Letters From The Heart Essay, Research Paper
Letters from the Heart
I’m lonely. Being alone makes me feel like I’m lost, an outcast that doesn’t deserve to stay
here with the ones I love. They all ignore me now, they all treat me like the sinner I am.It’s cold
outside and as I wander from door to door seeking warmth and, perhaps, a little compassion from
my friends, I recieve neither. Perhaps I deserve it. They aren’t sinners. How could they possibly feel
what I’m feeling right now?
The Scarlet Letter, written by Nethaniel Hawthorn, offers a dynamic outlook at the Puritan
Society. It was written in the Romantic era during one of Hawthorns flurry of creativity inspired
through his newly found political freedom. This book is a Romantic that deals with human
emotions such as guilt, love, lust, sin and how they were delt with in the puritan society.
The Romantic era was one of peace and tranquility. Romantics viewed the wilderness that
surrounded them as one of the devine souls, the other two being man and god. They are optomistic
as well as true non-conformists. They also believe that the basic human nature is good. Almost
everything is symbolic in the Romantic wold. Romantics rely on their strong sense of intuition
because they believe that there are things that lie beyond the senses.
The Scarlet Letter is written in the Romantic style. It contains many elements that
are vital to the Romantics. It is full of symbolism. For example, by the end of the story, how many
different ways could the letter “A” be interpreted? What about the lot described in the beginning?
Was Pearl Hesters child or was she symbolic of the wild life that sin leads to? The people in the
story seem to have an innate sense of intuition, much like the Romantics. They are constantly
reading each others feeling and reacting to them. Emotion plays a key role in the story. People
didn’t ignore or hate Hester for her sins because, much like the Romantics, their basic nature was
good.
This piece is truly timeless. It encompasses the emotions and problems that an individual in
any society may face. Granted, the average individual is not forced to wear our sins for all to see,
nor are we punished in the same manner that the puritans were. However, we do carry our sins
inside, where we can see them. Perhaps, the reader might see this piece as an attempt to bring out
the good in some of todays non-moralistic society.