual magnitude of her sin.

Thus, the strangling gold threads of the scarlet letter are unable to choke out

the last of Hester’s passion, in fact, their searing pain enables to rise

against the dreariness of Hester’s life a liberated mind, unrestrained by the

menacing shackles of Puritanism.

Finally, the scarlet letter liberates Hester Prynne because it makes her

unique, and gives Hester her identity. First of all, the letter is fashioned

“in scarlet, fantastically embroidered in gold thread.” The color of the letter

itself attracts attention, for its vivid hue sets it apart from the

monochromatic garb of the other Puritans. It eclipses everything else, so that

Hester is the central figure in the picture that Hawthorne paints in the readers

mind; the rest are merely part of the grim background, serving only to enhance

the exquisite beauty of Hawthorne’s female protagonist. Also, “[New England]

had been the scene of her guilt, and [it] should be the scene of her earthly

punishment.” Thus Hester finds her roots in New England; the scarlet emblem had

made Puritan Boston her home, and gave her a sense of belonging. Hester had

made herself in Boston, it is the only place where she had really lived, and the

only place where she should die. Most importantly, the scarlet letter “is too

deeply branded” upon Hester, it has become a permanent part of her, that one

cannot exist without the other. The letter was born upon Hester’s sin, lived in

Hester’s shame, and died in Hester’s death; it cannot be taken away from her no

matter how hard she tries. To take it away would be to deny Hester’s own