As a class, we have read and discussed many vastly different pieces of literature. These different types included memoirs, autobiography's, speeches, novels, and short essays. My favorite type of literary works are novels and my favorite novel that we have discussed this year is The Scarlet Letter. The Scarlet Letter started out by introducing a sinful character. This character, Hester Prynne had committed adultery and adultery was one of the most unforgivable sin in Puritan culture. Therefore, the society had rejected her. Now, she must fight through the loneliness and emptiness by herself to reach her goal to be with her lover. The story is not just about a couple who committed adultery but also the impact on them by Puritan culture. Nathaniel Hawthorne describes this situation in such a detailed manner, yet the richness in detail is very relevant to the suspense of the story rather than detail that is given to fill space. Also, Hawthorne was able to grab the reader's attention by touching up on the feelings of passion, revenge, loss, grief, hope, and redemption. This story also appeals to me because it is timeless. Even though it is written in the American Romance Era, it pertains to a problem that still exists today as we experience a high number of unplanned pregnancies. The Scarlet Letter could also relate to today's society because of the idea of hiding the sins of the elite class. Just like how Dimmesdale's sin was suppressed the lies and the sins of our upperclassmen are suppressed as well. Nathaniel Hawthorne presents the issue from everybody's perspective and lets you decide who you want to sympathize with. Anyone who has been teased when they were a child or had parents who withheld important information can sympathize with Pearl. However in Pearl's case, she committed no fault yet such a huge sinful burden rests on her shoulders even though we witness redemption by the act of good deeds by Chillingworth at the end. All these elements were so well dissected throughout the story that it makes The Scarlet Letter one of my favorite novels of all time.
George, I love the fact that you mentioned that The Scarlet Letter is a timeless piece. Honestly, I did not enjoy the book as much as you seem to have, but the fact that you were able to connect it with present situations changed my perspective. Nathaniel Hawthorne did in fact present the piece in the way that different individuals sympathize with different characters. I however, sympathize with Dimmesdale.
ReplyDeleteYou made a good choice with the novel you chose, and I am glad you liked this piece of literature. From what I understood, it looks like you got the book pretty well with the symbolism and how the author wrote it. It is interesting though how from all the other literary works. It also looks like your interested in Puritan history, and I feel like that is why you liked this novel.
ReplyDeleteYou analyzed this so well! This definitely was no where near one of my favorite pieces, but the way you connected it to problems our society faces today. It does touch upon a factor like unplanned pregnancies which ruin lives, especially for the child. They will be brought into the world with a burden on their shoulders when they were not the ones at fault. Anyway, I was surprised that you chose this as your favorite piece of literature, but you definitely did understand the story and the symbolism, and were able to analyze it properly.
ReplyDeleteYou have done an outstanding job in explaining why you like this peace as much as you do. This being the oldest peace of work we have read this year, I would have never made the connection to modern day. Great job, as I would have never personally seen that! However this is not my favorite, for the wording of the whole book is too hard to read, in the sense that you have to analyze every single paragraph. Besides that, this is opinion based, and the way you described your reasoning was off the charts. Overall great job!
ReplyDeleteI could not disagree more with this choice, however you have done a great job in analyzing the piece of literature. I thought this novel was rather boring. It had a boring ending and was not fun to read at all. I felt like I was reading it because I had to and not because I wanted to, which should never be the case. Although, I do agree with you that it is in some ways related to the our world today. Unplanned pregnancies are a huge problem nowadays, however we now have access to contraceptives, which unfortunately, was not around when Hester became impregnated by Reverend Dimmesdale.
ReplyDeleteI must say that my views on the book are almost identical to yours. The strongest point you made was the fact that Hawthorne touched up on the reader's feelings and emotions throughout the story and made the reader feel that they were a part of the novel. The way you also presented the same way that the elite class gets away with many actions that the lower class does not, such as committing a sin and not paying the price for it are still part of our society today unfortunately. The book was interesting because of the series of events that unfolded, such as the suspense the reader had trying to find out the father of Pearl. You also made a great connection by saying the series of events was tied up to Puritan culture one way or another. Great analyzation George, you really broke down the novel with its key components.
ReplyDeleteGeorge, I also chose this piece as my favorite of the year. The author, Nathaniel Hawthorne did a great job on touching the readers' emotions and feelings (pathos). Also, the novel had such suspense that you would not let go of it. Every chapter would unfold a event that would make the reader keep reading and not stop. This book is one of the best novels I have ever read as a class and truly do recommend it for upcoming students. George, you analyzed the story quite well.
ReplyDeleteThe Scarlet Letter is an extraordinary piece of literature and I love how you explained it with a great amount of detail. The Scarlet Letter is a cluster of pain, involving some amounts of joy, a lot of misery, and a extraordinary amount of the romance between Hester and Dimmsdale. Poor Pearl was the one who suffered the most, she was born in the hands of a sinner and suffered greatly for it since she was caught for it, she was humiliated in public and caused Pearls life to be miserable, she was different then most kids and needed a father figure. It truly is one of the best books I have read with our class and it is a book I will not forget about.
ReplyDeleteI am surprised as to reading that your favorite piece of literature was The Scarlet Letter. I enjoyed reading the novel and becoming knowledgeable of the Puritan mentality and tradition. Society can make a comparison to their life to Hawthorne’s novel, because the events that occur in the novel are portrayed in society. Hester Prynne, the protagonist in The Scarlet Letter, is a unique character who is able to take in so much of the negative attitude expressed by the Puritan community. The Scarlet Letter in a sense has become a cautionary tale, informing readers the pain and neglect that comes with commiting a sin or an act that is frowned upon by a community.
ReplyDeleteGeorge your analysis of The Scarlet Letter made me question my opinion towards the book. However, at the end this novel was certainly not my favorite nor in my "Top Ten" list. I found it to be boring and utterly disappointing. Honestly, before we began to read the book, I was excited because of the outstanding reviews I had heard about the book; but the ending of the book made me feel as if though I had wasted my time. The Scarlet Letter builds up the reader's interest throughout the book, but unfortunately the ending did not correspond with its climax. Nevertheless, I agree that Nathaniel Hawthorne offers the readers the decision to sympathize with either Hester, Pearl, Chillingworth, or Dimmesdale. Therefore, depending on the reader's character and interests, they will relate with one out of the four characters from The Scarlet Letter.
ReplyDeleteGeorge, it is surprising seeing someone like you actually enjoy a book like The Scarlet Letter. Anyways, your analysis of the novel really made it seem more interesting than it was, but I still did not enjoy the book. If I could count with my fingers how many times I have fallen asleep trying to read a page of that book at home, I would have to start counting someone else's fingers. With all this said, I am actually impressed. One topic on which I would agree with you is the fact that The Scarlet Letter truly is a timeless book. No matter when you are reading it, it still will have that "olden" feel to the read. On another note, I have this feeling that you chose Scarlet Letter as your favorite piece of literature, purely on the fact that you have a lot to write about, which will ultimately award you with a ten out of ten.
ReplyDelete