Characterization In The Scarlet Letter Essay Research

Word picture In The Scarlet Letter Essay, Research Paper

Nathaniel Hawthorne was born in Salem, Massachusetts in 1804. After his graduation from Bowdoin College in Maine, he rapidly became a well-known writer of literary narratives refering early American life. Between 1825 and 1850, he developed his endowment by composing short fiction, and he gained international celebrity for his fictional novel The Scarlet Letter in 1850 ( Clendenning 118 ) . Rufus Wilmot Griswold stated, The frivolous costume and alert action of the narrative of stylish life are easy depicted by the practiced sketcher, but a work like & # 8220 ; The Scarlet Letter & # 8221 ; comes easy upon the canvas, where passions are commingled and overlaid with the consummate amplification with which the grandest effects are produced in pictorial composing and colouring. ( Griswold 352 ) Throughout the novel, Hawthorne reveals character through the usage of imagination and metaphor.In the first Chapter of The Scarlet Letter, & # 8220 ; The Prison-Door & # 8221 ; , the reader is instantly introduced to the people of Puritan Boston. Hawthorne begins to develop the character of the common people in order to construct the temper of the narrative. The first sentence Begins, & # 8220 ; A multitude of bearded work forces, in sad-colored garments and grey, steeple-crowned chapeaus, intermixed with adult females, some have oning goons, and others bareheaded, was assembled in forepart of a wooden building, the door of which was to a great extent timbered with oak, and studded with Fe spikes & # 8221 ; ( Hawthorne 45 ) . Hawthorne & # 8217 ; s usage of graphic ocular images and his Aaccumulation of emotionally weighted inside informations & # 8221 ; ( Baym xii ) creates sympathy for the non yet introduced character, Hester Prynne, and creates an immediate apprehension of the abrasiveness of the Puritanic codification in the people. The images created give the freedom to conceive of whatever entails unhappiness and morbidity of character for the reader ; Hawthorne does non, nevertheless, allow the reader to conceive of lenient or cheerful people.Nathaniel Hawthorne & # 8217 ; s facile contrast of the gaol and its prisoner, Hester Prynne, besides creates a understanding for the emerging captive. The & # 8220 ; ugly edifice & # 8230 ; was already marked with weather-stains and other indicants of age, which gave a yet darker facet to its beetle-browned and glooming forepart & # 8221 ; ( Hawthorne 45 ) . The word picture of the gaol emphasizes its ugliness, and the mental images formed in the head of the reader suggest an facet of somberness and agony. However, Hester Prynne & # 8217 ; s initial description brilliantly contrasts the gaol & # 8217 ; s. Hester & # 8220 ; was tall, with a figure of perfect elegance & # 8230 ; she had dark and abundant hair, so calendered that it threw off sunlight with a glow & # 8221 ; ( 50 ) . Her face was & # 8220 ; beautiful from regularity of characteristic and profusion of skin color & # 8221 ; ( 50 ) . In all physical senses, Hester was a beautiful adult female possessing self-respect and grace. The blunt contrast between the ugliness of the gaol and Hester & # 8217 ; s radiant beauty non merely brings the reader to experience understanding for the beautiful adult female who was forced to endure in such an atrocious topographic point, but it besides creates wonder as to why such a adult female of evident breeding was confined to the prison at all.Hawthorne & # 8217 ; s description of Governor Bellingham & # 8217 ; s sign of the zodiac uses words to make graphic images within the reader & # 8217 ; s head. The intricate description of the interior of Bellingham & # 8217 ; s sign of the zodiac non merely defines the visual aspect of the house, but besides the interior character of the occupant. The house was & # 8220 ; now moss-grown, crumpling to

decay, and melancholy at heart with the many sorrowful or joyous occurrences, remembered or forgotten, that have happened, and passed away, within their dusky chambers.” As the reader proceeds through the text, he or she learns of the character of Bellingham as one of inner turmoil that masks itself with outward beauty, eccentricity, and style. The splendor of the mansion also inadvertently indicate the personality of Governor Bellingham, in respect to his materialism and his quickness to flaunt his possessions. The face of the mansion had been fashioned “so that, when the sunshine fell aslant-wise over the front of the edifice, it glittered and sparkled as if diamonds had ben flung against it by the double handful” (90). Later in the novel, the reader encounters Bellingham dressed in very contemporary, decorative garb indicative of his high social status, but his inner self is in a state of unrest.Hawthorne’s skillful use of metaphor throughout The Scarlet Letter greatly emphasizes the dynamics of the characters. By comparing the traits of the characters to things completely unrelated to them, Hawthorne composes messages that are verbally inexplicable by common descriptions. The use of metaphor allows the reader to develop a deeper emotional understanding of the psychological and physical traits of each character. For example, Pearl is referred to as “one of those naughty elfs or fairies or…a little bird of scarlet plumage” (97). The comparison of Pearl to a fantastic creature such as an elf adds a sense of alienation and mystery to her personality, and it creates a feeling of strange confusion toward her. When she is compared to a scarlet-hued bird, the emphasis of color increases the visual sense of Pearl’s character, and the comparison to a bird indicates that she is full of wild energy. Pearl is also described as “a lovely and immortal flower” (80). By correlating Pearl to a soft, delicate flower, Hawthorne develops and emotional aura of Pearl’s frailty, femininity, and flawless beauty that overshadows her chaotic temperament.Hawthorne’s effectuation of characterization by using imagery and metaphor to his advantage greatly increases the caliber of The Scarlet Letter. He uses imagery to form mental pictures within the mind of the reader that carry certain connotations of dread, egotism, mystery, or any other range of emotion. The scene-painting is ?pure, severe, and truthful” (Smiles 266) and adds great depth to the novel. Hawthorne’s use of metaphor adds dimension to the novel by abutting unlike things to create new meaning and appreciation of qualities of characters, and hence, a deeper understanding of underlying motives and psyche. Intricate and methodical characterization is crucial to grasp the full meaning of a narrative.Works CitedBaym, Nina. Introduction. The Scarlet Letter. By Nathaniel Hawthorne. New York City: Penguin Books USA, Inc. 1986.Clendenning, John. “Nathaniel Hawthorne.” The World Book Encyclopedia. 1989 ed.Griswold, Rufus Wilmot. “The Scarlet Letter.” The Library of Literary Criticism of English and American Authors. Ed. Charles Wells Moulton. Gloucester, Massachusetts: Peter Smith Publishing, 1959. 341-371.Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Scarlet Letter. New York: Penguin Books USA Inc., 1986.Smiles, Samuel. “The Scarlet Letter.” The Critical Temper. Ed. Martin Tucker. New York City: Frederick Ungar Publishing Company, 1962. 266.