Anne Hutchinson And The Scarlet Letter - 1008 Words

Anne Hutchinson was a liberal religious leader who, like Hester, was punished for going against the foundations of the Puritan establishment. She conducted meetings in her home to discuss her strong and controversial religious convictions that went against some of the standard Puritan views, and was subsequently banished from the Massachusetts Bay Colony. I will use the texts A Report on the Trial of Mrs. Anne Hutchinson, before the church in Boston, March, 1638 by Franklin Bowditch Dexter and Magnalia Christi Americana by Cotton Mather to outline the importance of the historical figure of Anne Hutchinson to The Scarlet Letter and to the novel’s main character, Hester Prynne. I will outline the common points and the striking differences†¦show more content†¦Several parallels can be drawn between Anne and Hester’s personalities, such as strength, independent thinking, defiance of Puritan beliefs, and confidence, especially in the seemingly proud and dignified wa y they behaved during their public trials. They were both considered threats to the foundations of the Puritan establishment because they were challenging and stepping out of their rightful place as women in a patriarchal society. Dexter’s report on Anne’s trial is a historical document that supports the idea that being a woman in that society was inherently condemning. On the first day of trial, John Cotton, English clergyman at the Massachusetts Bay Colony, advises the women he believes have been corrupted by Anne in the meetings she held to talk about religion. He says: â€Å"Let not the good you have received from her, make you to receive all for good that comes from her; for you see she is but a Woman and many unsound and dangerous principles are held by her†. His words suggest that women and unreliable and the fact that Anne is a woman takes away her credibility. Another important similarity between Anne and Hester is the fact that each had a close relationship with a Puritan churchman. Anne embraced the clergyman John Cotton’s preaching and became his disciple, and they ended up developing a strong religious relationship. Hester, on the other hand, had a romantic relationship with the minister Arthur Dimmesdale, Pearl’s father. It is alsoShow MoreRelatedThe Scarlet Letter- Djs By Anne Hutchinson925 Words   |  4 PagesAmerican Lit The Scarlet Letter- DJs Chapters 1-6 1. â€Å"It may serve, let us hope, to symbolize some sweet moral blossom that may be found along the track, or relieve the darkening close of a tale of human frailty and sorrow.† In this quote the author is referring to the rose bush by the prison as being a symbol of the sweet moral lesson offered by Anne Hutchinson, a woman who preached to the Puritans without the male-dominated permission of the Puritan church. Like Hester Prynne, Anne was punished.Read MoreSimilarities and Differences Between Anne Hutchinson and Hester Prynne1607 Words   |  7 PagesDifferences between Anne Hutchinson and Hester Prynne While many people may feel that Anne Hutchinson has nothing in common with Hester Pyrnne they actually more alike than most people would think. Nathaniel Hawthorne, author of â€Å"The Scarlet Letter,† used many references to Anne Hutchinson in his book. During his life, he wrote a sketch of Hutchinson thus portraying his interest towards her and the characteristics of her life. It could be accurate to say that Anne Hutchinson was used as a guideRead MoreNathaniel Hawthorne s The Scarlet Letter977 Words   |  4 PagesNathaniel Hawthorne was in his mid-twenties when he published Mrs. Hutchinson in 1830. He referenced this story and its main character in his famous novel The Scarlet Letter, which was published two decades later. Many literary critics attribute Mrs. Hutchinson (and The Scarlett Letter) to Nathaniel Hawthorne’s disdain towards his own ancestry’s history. 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The splinteringRead MoreArchetypes And Allusions Of Nathaniel Hawthorne s The Scarlet Letter 1198 Words   |  5 PagesArchetypes and Allusions in The Scarlet Letter In the nineteenth century novel, The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne utilizes different origins of allusions and archetypes to emphasize how individuals in order to encourage individuals to forgive sins and work towards redemption. Sin Allusions. From the Bible. In Dimmesdale’s home, Hawthorne describes a work depicting the Prophet Nathaniel, David, and Bathsheba: â€Å"The walls were hung round with tapestry, said to be from the Gobelin looms, and,Read MoreAnalysis Of Nathaniel Hawthorne s The Scarlet Letter 1503 Words   |  7 Pagesauthor, Nathaniel Hawthorne, felt guilty about the intolerance of his Puritan ancestors, one of whom judged at the Salem witch trials. He utilized his passionate sentiments regarding Puritanism as an inspiration for his iconic literary work, The Scarlet Letter; in which he does not embrace but rather critiques Puritan ideology. Because Hawthorne has fathomed the Puritan community, he favors to provide a more in depth understanding of their customs. Though born into this extremist civilization, HawthorneRead MoreThe Representation Of Puritan Values2621 Words   |  11 Pages Discuss the representation of Puritan values and beliefs represented in Anne Bradstreet’s poetry Anne Bradstreet’s poem, Upon the Burning of Our House depicts certain aspects of Puritan values and beliefs. The seventeenth century revolved solely around religion and was the age of religious literature, a theme that stands out in Bradstreet’s poetry. Bradstreet was aware of Puritan standards due to her surrounding family; her father being the Massachusetts Bay Company’s deputy governor and husbandRead MoreScarlet Letter Symbolism Essay982 Words   |  4 PagesThe Significance of Symbolism in The Scarlet Letter The Scarlet Letter, written by Nathaniel Hawthorne is a gothic satire of the puritan beliefs and value. Nathaniel Hawthorn of a puritan based background wrote various harsh satires such as Young Goodman Brown, and The Scarlet Letter, all based on his ancestral history. Furthermore, in his satires, they all shared a common point in structure and his use of symbolism to develop meaning for his works. With the use of symbolism, Hawthorne is efficiently