Quote Response #6- The Scarlet Letter

    In chapter twenty-four of, The Scarlet Letter, there is a quote that teaches the reader a moral lesson. The quote is rather simple and can be found on page 199 in the chapter that is referred to as the conclusion. The quote reads, “Be True! Be True! Be True! Show freely to the world, if not your worst, yet some trait whereby the worst may be inferred!” I believe this quote to mean that you should always be true to yourself, as well as to the world. You should never fabricate your life because doing so will surely only end up badly in the end. The use of repetition of the phrase, “Be true!”, allows the reader to realize how important it is to literally be true to yourself and others. Along with being true, the quote also encourages the reader to show the world that you are capable of making mistakes and therefore not perfect.
    This quote is very important to the story, as well as to our world today. Although Hester Prynne chooses to be true to herself and others, Arthur Dimmesdale did not choose to do the same. He lives a life full of lies and even when the guilt starts to damage his health, he still chooses to put on a false exterior. He wanted people to see him as the holy man that he thought he was deserving of. Even though he wanted people to view him as a holy man, he was still slowly dying from the guilt he felt from not being a honest and true person.
    The significance of this quote is rather high in this case. People in our world today can also surely relate to this tale. While it may be easier for people to live behind a fake front, it is typically not the best route to go. The lies start to intertwine and pile on top of each other, which can cause many more problems than it is worth. The bottom line is that honesty is the way to go from the beginning. If you are honest about your life from the start, there is no way that you can go wrong. Although you may feel self conscious about sharing your biggest mistakes in your life, people do respect honesty. In the end, honesty is definitely key.

Quote Response #5- The Scarlet Letter

    In chapter eighteen of, The Scarlet Letter, there is a quote which is rather important to the character, Hester Prynne. This quote can be found on page 158 and reads, “The scarlet letter was her passport into regions where other women dared not tread. Shame, Despair, Solitude! These had been her teachers,-stern and wild ones,-and they had made her strong, but taught her much amiss.” I believe that this quote is meant to show that Hester is a strong woman, even though her life is far from perfect. She chose to have an adulterous relationship and became pregnant out of wedlock. Obviously, this caused Hester to feel shameful of her decision, but instead of dwelling on what she cannot change she takes all of the townspeople’s judgments in stride. Instead of focusing on the negative judgments, Hester focuses most of her energy on being the best mother that she can be to her daughter, Pearl. Although the scarlet letter that Hester has been forced to wear has caused her to feel alone in the world, it has also caused her to realize she is strong enough to deal with this unfortunate situation alone.
    This quote, which relates largely to the character, Hester Prynne, can also be related to many people in the world today. Many people who have made huge mistakes often live with their guilt and shame for the rest of their lives. Although in today’s society people do not have to wear their sins on their shirts, they can still have stigmas attached to themselves because of what they have done. For instance, a person who is known for being promiscuous and (for lack of better words) slutty, will probably be remembered by many people for their mistakes. Even if they are a good person, the bad tends to outweigh the good and the person will have a hard time cleaning up their reputation.
    I believe that this quote is significant because it is timeless. It allows the reader to see that although mistakes do happen, confidence and strength comes to those who choose to move on. Hester chose to make the best out of a less than ideal situation and because of this, she grew to be an even stronger woman than she was previously. Although it may not always seem like it, there is always a light at the end of the tunnel. Hester saw the light and many other people in the world will surely someday see this light as well.

Quote Response #4-The Scarlet Letter

     In chapter thirteen of, The Scarlet Letter, I found a quote which really caused me to stop and think. The quote is found on page 134 and reads, “It is remarkable, that persons who speculate the most boldly often conform with the most perfect quietude to the external regulations of society.” I believe this quote means that many people who feel strongly about something decide it is best not to speak up about it because many others will basically shun them for it. This can easily be applied to many characters in this story. For starters, although Hester Prynne knows who the father of her child is, she chooses not to tell the public because she knows that it will hurt not only her reputation further, but also the father’s. Along with Hester, Arthur Dimmesdale, is guilty of doing this. He is viewed as a holy person in their community and he knows that if he speaks up about his sin, then he will no longer be considered this.

    Along with relating the quote to a few characters, I believe that this quote can also be related to people in our world today. Some people are more concerned with their reputations rather than expressing their true opinions. Many people choose to just follow the crowds and do what everyone else is doing because they believe it will be easier. While this is a horrible thing to do, I can totally see why somebody would do such a thing. Our world is full of judgmental people who will essentially turn on others for not seeing things the same way in which they do. I believe that people are scared of this happening to them, so they simply keep their mouths closed.
    This quote is very significant because it is so true to our society today. Although I consider myself a rather opinionated person who does not have a problem expressing ideas, I know that there are people who are not secure enough to do the same. Their insecurities have probably been caused by situations where they felt judged for actually expressing their opinions and this is just ridiculous. It is unrealistic to say that the world will ever change and people will stop judging others, but it is realistic to say that if we all choose to be more confident in our own beliefs, then the world will be a more diverse place.   

Quote Response #3-The Scarlet Letter

    In chapter nine of, The Scarlet Letter, there is a quote that I believe applies to many people throughout the world. This quote can be found on page 106 and reads, “Wherever there is a heart and an intellect, the diseases of the physical frame are tinged with the peculiarities of these.” I believe that this quote is designed to mean that when people have guilty feelings stored in their hearts and minds, then as a consequence their physical health may also be effected. People who live for long periods of time with guilt lodged within themselves may suddenly stop taking care of their health because all they can think about are all the wrong doings in their lives. It is as if their guilt is a demon which takes over everything they do and everything they think about.
    This is obviously very true when it comes to poor Mr. Arthur Dimmesdale. He has wronged Hester Prynne, as well as the innocent, young Pearl because he has never publicly acknowledged the fact that he is Pearl’s father. While it is understandable why he would wish to keep their affair a secret, I believe he should own up to it for the sake of Pearl. In a way, he probably does wish that he could just come out with the truth and this is probably what causes his poor health. It is a situation of easier said than actually done. Until he actually owns up to his wrong doing, his health will surely do nothing more than decline.
    Personally I find this quote to be rather significant because many people can relate to it. I know that in my life, whenever I am feeling guilty about something I have to quickly own up to it or else it will slowly consume me. Although my guilt typically does not cause health issues, partly because I own up to my wrong doings quickly, I figure that some people are not so lucky. No matter how many times I have tried to put my guilty feelings out of my mind, they always find their way back in until I stop and fix the situation. I know that I can easily relate to this quote and surely others who do not enjoy living with a guilty conscious would be able to as well. 

Quote Response #2- The Scarlet Letter

    In chapter eight of, The Scarlet Letter, I found a quote describing Hester Prynne’s daughter, Pearl. This quote can be found on page 97 and is only a few sentences long. The quote reads, “The old minister seated himself in an armchair, and made an effort to draw Pearl betwixt his knees. But the child, unaccustomed to the touch or familiarity of any but her mother, escaped through the open window and stood on the upper step looking like a wild, tropical bird, of rich plumage, ready to take flight into the upper air”. I believe this short statement shows the true innocence of Pearl and how unfair her life has already been. Later on, it describes Pearl as being about three years of age and it is clear that in the those three short years, she has been pretty much sheltered from the world around her. While I can totally understand why Hester would want to shelter her daughter from the judgmental people of their community, I also think that her daughter would have benefited greatly from being around other people.
    Also, I believe that Pearl may have felt the tension that her mother was experiencing from being around these judgmental individuals. She obviously could sense that her mother, the one and only person that she was close to, was feeling uncomfortable and in a way, that feeling became familiar to her as well. The simile, “But the child, unaccustomed to the touch or familiarity of any but her mother, escaped through the open window and stood on the upper step looking like a wild, tropical bird, of rich plumage, ready to take flight into the upper air”, compares Pearl to a bird that needs to escape from a predator or unfamiliar situation. Pearl was unfamiliar with this man and obviously did not feel comfortable with him being as close to her as he had been.
    I believe this quote is significant because it illustrates the fact that the tension Hester Prynne feels every time she has to walk around her town is very real. This tension and uncomfortably has now transferred into her own innocent daughter. Although Pearl has done nothing wrong, the town finds her very existence to be sinful within itself. This quote illustrates just how innocent, but also how aware Pearl is of all the tension that she is unfairly experiencing. It just goes to show that life is sometimes unfair and no matter how much you want to change it, it simply cannot be done. 

Quote Reponse #1-The Scarlet Letter

    In chapter five of, The Scarlet Letter, I found a very interesting quote which began on the bottom of page 80 and ended on the top of page 81. The quote reads,             “ Again, a mystic sisterhood would contumaciously assert itself, as she met the sanctified frown of some matron, who, according to the rumor of all tongues, had kept cold snow within her bosom throughout life. That unsunned snow in the matron’s bosom, and the burning shame on Hester Prynne’s-what had the two in common? Or, once more, the electric thrill would give her warning- “Behold, Hester, here is a companion!”-and, looking up, she would detect the eyes of a young maiden glancing at the scarlet letter, shyly and aside, and quickly averted with a faint chill of crimson in her cheeks; as if her purity were somewhat sullied by that momentary glance”. While this quote is rather long and shares a large amount of information, I believe I have a rather good understanding of it.
    The above quote explains the similarities between women with “cold snow within her bosom”, and Hester Prynne. A woman with “cold snow within her bosom”, is simply meant to be a woman who is cold-hearted or simply put a person who acts cold to others. The quote also explains that the woman’s cold heart and Hester’s scarlet letter are basically one in the same. It is as if these two types of women, cold-hearted ones and adulteresses, are meant to be companions. Whether or not Hester is cold-hearted like these other women does not even matter. Her scarlet “A” on her bosom is enough to qualify her as one of these women just because the stigma attached to it. Then, in the last sentence of the quote it states that many young women attempt to steal glances at Hester’s scarlet letter, but Hester meets their gazes and they then become embarrassed. It is as if they lost some of their own purity just by looking at Hester.
    I believe this quote is rather significant because it shows how many stigmas were attached to Hester. She had a child with someone who was not her husband and because of this fact, she immediately was treated like she was pure evil. I find it so crazy that a community would turn on one of their own members due to her personal sin. It is as if they want to be in total control of everything that their community members took part in. This quote truly shows just how significantly America has changed from the time of establishment up until now.

Women In America- The Scarlet Letter

In America, the status and role of women in our society has changed multiple times. While women were once only viewed as maids, children bearers, and basically to put it bluntly, objects, today things are much different. Women today can vote, own property, have a job, as well as share the responsibility of a family with another individual. I simply cannot imagine my life if I had to live how many women lived their lives in early America. In an excerpt from The Scarlet Letter beginning on page 246, it states that men should only consider certain women when they are looking for a future spouse. Things such as chastity, sobriety, cleanliness, and beauty are all things that an 1831 article suggested a man look for in a woman that he intends on marrying. This totally struck me as hilarious because nowhere in this suggestion does it mention what a woman should look for in a man or if a woman’s feelings even truly matter. This reinforces the idea that women were once simply known as objects. Luckily, women today are viewed as equal to men and there are rarely significant differences in status between the sexes. The old America was filled with double standards and while there are still instances of this issue, our society seems to be better off today.
    It seems so hard to believe that America has changed so much in only a matter of years. Another excerpt from the book details the idea that women that cheat on their spouses are to be considered prostitutes and just down right filthy. They reason that this idea is acceptable because they believe women are supposed to be the fairer and therefore more delicate sex. Nowhere in this explanation do they mention the idea that men shall be deemed disgusting if they cheat on their wives. This excerpt is a total double standard. It is absolutely ridiculous to believe that a man is not as much at fault for cheating on his wife.
    The last excerpt that I discovered to be rather obnoxious was written in 1765 by a man by the name of William Blackstone. It states that by marriage, the husband and wife become legally one person. The very being and legal existence of the woman is said to have been suspended during the marriage and therefore consolidated to the husband completely. Personally, this statement makes me believe that these men only viewed women as a piece of their property. They basically became owners of their wives under this law, which probably made the men extremely happy and the women rather unhappy. Women are not pieces of property and luckily America gradually became more intelligent about equality. Men and women of America are now considered equal and while I believe it should have always been this way, I just like to remember the idea of better late, than never.     

Adultery in America- The Scarlet Letter

    Throughout the history of America, adultery has always been a generally debatable subject. While the settlers of America found adultery to be an act that required for the persons’ involved to be physically punished and sometimes even killed, Americans today view adultery in a much different light. Most people still agree that adultery is a rather horrible act to commit, but nowadays, it is not at all illegal. There are no strict laws prohibiting this act and people who commit adultery no longer have to fear for their lives. Unless of course, you are Tiger Woods and your wife (allegedly) chases you down with a golf club and beats you senseless after she finds out about all the women you have been with. In such a case like this, you may have to start fearing for your life. But for the massive number of Americans who choose to commit adultery today, there are really no severe consequences for their actions. While I personally find adultery to be truly repulsive and insensitive, I do not believe our government should be entitled to punish the offenders.
    In the text referring to adultery beginning on page 241 of The Scarlet Letter, it states that  many of America’s original colonies had strict laws prohibiting adultery. The Massachusetts Bay colony established their adultery law on October 18th,1631 and it proclaimed that if any man fornicates with another man’s wife, he shall be punished by death. Many other colonies followed suit and established laws that required offenders to be beaten and sometimes killed. They also required the adultery participants to be publicly ridiculed for their actions that they believed greatly dishonored God.
    While I do understand that times were very different back when America was initially established, I find it so incredible that adultery, which was once something so taboo, is now only frowned upon. In our society today, people commit adultery all the time. The media tells us daily of new tales of adultery that were committed by celebrities and even political workers. While these people technically do receive some sort of public ridicule, they do not receive much more than that. Our government is no longer involved in these affairs and I believe that this is the way that it should be. If somebody decides to engage in a sinful act, then I believe it should be up to them. They will be the one’s who have to live with a guilty conscious and personally I find that to be punishment enough.