Classic or not?

The book The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, is considered a classic, but times have dramatically changed since Hawthorne wrote it. That leaves the question: can this book still be considered a classic today? After reading this and taking into account the criteria for a classic, it is determined that this book meets many of the criteria that signify it as a classic. The Scarlet Letter is a classic today and will continue to be for years to come.

Even though times have changed and the language, way people act, etc. are very different today from the time period of the book, it still deserves the title of a classic. First of all, this book should still be considered a classic because it makes the reader think more critically and in depth than a normal story would. It has many symbols, illusions, etc. that the reader can deduce throughout the entire book. It also has many situations that keep the reader hanging and leaves open a lot of room for their own interpretation. Even the characters leave room for the reader to interpret and analyze their actions and behaviors.

Second, this book was written very many years ago and it still is being used in classrooms today. Obviously, it is timeless because of how known it was when first written and how known it still is decades later. Many people have read, or at least know of, this book. Also, there is two movies made from this book. A book has to be pretty good and known to not only have one, but two movies made for it. This book is still getting read today and will continue for many years to come.

Finally, this book has many reoccurring, known themes such as revenge, sin, etc. Everybody, from any and everywhere, know these themes and have been in or have at least witnessed them. Most people can relate to these and learn something from how the characters reacted to problems/situations in the book or the problems/situations in general. All in all, this book was a classic long ago, is a classic today, and will continue to be a classic for years to come.

Quote #6

In chapter 19 of The Scarlet Letter, Hester and Dimmesdale start meeting in the woods more often to be together and to try to get Pearl to know her father. At this time, Hester has taken the scarlet letter off her bosom. However, Pearl seems to dislike her own mother without the scarlet letter on. She acts as if she wants nothing to do with her. Hester gives in and puts the scarlet letter back on so her daughter will go back to normal. "With these words, she advanced to the margin of the brook, took up the scarlet letter, and fastened it again into her bosom." It is very disappointing and tragic that when Hester finally decides to try and forget her sin and live a satisfied, joyful life, Pearl won’t have anything to do with her. The townspeople, by making Hester wear this scarlet letter, has jeopardized not only Hester’s happiness, but also Pearl’s happiness.

Pearl has only known her mother with the scarlet letter on her bosom. She has never seen her mother without it, so when she takes it off Hester seems like a stranger. To Pearl it’s like her mother is taking away a part of herself, but to Hester it’s like she is cleansing herself. Of course a good mother would do whatever to keep her child happy, so she puts the scarlet letter back on. Nevertheless, keeping the scarlet letter on makes Hester very unhappy and not lively. The punishment of wearing the scarlet letter, for a mistake she made so many years before, has ultimately doomed Hester and that is very heartrending.

Quote #5

In chapter 17 of The Scarlet Letter, Hester and Dimmesdale finally get to escape the town and sit hand in hand by a secluded brook. Hester breaks the news that Chillingworth is really her husband and Dimmesdale becomes furious with her. In the end, Dimmesdale forgives Hester and realizes that Chillingworth is a worse sinner then the both of them. He says, “We are not, Hester, the worst sinners in the world. There is one worse than even the polluted priest! That old man’s revenge has been blacker than my sin.” Even though what Hester and Dimmesdale did was horrible, Chillingworth is more of a sinner than them both and is truly a depiction of the devil.

At first, what Hester did seemed horrible and you would think it would have hurt her husband so badly. However, Chillingworth seemed like he could of cared less. The only thing he wanted was to get back at whoever committed adultery with Hester. Not caring and having revenge the only thing on his mind shows his poor character. He did everything in his power to torture Dimmesdale just like the devil would torture someone for his or her own satisfaction.

This quote tells how Dimmesdale feels about his own sin and about Chillingworth. He knows what he and Hester did was bad, but he believes that what Chillingworth is doing to him is worse. Most people who read this book think that Hester and Dimmesdale are the worst sinners, but Chillingworth seems to be more in the wrong here and even Dimmesdale, the Minster who committed a horrible crime, agrees. Of course he could be trying to protect Hester and himself by saying what Chillingworth is doing is worse, but torturing someone for your own sick, twisted gratification is pure evil.

Quote #4

In chapter 13 of The Scarlet Letter the narrator talks about hoe Hester feels and acts years after she committed her crime. By now Pearl is seven years old and Hester has completely changed. She is no more a tender passionate woman; she could have possibly been burned by the brand of the “A” on her bosom. The townspeople also act differently towards Hester. They don’t usually notice her symbol anymore. They think of her symbol to mean “Able” instead of “Adultery.” On page 133, it states that when a stranger would ask who Hester was and why she was wearing such a strange badge the townspeople would reply by saying, “It is our Hester – the town’s Hester, - who is so kind to the poor, so helpful to the sick, so comfortable to the afflicted!” After so many years of dealing with one of their society members breaking the law, the townspeople pretty much forgot about her sin and think of Hester as a good, willing person.

If the society was going to end up thinking good of Hester why did they make such a big deal about her crime in the first place? This quote shows that the townspeople think they know everything but really don’t. If Hester could commit such a crime then be forgiven for it, what about all the other people they have killed for committing the same crime? This quote shows how bias the townspeople really are. Hester is actually a good person and now that her crime is in the past the townspeople can see that. If only they had looked past her mistake years earlier a lot of pain and time would have been saved.

Quote #3

In chapter 12 of The Scarlet Letter, Pearl and her mother, Hester, were talking to Mr. Dimmesdale. Pearl is consistently asking Dimmesdale to stand in public with her and her mother but he keeps turning her down saying he will at a later time. While they are all three standing together the narrator says, “There is witchcraft in little Pearl’s eyes; and her face, as she glanced upward at the minister, wore that naughty smile which made its expression frequently so elfish.” Most of the townspeople think Pearl is some kind of evil and this quote would support that. However, she was born into an unfortunate situation where nothing is her fault, so she has every right to act the way she does.

This quote explains how Pearl doesn’t just act like she has a demon in her; she also just looks like she has a demon in her. The townspeople already thought Pearl acted strange and now, as said by this quote, she even looks different and evil. This quote explains some of Pearl’s character. In reality, Pearl is a lot like her mother. She is different and has known that from the beginning just like Hester.

The way the narrator describes Pearl, especially in this quote, you could only think of her as pure evil. On the other hand, how could she be evil? She is only a little girl that was born into a bad situation that isn’t her fault. She never does anything that hurts anyone or does anything that could potentially harm someone. She has to cope with her problems some how and acting the way she does helps her go on with life and there’s nothing wrong with that. Pearl never did anything wrong and this quote is sort of misleading and makes the reader think badly about Pearl even though she is innocent.

Quote #2

On page 68 of The Scarlet Letter Reverend Mr. Wilson is trying to get Hester to reveal the father of her child. She refuses no matter what he says. Then Hester tells the Reverend, “And my child must seek a heavenly Father; she shall never know an earthly one!” Hester does not want her daughter to know who her father is at all. This shows Hester has immense shame for her crime. She never wants to tell who the father is or even let her daughter know her own father.

This quote shows just how ashamed Hester is of her crime. She knows her daughter is a child of sin and that kills her inside. If she doesn’t even want her child to know her own father then there’s no way she is ever going to tell the townspeople who the father is. This quote also shows that Hester wants to take all the blame of the crime even though it wasn’t all her fault. She doesn’t want anyone else to be held responsible and that shows great strength and generosity.

This quote is significant because, again, it shows insight into Hester as a person. It illustrates her qualities and how she feels about her crime. Even though she committed a horrible crime, Hester is not a bad person. She’s a good person for not ratting out the father of her baby. She is the one who is going to be enduring all of the punishments, but if she told whom the father is he would too have to go through the penalties. This quote also shows that she cares for her baby no matter what. She wants to do what’s best for her and not letting her know the father is what she thinks is best. This quote gives the reader an idea about Hester, which could help while reading the book later.

Quote #1

On page 78 of The Scarlet Letter, the narrator is talking about Hester and makes a point that shows a lot about Hester even before her crime. The narrator states, “In all her intercourse with society, however, there was nothing that made her feel as if she belonged to it.” This quote speaks a great deal about how Hester was before she committed adultery. She never fully fit in anywhere with anyone; she has always seemed a little different from everyone else. And after she committed the crime, she became even more dissimilar from everyone else in society.

This quote is explaining that even before most society disowned her, she still didn’t fit in with them. She was always different and knew it. After this sentence on page 78, the narrator goes on to explain that every word, gesture, and even the silence with the people she came in contact with implied and expressed that she was alone as if she “inhabited another sphere.” She never felt fully connected with people in society and her crime just made that feeling worse.

This quote is very significant because it shows insight into Hester before the crime. The start of this book is all about the crime and how Hester is after it. The reader gets no information on how Hester acted or was seen before all of this happened, but this quote tells a lot about Hester as a person. It gives the reader an idea of what Hester was like before her offense and how people treated her then. After reading this, it seems as if society didn’t even accept Hester before the adultery because she was just a little different from them. Now, since she committed a horrible sin, they have an actual reason to not accept her.