Part one of term paper
In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s, The Scarlet Letter, the author uses three scaffold scenes to mark the development of Hester Prynne. The image of Hester atop the scaffolding is a metaphor for her forced solitude; for her banishment from society; and for the futility of her punishment. In the first scene, Hawthorne uses the scaffold to explain ...

Part two of term paper
... Through Hester, Hawthorne is trying to communicate to the reader that it difficult for Hester to repent the sin of adultery. In the first scaffold scene, the author writes “Could it be true? She clutched the child so fiercely to her breast, that it sent forth a cry; she turned her eyes downward at the scarlet letter, and even touched it with her finger, to assure herself that the infant and shame were real. Yes!-these were her realities-all else had vanished” (page 41) From thi ...