"The Scarlet Letter" by Nathaniel Hawthorne was truly, spellbinding. The intensity and passion that came through the text was extraordinary and believable. My first comment would be on Hawthorne's cleverness. The way he began the story was interesting and smart. Starting a novel is confusing most of the time, and the way he presented it was easy...ish. This book is far from an easy read though. At times I felt like I had no idea what I was reading. Many times I had to look up definitions or ask my family what was happening. Don't get me wrong, this was a fabulous book filled with romance and suspense and excitement, but it was far from a walk in the park.
How should I begin. With the main characters? The small but significant "crowd"? The upperclassmen or the villainous evils? What about Pearl. Such and interesting character with such relatable characteristics. In many books there is the innocent. Most of the time it is a child. In this case, there is a child but is she far from innocent. In this there are two views. She is a demon child according the the crowd and the upperclassmen. But to her mother, she is an angel an elf, not a child, but a wild animal that is the body of her daughter. Pearls complex life and misunderstood treatment, causes this character to have its flaws, its strength and in her future, the perseverance of anything in life. In chapter nineteen, Pearl hesitates when her mother calls her back from across the brook. Pearl recognizes a difference in her mother and the minister. Pearls past experiences have taught her to stay away from people and their ridicule, and she fears when her mother is so comfortable and without the scarlet letter on her chest. Pearl was one of my favorite characters, with her animal like movements and her childish play in serious times. She was enlightening and fun and an important part of this maze of a novel.
What of the crowd? This including the upperclassmen, and people and the villains. In every story there is a crowd, they are the people who make the story realistic and filled. These people are as flat as can be, but they are there with their one opinion and their judgment and their one goal. This goal is to fill the story. Where there is a gap the crowd fills it in. These character are usually overlooked, but their role is very important. The crowd represents a huge part of how the main characters feel. What would Hester have to fear in the market place if there was no crowd? Why would the minister cover his heart, or the physician his identity. These minor characters like the blacksmith and the jailer are there to predictable and against the main character in this case. Although skimmed through and passed by, the crowd, adds so much to the story.
This book was an intriguing tragedy with an underlying romance, suppressed by public views and judgment on crime and punishment in the 17th and 18th century. Glad it is over, but it was an experience that made this book great.
Through this journey of classic novels and analyzing them, this book has been the center. The first three novels were the beginning, this book the middle (and I mean the whole thing) and the last books the ending. This summer has been full of exciting ending and mind blowing middles, and don't forget those difficult but surprising starts. I am excited to finish the summer with these final books:)!!
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