# The Truth of Society



## S.M. grimbldoo (Sep 28, 2012)

Throughout the _Scarlet Letter_, Nathaniel Hawthorne scatters symbols that portray his view of society. His own personal view was that societies tended to be dark, hypocritical, and overbearing. He saw true beauty in nature, and society as something that covered that beauty. In his book, he quickly points out that society is a parasitic weed in the soil of the earth. How, in its attempts to create beauty, it shadows the beauty of nature and labels it evil. He even goes as far as to state that society is surrounded by and interwoven with darkness. Nathaniel Hawthorne uses symbolism in the _Scarlet Letter _to display the hypocrisy of mankind, how man’s institutions overshadow the beauty of nature, and the darkness of society.

One of the opinions that Hawthorne expressed was that society was hypocritical. From the very beginning of the novel, the townspeople shun and look down at Hester for her sin. So great is their disgust of Hester that they isolate her to a remote part of the town and avoid her. The townspeople act as if their actions are justifiable in that they themselves are sinless, but Hawthorne points out the contradiction. After a while of wearing the scarlet letter _A_, Hester realizes that “it gave her a sympathetic knowledge of the hidden sin in other hearts” and she learned that the people who had been acting blameless were not so (65). People are quick to pounce on fellow citizens when abnormal behavior comes out into the open. They tear the dissenter apart as if he or she were alone in their actions when they themselves have also contradicted the laws and customs of the community. This is also the reason why they assault those who have deviated. When the focus is on one person, the rest of the community is safe from blame and will not have to face the same fate as the accused. But hypocrisy does not stop there, it can also find a way to work in the opposite direction when it is beneficial. The townspeople had, for some years, avoided Hester as if she were a disease, but after she had devoted herself to years of caring for the sick and aiding the poor, the townspeople raised her image up and established her as a saint in the town. Because of all her good deeds, some townspeople can to label her as “Hester, who is so kind to the poor, so helpful to the sick” (124). Society is quick to turn a blind eye or change their minds when it pleases them. They showed open disgust towards Hester because it kept them from being investigated for their sins, but as soon as Hester became a helping hand, they welcomed her with praise. On the same page as hypocrisy, the mislabeling of nature is also found in human society.

 Nature holds its own beauty, but the people of society, in a contradicting manner, accuse it of being evil and cover it up with their own institutions. In puritan society, the forest was often considered a dark and evil place where the devil resided. And as a result, it was covered up by manmade institutions that were considered to be beautiful. Early on, Hawthorne displays that nature is beautiful and compassionate through a the rose bush outside of the prison that was covered “with is delicate gems, which might be imagined to offer their fragrance and fragile beauty to the prisoner as he went in, and to the condemned criminal as he came forth to his doom” (35).  The prison, a manmade institution, only served as a beacon of grief and to cast a shadow over all that were nearby. While the rose bush, which had sprouted naturally, became a symbol of hope and giver of comfort, even under the dark shadow of the prison. But even with this obvious display of compassionate beauty that comes from nature, the community still chose to further cover it up with yet even more institutions. In an almost indirect manner, nature’s beauty was covered up by the scarlet letter _A_. Since the time that the scarlet letter was put on Hester, she lost some of her energetic beauty, both in her physical appearance and how nature reacted to her. The sunlight no longer shone around her because, as Pearl stated it, “It runs away and hides itself because it is afraid of something on your bosom” (141). Because Hester wore the manmade _A_ on her chest, the sun was not able to shine upon her. But when she removes the scarlet letter from her chest, nature “with a sudden smile of heaven, forth burst the sunshine” (156).  Nature was able to reveal Hester’s natural beauty that the scarlet letter had covered up for more than seven years since Pearl was born. As much as the institutions cover up nature, mankind themselves cover it up to an even greater extent. With the way that society covers up nature, it can be best compared to a weed or “the black flower” without beauty (35). Just like any weed, it spreads itself rapidly and inhabits anyplace with the smallest amount of soil. It grows at such a rate that it covers up what may have been already in the same location and all that is seen are its dull petals. On top of covering up nature, it also sucks out its life, leaving it also dull and lacking beauty. Not only does society cover up nature with its dark shadows, it also envelopes itself in the darkness it creates, surrounding itself and imbuing itself with the darkness.

As societies grow, they eventually become consumed by the darkness that they create. Overall, throughout the novel, Hawthorne displays the darkness that society has created and grown into. What may have started out as something good has now become very dark and rejecting. Roger Chillingworth is a prime example of the ever building darkness of society. After Chillingworth discovered that Hester had committed adultery, he swore to get revenge on her lover and, as a result, he became the opposite of what he started out as. At one point when Hester sees Chillingworth, she noticed “what a change had come over his features,—how much uglier they were” (85). In his attempt to right the wrong that had been done, Chillingworth, even though his motivation may have been just, grew darker and miserable. And the darkness within him never stopped growing. Even after everyone in the town had practically forgotten about Hester’s sin, Chillingworth was still out to bring justice to her lover. Seven years after Chillingworth had first sworn vengeance, he had changed from a soft spoken and benevolent old man into the devil incarnate. While Hester was having a conversation with Chillingworth, she noticed that he had become “striking evidence of man’s faculty of transforming himself into a devil” (130). Chillingworth had followed the same route as society and wrapped himself in darkness in his attempt correct the wrong that had occurred. Just as Chillingworth, society goes down a spiraling path towards darkness and continuously sinks itself deeper into the darkness, all the while trying to achieve a just goal.

In his novel _The Scarlet Letter_, Hawthorne uses symbols to express his views on what society is. Throughout the novel he displays his opinion of the darkness of society as well as how it affects nature. He uncovers the hypocrisy of society through the actions that the individuals within it take. He displays how society has taken it upon itself to cover up the beauty of nature with its own manmade institutes. And he describes the innate darkness that resided in the societies that man creates. In short, Nathaniel Hawthorne uses symbolism to communicate how he sees society; hypocritical, overshadowing, and dark.


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## S.M. grimbldoo (Sep 28, 2012)

This is an essay on _The Scarlet Lettec_ for my Honers English 11 class. I decided to procrastinate and do the whole final draft on the last day, so now it is seriously lacking in quality. I wonder when I will realize that procrastination always comes back to bite. Ah well, it is done. It may not be my best work, but it is work nonetheless. 

Even though it is too late to change, I would appreciate any advice on how I could have improved the essay.


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## Cran (Oct 1, 2012)

Paragraphs - break the compound paragraphs. 
In essays, as in all forms of writing, compound paragraphs 
don't impress in the manner intended; they do not help, 
but seriously hurt, the message.

A paragraph is one or more sentences enclosing a single point of focus. 
When you shift the focus, it is a new paragraph.


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## S.M. grimbldoo (Oct 1, 2012)

Cran said:


> Paragraphs - break the compound paragraphs.
> In essays, as in all forms of writing, compound paragraphs
> don't impress in the manner intended; they do not help,
> but seriously hurt, the message.
> ...


That was rather bothering me. I often felt like starting a new paragraph in the middle of the paragraphs, but I was not sure how it would be recieved by my teacher.


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## shedpog329 (Oct 1, 2012)

Most schools over here are about persuasive essays.  A thesis paragraph, three bodied arguments, and a conclusion.  Its the way ours brains have been trained since middle school.  I actually liked your approach Cran, it reminded me of a Time magazine article. But as far as school in concerned, the lecture continues as so


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## Olly Buckle (Oct 1, 2012)

If you like the approach, shepdog I reckon it is worth trying to break the convention. Most academics apply conventions, but equally the academic background preaches open-mindedness. I think the key to it being accepted is that it should be deliberate and well done, if you are unsure of your ability then go with the convention, if you have practised, and can show that you know what you are doing, getting outside the conventional box should bring you credit if it is done appropriately. Being unconventional simply for the sake of it should, of course, be knocked back just like other pompous styles such as 'officialese', staccato ‘twitter’ length sentences, or long winded verbosity.


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## shedpog329 (Oct 1, 2012)

ya, well you guys have opened a whole new world for me, so I'm working with it


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## Deleted member 49710 (Oct 1, 2012)

Not sure where you all got the idea that you had to have exactly three paragraphs between the introduction and conclusion. For a 1 page essay that would make sense, but not for anything longer. The academic convention is exactly as Cran said - each paragraph should convey a single idea.

I find it helpful to think of the thesis statement as something like a bridge, with something supporting each major element. However many paragraphs it takes to get the job done, or to the length required, depending - and if you're coming up short, you need to complicate your idea. It's clear to me what your thesis statement is and you seem to support it consistently throughout, so this essay looks pretty good as far as that goes. You're somewhat repetitive but I think that comes from writing quickly.

Don't have time to go through the whole thing, but there are a lot of problems with word choice that I noticed in the second paragraph, like "disgust of Hester that they isolate her to a remote part" - watch your prepositions. As you say, you wrote this in a hurry, you can probably catch a lot of these errors yourself. And yeah, like Cran said, shorter paragraphs are a lot easier to read.

Did Nathaniel Hawthorne do any writing that actually states his opinion regarding purity of nature, hypocrisy of society? Might be worth looking into. Or you might look at what other people have written about Hawthorne, it seems you're not using any secondary/critical sources here, just the novel itself. You need to be a bit careful saying "Hawthorne believed XYZ" - you can't read his mind, all you can do is find textual evidence. (Look up "intentional fallacy" if you have to.)

Alas, I am in my 5th year of grad school and still procrastinate. Bites me in the ass sometimes, and someday maybe I will mend my ways.


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## Cran (Oct 1, 2012)

S.M. grimbldoo said:


> That was rather bothering me. I often felt like starting a new paragraph in the middle of the paragraphs, but I was not sure how it would be recieved by my teacher.



_"Trust in your feelings, Luke. Feel the Force!"_ - Obiwan Kenobi


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## Cran (Oct 1, 2012)

shedpog329 said:


> Most schools over here are about persuasive essays.  *A thesis paragraph, three bodied arguments, and a conclusion. * Its the way ours brains have been trained since middle school.  I actually liked your approach Cran, it reminded me of a Time magazine article. But as far as school in concerned, the lecture continues as so


You should be able to state your thesis in a paragraph; yes, and your conclusion. 

The three body arguments, does _not_ mean three central paragraphs, unless your lecturer 
is one of those brought up through the "English doesn't matter academically" era; or
it's a set challenge to pare your body arguments down to pure essence - not unlike 
some of the challenges here. 

The rationale behind that is to focus the mind on the point,
and state that point as a single idea; eliminate the waffle.


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## S.M. grimbldoo (Oct 1, 2012)

lasm said:


> Not sure where you all got the idea that you had to have exactly three paragraphs between the introduction and conclusion. For a 1 page essay that would make sense, but not for anything longer. The academic convention is exactly as Cran said - each paragraph should convey a single idea.


I personally made it into three body paragraphs because I only had three topics to discuss.



lasm said:


> I find it helpful to think of the thesis statement as something like a bridge, with something supporting each major element. However many paragraphs it takes to get the job done, or to the length required, depending - and if you're coming up short, you need to complicate your idea. It's clear to me what your thesis statement is and you seem to support it consistently throughout, so this essay looks pretty good as far as that goes. You're somewhat repetitive but I think that comes from writing quickly.
> 
> Don't have time to go through the whole thing, but there are a lot of problems with word choice that I noticed in the second paragraph, like "disgust of Hester that they isolate her to a remote part" - watch your prepositions. As you say, you wrote this in a hurry, you can probably catch a lot of these errors yourself. And yeah, like Cran said, shorter paragraphs are a lot easier to read.


It was a 1,200 word essay and I waited till the last hour to do it. I would say that it is rushed :tongue2:.



lasm said:


> Did Nathaniel Hawthorne do any writing that actually states his opinion regarding purity of nature, hypocrisy of society? Might be worth looking into. Or you might look at what other people have written about Hawthorne, it seems you're not using any secondary/critical sources here, just the novel itself. You need to be a bit careful saying "Hawthorne believed XYZ" - you can't read his mind, all you can do is find textual evidence. (Look up "intentional fallacy" if you have to.)


We were actually limited to the book only.



lasm said:


> Alas, I am in my 5th year of grad school and still procrastinate. Bites me in the ass sometimes, and someday maybe I will mend my ways.


I keep telling myself that as well :wink:.


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## S.M. grimbldoo (Oct 1, 2012)

Cran said:


> _"Trust in your feelings, Luke. Feel the Force!"_ - Obiwan Kenobi


Good advice


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## Cran (Oct 2, 2012)

> each paragraph should convey a single idea.


 A popular way to define a paragraph, true, but that is _also_ the definition of a sentence. 

It is also true that many complex ideas simply cannot be clearly expressed within a sentence, or paragraph. 


> three body paragraphs because I only had three topics to discuss


It is for this reason that when I apply _the idea_ criterion, I add: _or definable component of an idea. _

I prefer to use _the focus_ criterion - _
a paragraph is one or more sentences which encompass (or enclose) a single point of focus; 
a shift in focus means a new paragraph. _

The most obvious examples of the _focus shift >> new par_ are in written dialogue. 



> It was a 1,200 word essay


In the old days - when we did essays in double-spaced type, inch-margin A4 pages - 
that would be *four pages*. 

That means what was asked of the student was _not _three body pars, 
but _three distinct and clearly set out arguments_ to support the thesis, 
and use as many paragraphs per argument as needed.


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## garza (Oct 3, 2012)

I was taught that the purpose of the five paragraph essay is to organise thought and to focus on essentials. Thus the three central paragraphs should be concise statements of the three strongest arguments supporting the thesis. I've used it this way in teaching ESL classes. It's a good way of eliminating fuzzy thinking in the minds of good students, and does little long-term harm to the others.

Dangerous it is to use the words of one work of fiction to declare with certainty the beliefs of the writer. We can, if we wish, say that the words _indicate_ certain beliefs, but we should not go beyond that.


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## Cran (Oct 3, 2012)

garza said:


> I was taught that the purpose of the five paragraph essay is to organise thought and to focus on essentials. Thus the three central paragraphs should be concise statements of the three strongest arguments supporting the thesis. I've used it this way in teaching ESL classes. It's a good way of eliminating fuzzy thinking in the minds of good students, and does little long-term harm to the others.


Agreed. 

When I was involved in such things, however, 
the expected essays were 250 - 300 words; not 1200.


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## garza (Oct 3, 2012)

One page A4 with 2cm margins, 300 words max.


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## shedpog329 (Oct 3, 2012)

sha missing middle school, my freakin courage paper was 1500


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## garza (Oct 3, 2012)

With a 1,500 word limit you can wander all over creation. With a 300 word limit you must be organised and focused with carefully selected points. Your writing must be precise and concise with not a word wasted.  

It's good practice for anyone.


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## Cran (Oct 3, 2012)

*garza*, did you ever get the: 

"Give me 100 words about _______; on my desk in two hours" from an editor?

Happy days.


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## garza (Oct 3, 2012)

abso-damn-lutely. And as you rush out the door, 'Be sure to get a picture!'.


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## Cran (Oct 3, 2012)

>laughing< yep, forgot the picture.


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