Chapters 1-4

     The Scarlet Letter is very distinctive in regards to the way in which it is written, this is what first initially struck me about the novel. The text starts out with an introductory story titled, "Custom House". I read this introduction and if you haven't I suggest you do, it introduces the narrator of the Scarlet  Letter itself. It follows the story of a man who happens to come across a historical manuscript written by a man named Jonathan Pue. The manuscript is accompanied with the Scarlet Letter. When The narrator loses his job he decides to write the novel, the Scarlet Letter following Hester Prynne's story. This introduction gives a frame of reference to accompany the book, and a little background on who the supposed author of the novel is. It even introduces Hester Prynne herself and the idea of branding as seen later in the novel, as when the narrator initially discovers the A it burns him as he lifts it to his chest. This introduction was very intriguing to me and set the mood of the novel before I actually began to read it.
      When I did begin to read, at first I found it fairly difficult to adjust to the language being used. It often caused me to turn back and re-read sections of the novel that I didn't initially understand. I cannot recall any other book I have read that uses this type of language in both narration and dialogue, which was at first rather difficult to decipher. However, as I continued through the text it began to make more sense and eventually the language was not so hard to understand. It is probably a matter of simply getting used to the unique language that was used during the 1640's.
One passage that stuck out to me specifically was in the first moments of the text, as Hester Prynne has just climbed up to the scaffold. It reads,

     "Had there been a Papist among the crowd among the crowd of Puritans, he might have seen  

      this beautiful woman, so picturesque in her attire and mien, and with the infant at her bosom, an  

      object to remind him of the image of Divine Maternity, which so many illustrious painters have

      vied with one another to represent; something which should remind him, indeed, but only by 

      contrast, of that sacred image of sinless motherhood, whose infant was to redeem the world. Here, 

      there was the taint of deepest sin in the most scared quality of human life, working such effect, 

      that the world was only the darker for this woman's beauty, and the more lost for the infant she   

      had borne," (Hawthorne 53). 

     This passage was particularly interesting because it is comparing Hester Prynne and Pearl to the religious symbol of the Mother Mary and the baby Jesus. At the start, Hawthorne uses the word 'Papist' which is generally used to refer to the Catholic Church. The image of the Mother Mary is one of the Catholic Church, she was the virgin mother who bore Jesus Christ. The image of Mary holding Jesus in her arms, just as Hester is holding Prynne on the scaffold, is an iconic image in the Catholic Church. He goes on to describe how this image of Mary is sinless, because she was a virgin when she discovered she was pregnant with a child who was destined to save the world. He then contrasts this with Hester as she is the exact opposite of this according to the society she lives in. She has committed a terrible sin, cheating on her husband. To make matters worse she now has an illegitimate child. While she may resemble Mary holding Jesus, instead of representing a pure image, Hester symbolizes an evil sinful woman. Hawthorne goes on to say that the world is a worse place because she and her daughter are in it, while Mary had brought the greatest blessing that the world had ever seen. This comparison between the Virgin Mother Mary and Hester Prynne was very interesting to me, because it accurately brought in religious symbolism which is a main topic in the novel as they are living in a Puritan society. The contrast between Mary and Hester was a technique to embody the shame and the pure hatred that Hester's society wants her to feel. Overall, it was a very interesting passage and a comparison that can better a readers understanding of how sinful Hester's actions were to the people of this time. 

    Another passage that was intriguing was at the end of chapter three, 

      "The infant, during the latter portion of the ordeal, pierced the air with its wailings and screams; 

        she strove to hush it, mechanically, but seemed scarcely to sympathize with its trouble. With the

        same hard demeanor, she was lead back to prison, and vanished from the public gaze within its 

        iron-clamped portal. It was whispered, by those who peered after her that the scarlet letter threw 

        a lurid gleam along the dark passage-way of the interior," (Hawthorne 65). 

    This passage was one that stuck out to me because it showed the relationship that Hester has with Pearl. When Hester is initially described walking from the prison to the scaffold, she attempts to use Pearl as a shield of sorts to disguise the scarlet letter on her chest. This is not particularly a loving, motherly image being painted. It even states in the text this was not done as a sign of "motherly affection". Then comes this quote, that is describing Hester's reaction to the discomfort of her new born. Hester is unconcerned with Pearl and is just looking to quiet her in front of the crowd. One would expect some loving touch, or action of a woman concerned with her child, but Hester gives no hint of this. It is as if Hester is shown as resenting Pearl, as she is the cause of Hester's trouble. Even though no one can be blamed for Hester's adultery but herself, it is likely she holds resentment toward Pearl as she is the physical manifestation of her own wrong-doing. This resentment is shown through her cold, and distant relationship with her child. Also, the scarlet letter is again mentioned and is even described as having a luminescent quality. This is again reinforcing the scarlet letter as having some supernatural power, which is likely to be a symbol seen throughout the rest of the text. 

    In today's culture many ties can be made to the literary work, the Scarlet Letter. One connection that first came to mind as I was reading the text, was the increasing debate surrounding sexual assault on college campuses. Very recently there has been tension surrounding a pick for the Sundance Film Festival, the title of the film is 'The Hunting Ground'. It follows a group of girls who were silenced by the administration at their college campuses after being sexually assaulted. The preview for this film can be found here. All of the girls in the film were told that they were fighting a losing battle if they ever sought legal retribution for what had been done to them. This is clearly tied to the novel, as Hester is made to promise that she will not reveal the name of her husband for he fears of the shame he would face if anyone knew he was married to Hester. She is silenced into her own personal shame and so are the countless women who face assault on campuses all over the country. In today's culture and in Hester's culture of her time, women are often made to feel bad about their sexuality. Whether it be in regards to sexual assault, what women wear, or how women act, women are constantly made to feel shame over their own sexuality. This is true for the girls in the film as well as Hester in the novel. No one feels sympathy for these young girls, and certainly no one feels sympathy for Hester. In the film all the girls speak about how they were made to feel less than others after revealing they had been assaulted. Hester is placed on the scaffold specifically to make her feel shameful and sinful. Even though Hester committed adultery, she is still made to feel worthless after a single mistake. This is true for women being assaulted across the country. One night of having too many drinks could end in them being assaulted. The shaming of women over their sexuality, as well as the act silencing of women into shame were prevalent in the Scarlet Letter, as they are today.