Contrast Of Light & Dark In Scarlet Letr Essay, Research Paper
A contrast between light and darkness in
The Scarlet Letter
By Daniel Smith
Nathaniel Hawthorne used light and darkness in The Scarlet Letter in a most brilliant way. He often used darkness to symbolize death, sin, or hatred; he used light to bring forth a mindset of civilization, acceptance, and conformity. Hawthorne?s use of these symbols allowed the reader to somewhat develop a mental picture and feeling of the situations that were displayed.
In The Scarlet Letter, there were many times which Hester Prynne was seen entering or exiting the prison. Hawthorne used darkness to create a feeling of shame and punishment. Hester is described coming out of the prison “like a black shadow emerging into sunshine” (p 49). This is attempting to show that Hester is covered in darkness (her sin and punishment) and is emerging into the sunshine (the glaring society) to be punished.
In the same scene in which Hester is shown exiting the Prison, there are images of light mentioned. Before the Prison door opened, there was a collection of country-women waiting outside. Hawthorne used the sunlight as a symbol of the society?s acceptance of these women and their conformity with the set ways of civilization. The statement, “The bright morning sun, therefore, shone on broad shoulders and well-developed busts” (p 48) is trying to send to the reader a picture of these women standing in the sunshine (acceptance by society), while Hester is kept in the darkness (punishment and shame). Hawthorne uses the line, “who winked and turned aside its little face (Pearl) from the too vivid light of day” (p 50) to show that Pearl has been kept in the darkness of the prison with Hester and now that she is exposed to society, she turns away.
Light is used in many ways to create a feeling about the society. The phrase “unadulterated sunshine” (p 61) suggests that the sunshine (acceptance) of society falls on those who have not sinned and that Hester does not deserve it. Light is also used to symbolize the glare which people place on this outcast. The line “Her prison door was thrown open, and she came forth into the sunshine, which, falling on all alike, seemed, to her sick and morbid heart, as if it meant for no other purpose than to reveal the scarlet letter on her breast.” (p 72) suggests that the glare and stare of people (the sunshine) seems to be focused on nothing but her symbol of sin.
The use of light throughout the story is not constant. There are times in which light is used to symbolize Pearl and her importance to Hester. The line, “there was an absolute circle of radiance around her, on the darksome cottage floor.” (p 82) infers that as darkness (shame) follows Hester, she can see through it to Pearl. Pearl is the dominant figure in Hester?s shame. She is the light in Hester?s heart that keeps her strong; yet Pearl reminds her constantly of her doom to darkness. This is reinforced by the line “now illuminated by the morning radiance of a young child?s disposition” (p 84) Pearl is also represented as “a shadowy reflection of the evil that had existed in herself.” (p 87) This shows that even though Pearl is Hester?s guiding light, she can see the resemblance of her sin within the innocent young girl.
Throughout the book, darkness symbolized the bad part of society, the exiled, the hated, and the unaccepted. The quote “the black flower of a civilized society, a prison.” (p 46) symbolizes that the people who are determined to be bad and therefore to be punished and hated are like black flowers, those which are considered ugly and not desirable. The line “the shadow of the forest” suggests that the forest is not a civilized community, therefore is in the “shadow” of the community.
The use of darkness slightly deviates to symbolize a general feeling of society. Everyone who has ridiculed and hated Hester has shared in the emotion that causes them to find color in their life from the “dark tinge” (p 73) in hers.
Nathaniel Hawthorne used light and darkness to contrast two different sides of civilization. The authoritative, popular, judgmental, and unaccepting side was usually characterized by light. The condemned, sinful, shameful, and rejected side was characterized by darkness. The use of these symbols as opposed to another form of description allowed the reader to draw conclusions and feelings about a character based on how he/she perceived the image.
The use of light and darkness to convey a feeling about a character or situation is a very effective method. Often, in everyday life, we use the sight of light or darkness to create feelings about a situation. Because of the similarities, it is easy for us to relate feelings conveyed in this manner to real-life emotions.
Другие работы по теме:
Light Matter Essay Research Paper Inner LightIn
Light Matter Essay, Research Paper Inner Light In order to understand what light is one has to understand how vision works. The process of visual perception is incredibly complex, involving many functions of the brain. In Arthur Zajonc’s book “Catching the Light,” he writes, “?vision requires far more than a functioning physical organ.
The Star Essay Research Paper In Great
The Star Essay, Research Paper In Great Expectations, by Charles Dickens, light is used symbolically through the example of Estella. Miss Havisham brings Estella up in the darkness, consequently sheltering her from the true
Comparison And Contrast Essay Research Paper Different
Comparison And Contrast Essay, Research Paper Different Points of View Because each individual views events in his or her own way, many discrepancies exist within every story. Although this lack of accordance is at the foundation of human
Courting Chekov Essay Research Paper If a
Courting Chekov Essay, Research Paper If a person wants to spend their evening viewing an exciting and thought-provoking play, they better veer themselves away from the play Courting Chekov. In contrast to a stimulating evening at the theatre, the play Courting Chekov leaves viewers puzzled about the theme and questioning the overall effect of the written play.
Love Is Not All Essay Research Paper
Poets must utilize many tools and techniques to create a mood or convey a thought. Metaphor, simile, spacing, form, voice, and setting are all common poetic utilities. Some tools, however, are more understated. Some of the more
Raical Prejudice Comparison Essay Research Paper Danny
Raical Prejudice Comparison Essay, Research Paper Danny Connolly 11.3 Compare and contrast two poems which are on the theme of racial prejudice The two poems that I am going to compare are “Strange Fruit” and “Telephone conversation” which both feature racial prejudice.
Technical Codes Genre And Lighting Essay Research
Paper Technical codes 1) Shot size 2) Long shot 3) Mid shot 4) Close u 5) Extreme close up Lighting Low Key ? Dramatic, moody High Key ? Bright and exciting Low contrast ? Not many different colours, everyday High contrast ? Dramatic, volatile Focus Deep ? Look at everything Selective ? Looks at most important subject Soft ? When edges blur together Denotation and connotation REMEMBER: Keep the actual image separate from the
Contrast In Do Not Weep Maiden For
War Is Kind Essay, Research Paper Contrast in “Do Not Weep, Maiden, for War Is Kind” In the poem “Do Not Weep, Maiden, for War Is Kind” by Stephen Crane, contrast is used to make a statement about the war. The poem shows the different view points of the war, how different people involved in the war, took the war.
A Clean Well Lighted Place
– In Despair About Nothing Essay, Research Paper In Despair about Nothing Man is often plagued by the question of his own existence. Existentialism is a subjective philosophy that is centered upon the examination of man?s existence, emphasizing the liberation, responsibility, and usually the solitude of the individual.
Style Analysis For See Them Die Essay
, Research Paper Style Analysis for See them Die, McBain aims to lead the reader into the bleak litter-strewn environment of a crowded American slum with its inherent threat of violence. Two dominating forces, Heat and July, established in the first two words, emerge as double personifications, prostitutes, in the first paragraph, their brazen vengeance , strutting insolently, garishly, born to make you suffer.
Light Essay Research Paper Light is what
Light Essay, Research Paper Light is what we see. It can be thought of either as a particle, (the photon), or as a wave. The photon we can easily think of as a small dot travelling through space at the speed of light. Each photon has a particular colour or energy. But how do we think of light as a wave? For this we need to know that light is also an “Electro-magnetic field” — a combination of electric-field and magnetic-field — the same thing that causes static electricity and magnets to attract (or repel) things.
Contrast Between Two Hamlets Essay Research Paper
Shakespeare has been translated into many languages. There are many versions of Hamlet movies and theater plays all around the world. I personally read and watched Hamlet in two languages: Russian and English. I will contrast two American Hamlet movies, one of which is by Mel Gibson, with Mel Gibson as Hamlet and another one is staring Lawrence Olivier.
Ethan Frome By Edith Wharton Essay Research 2
Ethan Frome By Edith Wharton Essay, Research Paper Comparison/Contrast essay February 28, 01 In Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton, Ethan, a reserved young man was torn between two women. He was married to Zenobia Frome, but his true love was his wife’s cousin, Mattie Silver. Zeena and Mattie were different in all aspects.
Joseph Conrad Heart Of Darkness Essay Research
Paper Joseph Conrad s Use of Light and Dark in His Writings Many books are written by an author purely for informational, recreational, or monetary reasons, but some books are written to demonstrate a point. Joseph Conrad s book Heart of Darkness is one such book. If the book is examined only superficially, a tragic story of the African jungle is seen, but when the paragraphs are picked apart, a deeper meaning arises.
LightDArk Essay Research Paper Light DarkOutlineThesis
Light-DArk Essay, Research Paper Light / Dark Outline Thesis :In Macbeth, Shakespeare uses light and dark to bring out the ideas of good and understanding, and to show his audience the evil and hiding that take place during
Imagery Trace Light Dark Essay Research Paper
Throughout The Children of Men, there were various significant images, one of which was light/dark contrast. James used light/dark contrast throughout the entire book to set the scene and to outline important events. The light was used to show peace, especially with the females that Theo was attached to.
The Light Of Sight Essay Research Paper
In this universe there are many thing that we cannot explain. Among these many things is light. Light, as far as we know, come in different wavelengths and the size of the wavelength determine what type of light it is. The middle wavelength lights are what gives us the seven basic colors of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet.
Itten
’s Color Wheel Essay, Research Paper The color wheel taught to most people today is the twelve-hue color circle developed by the Swiss color scientist, Johannes Itten. This color wheel is based on three mixtures of pigments, or a triad mixture, with red, yellow, and blue as the primary triad. All hues are formed from mixtures of equal or unequal amounts of primaries.
Photoelectric Effect Essay Research Paper Photoelectric EffectPhotoelectric
Photoelectric Effect Essay, Research Paper Photoelectric Effect Photoelectric Effect is the formation and liberation of electrically charged particles in matter, usually metals, when it is irradiated by light or other electromagnetic radiation. The term photoelectric effect designates several types of interactions.
Gatsby Color Essay Research Paper F Scott
Gatsby Color Essay, Research Paper F. Scott Fitzgerald s use of symbolism and colors in The Great Gatsby is prominent in every chapter of his novel. To fully understand the meaning of his color use, a reader must recognize the situations in which these colors are used.
Light And Dark Imagery Essay Research Paper
People, who need to illustrate things in literature so that others will comprehend them more easily, use imagery, as imagery helps to convey sincere meaning. In the novel Heart of Darkness and the movie Apocalypse Now, there is a real contrast among what is light and what is dark. The light and dark contrast shows us easily about the savagery that takes place in the jungle; the darkness of the people and the sight, which both they and we see.
Contrasts In Rime Of The Ancient Mariner
Essay, Research Paper In the “Rime of the Ancient Mariner”, Coleridge uses many contrasts. Some of the contrasts are very blatant, while other are more subtle. Some of these contrasts include
Symbolism In Macbeth Essay Research Paper In
Symbolism In Macbeth Essay, Research Paper In William Shakespear’s Macbeth, symbolism is abundantly used in exemplifying the overall theme of murder. There are several prominent forms of this throughout the play. The contrast of light and dark representing good and evil plays a major role in the advancement of events in the play.
Hamlet Contrast Plays A Major Role Essay
, Research Paper Hamlet: Contrast Plays A Major Role In William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, contrast plays a major role. Characters have foils, scenes and ideas contrast each other, sometimes within the same
Measuring The Velocity Of Light Essay Research
Paper The aim of this experiment is to measure the speed of light in an experiment available to do at school. The principle is quite simple. Let a ray of light strike a rotating mirror that reflects the light three meters away to a second mirror, so that the light is reflected back at the rotating mirror and back to the laser.
So This Was Adolescence By Annie Dillard
: Author Writing Style Essay, Research Paper So This Was Adolescence, by Annie Dillard: Author Writing Style Different authors use different styles of writing to express the ideas.
What Are Visual Defects And How Common
Are They ? Essay, Research Paper What Are Visual Defects and How Common Are They ? Nate Schackow 2nd Period December 17, 1996 The human eye does alot more than allowing you to see. It is very
Lcd Monitor Essay Research Paper LCD MONITORLiquid
Lcd Monitor Essay, Research Paper LCD MONITOR Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) stands for Liquid Crystal Display. Liquid crystals are transparent substances exhibiting both sold and liquid matter properties. Light passing through liquid crystal follows the alignment of the molecules that make them up.
The Wild DuckA Essay Research Paper Wild
The Wild Duck(A) Essay, Research Paper Wild DuckIn the Wild Duck, Henrik Ibsen employs the image of light to portray certain characteristics of the actors and to adjust the mood for each scene. This report discusses each presentation of light, and its function, be it for moodsetting or character implication.