I'm lonely. Being alone makes me feel like I'm
lost, an outcast that doesn't deserve to stay
here with the
ones I love. They all ignore me now, they all treat me like the sinner I
am.It's cold
outside and as I
wander from door to door seeking warmth and, perhaps, a little compassion from
my friends, I
recieve neither. Perhaps I deserve it. They aren't sinners. How could they
possibly feel
what I'm feeling
right now?
The Scarlet Letter, written by Nethaniel
Hawthorn, offers a dynamic outlook at the Puritan
Society. It was
written in the Romantic era during one of
Hawthorns flurry of creativity inspired
through his newly
found political freedom. This book is a Romantic that deals with human
emotions such as
guilt, love, lust, sin and how they were delt with in the puritan society.
The Romantic era was one of peace and
tranquility. Romantics viewed the wilderness that
surrounded them
as one of the devine souls, the other two being man and god. They are
optomistic
as well as true
non-conformists. They also believe that the basic human nature is good. Almost
everything is
symbolic in the Romantic wold. Romantics rely on their strong sense of
intuition
because they
believe that there are things that lie beyond the senses.
The Scarlet Letter is written in the Romantic
style. It contains many elements that
are vital to the
Romantics. It is full of symbolism. For example, by the end of the story, how
many
different ways
could the letter "A" be interpreted? What about the lot described in
the beginning?
Was Pearl Hesters
child or was she symbolic of the wild life that sin leads to? The people in the
story seem to
have an innate sense of intuition, much like the Romantics. They are constantly
reading each
others feeling and reacting to them. Emotion plays a key role in the story.
People
didn't ignore or
hate Hester for her sins because, much like the Romantics, their basic nature
was
good.
This piece is truly timeless. It encompasses
the emotions and problems that an individual in
any society may
face. Granted, the average individual is not forced to wear our sins for all to
see,
nor are we
punished in the same manner that the puritans were. However, we do carry our
sins
inside, where we
can see them. Perhaps, the reader might see this piece as an attempt to bring
out
the good in some
of todays non-moralistic society.
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