Coming from a small town has given me a connection with Hester Prynne. Much like what she experiences, being in a community that knows everything about everyone is less than enjoyable. In fact, it can be very stressful. Whether you like it or not, you are constantly being judged by people you may not even have a relationship with. If you have just one fault, everyone seems to notice and many even condemn you for it. This is the case with Hester. She has to suffer the criticism of those around her.
What I love most about Hester is her ability to remain strong and individualized. She has the strength that I think most people would only be able to dream of in this situation. I would like to think that I could do as Hester did, but chances of that are very slim.
One of my favorite quotes comes from the beginning of Part V. I love Hawthorne's attention to detail and description. He leaves nothing out and nothing to the imagination. As the reader, I can picture what Hawthorne must have been imagining while writing the story. That is just one of the many reasons while I love him and this novel. Here is the part I am specifically talking about (there are many more examples that can be found on nearly every page):
"Hester Prynne's term of confinement was now at an end. Her prison door was thrown open, and she came forth into the sunshine, which, falling on all alike, seemed, to her sick and morbid heart, as if meant for no other purpose than to reveal the scarlet letter on her breast."
That certainly sounds a lot better than simply saying Hester walked out of the prison with the sun beating down on her scarlet letter. I could show many more examples of where I think Hawthorne's attention to detail has made the story significantly more impactful, but this blog would never end. I don't really need to expand on the passage about the rosebush as we already talked a great deal about it in class, but I will say that this is another one of the passages I vividly remember from high school.
Well, that's it. Until next time......
I agree, I think Hawthorne has to be one of the most visual, detailed writers of all times. This is my first time reading The Scarlet Letter and I just love his style of description. I can literally picture everything he writes.
ReplyDeleteAbout the small towns, I can relate. I think it's so sad that we get so consumed with other people's "problems" and create unnecessary drama. That's one of the downfalls to living in a small town, and I think Hawthorne displays these downfalls in the colony of Providence.