Personal Reflection

After reading the Scarlet Letter, writing four reading responses and an apologia, I feel well acquainted with the Scarlet Letter and its characters. Familiarity doesn't equal love though, that is for sure. I struggled through each of the required assignments, because I really did not enjoy the plot of the novel, or the characters. Not only was it unnecessarily long and boring, but the 18th century language used made it hard to understand and disengaging.

There were, of course, positives to my classic novel selection. The Scarlet Letter is clearly a classic and I am glad to have experienced the literature and plot. The characters were fascinating to follow over the 8 or so years that the novel takes place, with a very strong female main character and powerful men that affect and change her life drastically throughout.  

This entire CNS has also helped me to discover a few things about myself. I have realized that as a learner, I have sometimes to work to engage myself, and put in extra time and effort to get ideal results. I also realized that I must continue to extend my learning and that if I put the effort into focusing I enjoy it more. 

Overall, the Scarlet Letter has shown me a few things about myself as a learner, and given me an insight into another time period. Although I did not have the best experience with this one, I now understand the value of reading classic novels, and I will continue to read them in the future. 

Works Cited Page

• Grimes, M. Katherine. New York Times. N.p, n.d. Web. 30 Nov. 2011.  
• "Harry Potter: Destined to be a classic?."
         Arizona Local News - Phoenix Arizona News - Phoenix Breaking News      azcentral.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Nov. 2011.
• Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The scarlet letter. Pleasantville, N.Y.: Reader's Digest Association, 1984. Print.
• Webster, Inc. Merriam-Webster's collegiate dictionary. 11th ed. Springfield,                                  Mass.: Merriam-Webster, Inc., 2003. Print.

Apologia

A classic is a novel that is timeless, both in its themes and characters. It must be read by a universal audience, and be plausible. Journalist Kerry Lengel uses Harry Potter as an example and points out, “popularity alone doesn't make a classic, but like the Beatles and Star Wars, Harry has inspired not just the love of the masses but approval from the critical establishment.” (‘Harry Potter: Destined to be a classic?’ Rebecker) M. Katherine Grimes, a scholar at Ferrum College, thinks, "a classic will reflect its time and place and still speak to people outside of that time and place." (New York Times, Hart) The Scarlet Letter has done exactly that for many people over many years. Time is one of the most important tests of a classic novel in terms of themes, characters and plausibility; it is a test that must be passed to be a classic.

The Scarlet Letter by Nathanial Hawthorne is a classic novel. Both the themes and the characters are timeless, which is necessary to have a novel's popularity carry over from one generation to the next many times over. The familiar themes found in the Scarlet Letter include adultery and guilt, and revenge. The characters are unique enough to be remembered, but still entirely relatable. Chillingworth, for example, is just an ordinary man, but because of Hester’s unfaithfulness he is struck with jealousy and anger, and seeks revenge on Dimmesdale. The sneaky way he goes about punishing him makes the ordinary character that he is deeper and more interesting. In another scene of the Scarlet Letter, Hester has to deal with the judgments and attitudes of her townspeople. At one point some ‘autumnal matrons’ are discussing punishments that they believe should have been given to Hester, “at the very least they should have put a brand of hot iron on her forehead.”(64) Although harsh, the disapproval and anger at Hester is evident, and that is understandable for readers. Every situation throughout the novel is a complex one, but the way these ordinarily seeming characters deal with them is what makes it interesting. A classic novel must have themes and characters in it that feel real no matter what time period it is.

Adultery is a worldly misdemeanor that has been around for as long as marriage. It is foreseeable that it will remain an occurrence for years to come. This main theme helps to make the Scarlet Letter a classic; it will always be universally relatable. The adultery in this novel leads to Hester being shunned, and Dimmesdale (unnamed to the townspeople) continuing his life in a position of leadership and influence in the community. He does, however, feel very guilty, and knows that “if a man wears one mask in public, and another in private, he will soon forget which one is real” (138). This situation also leads to revenge on the guilty party, which ends in a tragedy of sorts. Adultery is the main theme in this novel; everything that happens from beginning to end is happens because of or is directly affected by Hester Prynne's wrongdoings. 

Not only must a classic novel be decently old, it must be universal. The themes and characters must be relatable and comprehensible no matter which country you go to, even if the language must be changed. The Scarlet Letter accomplishes the worldly aspect that it requires to be a classic. The main dilemmas in the novel can, and do, occur everywhere in the world, and the characters are easy to relate to. Hester’s ‘dilemma’ of being shunned, for example, and Dimmesdale having to lie for seven years and pretend to be someone he’s not are both plausible situations. As the preface of the novel states, the Scarlet Letter “remains relevant for its philosophical and psychological depth, and continues to be read as a classic tale on a universal theme.” The philosophical depth comes from the sins committed, and the cleansing redemption of them. The whole novel revolves around the triangle of Hester, Dimmesdale, and Chillingworth, which creates the psychological depth through lies and secrets.

This classic is not only universal in its themes and general comprehensibility; it is universal in its common understandings. The scarlet letter itself demonstrates the generally accepted fact that there is more than one way to view things. The letter represents a wrongdoing in Hester’s first years of wearing it, but it eventually comes to represent her independence and strength; along with her loneliness and isolation, which, “in all her intercourse with society, however, there was nothing to make her feel as if she belonged to it. Every gesture, every word, and even the silence of those she with whom she came in contact, implied, and often expressed, that she was banished…”(136) Every ‘subheading’ or underlying theme is completely relatable by a universal audience, and that adds to the reasons of why the Scarlet Letter is a classic.

Along with being all of the things previously mentioned, a classic novel must be plausible. Under the rather general heading of ‘plausibility’ there are subheadings that include ‘relatable,’ ‘credible,’ and ‘trustworthy.’ Once again, the Scarlet Letter meets the criteria. The themes and characters are worldly and both posses all familiar attributes.

In conclusion, the Scarlet Letter is most definitely a classic novel. It fits the criteria of being timeless, universal, and plausible, both in its themes and characters. It has gone down in history as a novel to be read, and will continue to stay there for many more years. 

Hypocrisies in Religion

Throughout the Scarlet Letter, I noticed a few major hypocrisies important to the plot. After examining it further, I found that so many of the themes were hypocritical, I had to wonder if one of Hawthorne's goals in this novel was to show how hypocrisy (created by religion) can cause so many problems.


Hester and the townspeople are very hypocritical at times in the novel, but throughout the entire thing Dimmesdale is constantly. A reverend who pretends to be wise, kind, and good committed adultery - a sin that he preached against. It was frustrating for me as the reader, that he was living this huge lie at the 'expense' of Hester. Expense with quotations around it because Hester was hypocritical in the Dimmesdale department too. She claimed to love him, yet she stood by and did nothing as Chillingworth slowly tortured him, to nobody's knowledge but her own. All of the choices made by Hester, Chillingworth, and Dimmesdale, are made with thought to the townspeople. All 3 are public figures, and their religious neighbours' thoughts and opinions are of the utmost importance. I have realized, however, that they are not innocent either. All of the people are firm believers in the bible, the book which advocates love and forgiveness. Early in the book Hawthorne describes a scene where some 'autumnal matrons' are gossiping about Hester's punishment. Each one wants Hester to have a very nasty punishment, "The magistrates are God-fearing gentleman, but merciful overmuch,---that is the truth, at the very least, they should have put the brand of a hot iron on Hester Prynne’s forehead. Madam Hester would have winced at that, I warrant me.”(36). Forgiveness and love are definitely not shown by Hester's fellow female citizens to her.


After considering it, I think that one of Hawthorne's goals was to show how religion can create very negative hypocrisy. After all, the novel would have turned out very differently if it was based in an atheist town. These hypocrisies helped to keep me engaged in the story, and made me feel angry at Dimmesdale, and at the townspeople. Hawthorne uses it skillfully throughout to make readers think and stay absorbed. 

Human Nature

One of my reasons for selecting the Scarlet Letter' for my CNS was that I knew a little about the plot from the movie, 'Easy A'. Because I enjoyed the movie, I was hopeful that I would enjoy the book. After comparing them, however, I found that there are more differences than similarities between the two.


I found that the main differences are in human nature itself. The way the townspeople take the news that Hester committed adultery is completely different from how the scandal would be responded to now. In fact, if the exact same thing happened today, it would barely even be considered adultery! Times have changed so much, and this has helped me appreciate why the Scarlet Letter is a classic.

The townspeople noticed that "by degrees, nor very slowly, her handiwork became what would now be termed the fashion….But it is not recorded that, in a single instance, her skill was called in aid to embroider the white veil which was to cover the pure blushes of a bride. The exception indicated the ever relentless vigor with which society frowned upon her sin."(5.6)  The author's details, like those included in this quote, helped me to understand the idea of how society treated Hester. Although the feelings of society were expressed differently, Olive received similar treatment, such as having everybody, male and female,  publicly antagonizing her every day.

Despite the fact that the movie and my classic novel are very different, there is one very obvious similarity; both the main characters are women. My connection is that not only has what is considered socially acceptable changed, but the roles of women have as well. Everybody knows that society has come a long way in the last 100 years with considering males and females equal, but my comparison between the two main characters was eye opening. The way society responds to Hester's misdemeanor and the way they respond to Olive's is strangely similar. Their offenses are different, but they both become outcasts in their worlds, and they get stuck in situations they didn't mean to get themselves into.


The similarities stop there, and each story ends with opposite results. Olive has a happy resolution, thanks to the more forgiving time period, and Hester has a tragic one.
Comparing the two contrasting plots has helped me to see the differences in human nature over 100 years, and, once again, show me why the Scarlet Letter is a classic novel.

The Importance of Relationships

As i read the Scarlet Letter, I discovered that although I wasn't always sure what little things were happening with the characters, I always knew the relationships between them. In the end, I found that that was really all that mattered.

One of the most significant relationships was between Reverend Dimmesdale and Roger Chillingworth; Hester's husband, and Pearl's (Hester's baby) father. The relationship between these two men is a huge part of the story - it affects the majority of Hester's decisions (such as her choice to keep Chillingworth's true identity a secret) and leads to the dramatic conclusion.

Chillingworth appearing in town was the first big surprise in the story. It also created the first lie and introduced me to the deceit that happens throughout the plot. Everything that Hester does throughout the novel is affected by his complex relationship with Dimmesdale. From the townspeople's perspective, Dimmesdale is just the reverend, and Chillingworth is just the doctor. From the inside, it is definitely more complicated than that.

It is quite sad to see Hester's life turn into what it does just because of the relationship between Dimmesdale and Chillingworth. For the first seven years of Pearl's life, having both of them in the same town is extremely stressful for her, because Hester knows that Chillingworth wants to seek revenge on her lover. Because Hester has nobody she can rely on, she has to stand by and watch everything happen between the two men. The lack of relationships in this novel is as important to the plot as the existing relationships.

My conclusion is that the relationships in the Scarlet Letter make the story, and without the drama involved in each one there would be no plot. The complexities demonstrate human nature at its finest and worst, and that's what helps make the Scarlet Letter a classic.

Essential Traits Portrayed

'Sin', guilt, pride, and secrecy are the standout human traits portrayed throughout the Scarlet Letter, each one having positive and negative effects on the characters. One scene that stood out in particular, and is crucial to the entire plot of the story, is written on the very first few pages. This scene takes place at the town jail where Hester is being pressured to confess. This tense scene introduces the main characters. There is Reverend Master Dimmesdale, Hester herself, Hester's baby, Pearl, and all of the townspeople that, as a whole, make up quite a powerful character. Hester committed a sin, and her first punishment is embarrassment. Hester does not confess, and the only result from the public humiliation is to spark gossip amongst the spectators. "People say that the Reverend Master Dimmesdale, her godly pastor, takes it very grievously to heart that such a scandal should have come upon his congregation"(Hawthorne, 63), says an 'autumnal matron'. Little does anybody know that their reverend is being both deceitful and sinful, little better than Hester herself. 

This scene grabbed my attention because of the mystery of who Dimmesdale really is (readers find out later), and the lies and secrecy. Overall, this scene was a good introduction to all of the negative human traits portrayed by most of the main characters, and was an exciting beginning. 

The Beginning

When we got assigned the Classic Novel Study assignment, I was glad. I have never been able to make myself finish a classic novel, and I thought that this would be a good opportunity to finally say that I have read one start to finish.

I have always found classic novels to be hard to understand, no matter how determined I am to read it. Unfortunately, I have found the Scarlet Letter to be no different. I chose this book because after seeing the movie, 'Easy A' (in which the main character becomes entangled in the plot of the Scarlet Letter), I had a vague idea of what it was about. Knowing the main idea of the novel helped a lot in my understanding; but there hasn't ever been any excitement to read it. When I finally convince myself to pick it up, my attempts to focus and get into it equal nothing close to enthrallment.

The older language and grammar used, combined with the strange plot, make it quite a struggle for me to comprehend. As i battle my way through it, I think about the purpose of the novel - to amuse the reader. I perceive that while nonfiction books are made to educate, fiction books are made for enjoyment and to entertain. I know that classic novels still do that for some of this generation, but for the majority it seems as though they are too outdated to enjoy. So why pick up a classic when we could read literature that is still well written, but more relatable and purposeful? Well, that is exactly what I am trying to figure out. My goal is to answer this question for myself, with an honest knowledge of my conclusion.

Hopefully by the time I get through this blog I will have an answer, and maybe the ability to say that i have read a classic novel from start to finish.