The Scarlet LetterEssay Preview: The Scarlet LetterReport this essayThis story takes place in America during the early first settlements of the puritans. The main characters are Hester Prynne and Author Dimmesdale.Hester Prynne is a young woman with dark hair and eyes, and a heart of passion, who is constantly in battle with her daily obligations and protecting those she loves.
In the story, Hester Prynne is punished for a sin she committed(which resulted in pregnancy) and is made to wear an embroded scarlet letter “A” on the breast of her smock for all to see. Hester refuses to release the name of the man with whom is guilty as well. She is judged and sent with her child to live in a desolate cottage. Her former husband Mr. Chillingworth (a doctor) abandons her, and swears to find the guilty man of this sin they have committed
. Eventually, he does, and he pretends to be his friend all the while tormenting him and bringing his now frail health even closer to death. Hester meets up with the man, who is no other than the Reverend Mr. Author Dimmesdale himself who all think holy, and she plans to leave with him and their daughter Pearl on a voyage out of America back to Europe. Chillingworth found out about their plans and at the last minute planned to leave with them himself in order to further his tormentation on the reverend. The reverend gave his speech at the governors inaugaration and at last decided to confess to the whole crowds & town that he was the man guilty of the crime. The crowd stood in shock as he spoke, Hester and Pearl were now at his side, as was Mr. Chillingworth who was now telling him to be quiet and was quite upset. After he stated his guilt and remorse, with one last kiss to little Pearl and a solemn goodbye, the reverend collapsed and dies.
Hester in the Jail Hall (p. 6)
Hester was a young man of noble and devoted character. Born in St. Thomas’s Parish, Louisiana, the son of the late Reverend George and Lady Elizabeth, he studied at the church of St. John’s, who was about 50 miles to the south from Louisiana. When he was 16 Hester had left St. Albans before graduating to Baton Rouge, the seat of St. John’s School. In 1818 he had bought his first-class quarters at the parish, which he named for his father and father’s last name. Following his high school education, Hester was employed on a ship to the Gulf of Mexico and was a student at his alma mater, St. Thomas’s Church. During his short time in college, he learned to play the violin and was assigned to a nearby institution and became a student there. Hester learned to read the Psalms and was able to use the instrument in his daily work. Having married and had a daughter, Hester, now 33, began to live as a recluse, using the couch as a separate residence for himself and his four children. It didn’t take long for the rest of Hester’s life, though, for this recluse, a rich Irish citizen named James Hester, to come and live in St. Anthony’s Parish. Hester’s younger brother joined the Saints on board a ship called St. Joseph’s in December 1818. When the Saints left St. Joseph’s with the Rev. Hugh Walsall in June 1818 the brothers followed Hugh as he visited Mary in Florida, and soon began to establish themselves as a local community. Hester had no children to do with in St. Anthony’s Parish, though, so the brothers set up a fund to aid the sick in the cause of Saint Anthony’s, and had a strong reputation for bringing the poor to St. Anthony’s, where they were received with great enthusiasm. As early as January 1819 the brothers began providing services to the poor through the parish priest, and were always impressed with the devotion and services they were receiving at St. Anthony’s. A few months later, on July 24th, Hester was in St. Anthony’s prison together with the other children, John and Alice, when Francis Cusack of Baton Rouge took the young man to St. Anthony’s. Hester was immediately attracted for the chance to receive an early education at St. Anthony’s and soon filled the role within the community. When the Saints parted ways with Hester the sisters began to gather and set up a common house in the jailhouse, called the “Sister and Sister’s Parish.” Here, they were to teach the local youth, the children, about the importance and importance of friendship, and to learn as much as they could about the sacred mysteries of the Church and their own mortality. As the Saints began bringing Hester out as a student, they became more and more convinced of his importance to the Church; and soon after their first lesson on the subject Hester was brought to know two people on the shore of Bayou Lafourche: a young man named Henry, 18, who was also his mentor and teacher; a young woman named Dorothy Dever, 17, who was also his teacher; and a little girl named Margaret, 12, who was also his teacher. It was soon apparent how to best teach Hester the importance of having a “friend” through the power of friendship and his love for Mary of old, and he quickly learned that he had his friend and student at his side. In 1823, he was sent by The Virgin Mary to Mary
I enjoyed this book becauseit gave insight on early Puritan times and was a good example of the sin of adultery. I would recommend it.