Lavender's AP Lit Class Blog
Monday, October 22, 2012
Scarlet Letter Essay Idea
I think I am going to write about how the punishment of shame and humiliation compares to the punishment of guilt. Hester wore her punishment in public and everybody knew who she was and what she had done. It was terrible at first but people saw how nice and kind she really was, and at one point, the letter 'A' symbolized something more like Angel than Adulterer. With Dimmesdale, he had to conceal his secret and be reminded every day what he had done, but indirectly. Every time he saw Hester or Pearl, he was reminded of his sins. In fact, at one point Dimmesdale started loosing his mind. Near the end, he finally confessed for his sin and he seemed immediately relieved. However, in the end of the book, he died because of the scarlet area on his chest. Everything that he had been holding in and hiding away had eventually eaten its way out of him and killed him. On the other hand, Hester eventually came back to the town and continued with her sewing. This is all ironic because in the beginning, Dimmesdale intended to stay happy because he kept his shame a secret and all of the fall would come down on Hester. However, in the end, Dimmesdale died for his sins and Hester came out on top.
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Robin,
ReplyDeleteYour topic--public shame versus private shame (and ESPECIALLY their different effects on the individuals who experience each respectively) is a very good one, but you need to go back to the text. Locate all those passages that have to do with shame (or with its effects), re-read them, and let Hawthorne's own language help you develop, and then defend, your thesis. (As it is, your post seems too much like plot summary--which is fine--but you need now need to go back and figure out what the events you mention 'mean' relative to this larger idea of shame).
Hi Robin! I like the idea. I think on instance that you could quote from is when Dimmesdale talks to the church gathering and admits to his crimes, but the crowd doesnt understand that he is admitting to his sin, so they venerate him, causing him to feel even more gulity. Another instance that you could quote from is in the beginning of the book. Hester first goes home to her lonely cottage and we get to peek into her thoughts about how she feels when she is in public. She talks about how every glancing look, sends another pang of humiliation and shame through her body. These are just two places that would be good to reread!
ReplyDeleteRobin I think this is a great idea. I agree with Carson about looking back in the text. Maybe you could talk about how Chillingworth plays a role in Dimmesdale's private shame. I also think you could use the sceen at the very end and talk about how Hester's sham even though publicly shown never quite goes away because she returns to New England and puts back on the red "A".
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