Quote #4

On page 142 in the Scarlet Letter I came across the quote that explains more of the story to me. "Yes, I hate him!", repeated Hester, more bitterly than before. "He betrayed me! He has done me worse wrong than I did him!"
When reading this section in the Scarlet Letter I was not to sure if I was right or wrong. This quote told me that this man, Roger Chillingworth was the man she was suppose to marry. She had betrayed him and that is why she is in the situation of wearing the scarlet letter. She explains some of the old memories they once shared. Him coming home from his studies, sitting down in the fire light of their home and be in each others presence. Then it takes a turn and Hester is asking her self how she could have ever been wrought upon to marry him (142). This part confused me. I am kind of in the dark about why she is so upset with him, either I missed something or did not analyze something right. Hester hurt him, but she explains the hate and hurt he as caused her. So if anyone would like to clear this up for me please feel free too!

*** This Email was sent by a student at Lima Senior High in Lima CIty School District.

Quote #3

On page 131 in the Scarlet Letter I came across the quote, "Hester Prynne, there was neither irritation nor irksomeness. She never battled with the public, but submitted uncomplainingly to its worst usage; she made no claim upon it, in requital for what she suffered; she did not weigh upon its sympathies." This quote stuck out to me because it expresses Hester's feelings in a nut shell on her situation. She does not feel sorry for herself. Hester knows what she did is wrong and I am, sure there are many people who do not feel sorry for her, but the ones that do she does not want the sympathy, she seems to not even what her own sympathy. She also does not fight with the public and what they might have once said about her. Towns people most likely look at her like a disgrace, but she never fights back. In a way it seems like Hester worn her scarlet letter and deals with the fact that she has don't the act of adultery. There is nothing else left for her to do then except herself.
Hester seems to be coping well, whether she is putting on a front for the public and her daughter Pearl she manages to keep a positive lifestyle. Being depressed and hating herself would only make matters worse and I felt like this quote explained a lot of her coping styles. She did not let people in and let them bother her. She is carrying on with her life.

*** This Email was sent by a student at Lima Senior High in Lima CIty School District.

Quote #2

"Nevertheless," said the mother calmly, though growing more pale, "this badge hath taught me, --it daily teaches me, --it is teaching me at this moment, -- lessons wereof my child may be the wiser and better, albeit they can profit nothing to myself. (Hawthorne 96)
While reading this quote I really understood Hester and how guilty she truly felt for having to wear this letter upon her because of what she had done. Carrying the guilt around and having her daughter in this mist of everything. Hester expresses how better her daughter is and how she can grow and learn from her mothers mistakes and not repeat them. Yes, it was wrong and people are going to look down on Hester, but she is here for her daughter and trying her best to look out for her. Governor Bellingham was questioning and judging her ability of having Pearl as a daughter. This quote shows the heart and compassion Hester has for her daughter and I believe her when she expresses herself.
People make mistakes and it seems like in this time period you are not forgiven and it is unfair because when people do make mistakes and they learn from them then why punish them continuously.

Quote #1

"we have spoken of Pearl's rich and luxuriant beauty; a beauty that shone with deep and vivid tints; a bright complexion, eyes possessing intensity both of depth and glow, and hair already deep, glossy brown, and which, in after years, would be nearly akin to black. There was a fire in her and throughout her; she seemed the unpremeditated offshoot passionate moment." (Hawthorne 90) Reading this quote in the scarlet letter helped me have a better understanding of Pear herself. They expressed her with descriptive words that really made me feel like I knew her better. Pearl seemed to be an outgoing, fun, loving child that was always on the go with energy. I think Pearl being the ball of energy she was, helped her mother out. Pearl was all her mother had and you could tell they had a bond, Pearl stood up for her mother in this section and made it clear she was proud to have her as a mother.
Pearl was the love of Hester's life and you could tell because the way she talked about her. Even though Hester had committed the crime of adultery and Pearl was the outcome, she did not love Pearl any less and Pearl seemed to be an outstanding child.

Advice to Young Men

This piece opens up by describing in simple words what men ought to desire in his wife. Right away it gives woman that typical stereotype that most woman receive. Us woman are suppose to have beauty, cleanliness, good temper, and chastity. Woman back then were known to be the stay at home wives and to manage the cooking and cleaning. Back in the 1600s laws made woman "civilly dead". They were there to serve as domestic arena as a wife, mother, and keepers of home and hearth (247). They did not have the right to vote, they were excluded from the most professions and it was simply unfair. To me this seemed like marriage was more of a joke and not made up of the true love and happiness that is needed in most relationships. It was made up of rules, regulations, and stereotypes.
Now a day's sometimes woman and men have switched roles. Woman are the bread winners and the men take care of the home. It is not odd to see, but back then it would have never passed. Never once do they mention what woman should look for in a man or how men should act and what we should perceive of them.
I wonder how over time this has changed so much. It has obviously changed for the better because some woman performance at there professions better than some men could ever dream of.
I noticed in this reading, like I did with the last one that they being up infidelity is much worse for the wife. Both men and woman are in the relationship as an equal and I have no idea why this is perceived this way. In a way it would have been offensive to be a woman in the 1600s because woman could have felt left out and not good enough. All they knew were their home and husbands. I feel bad for the woman who had to live this way for so long! Do not get me wrong, nothing is wrong with supporting your family with a clean house and staying true to your husband, but woman had no rights back then, it is sad.

Adultery

While reading through Adultery on page 241, in The Scarlet Letter I was fairly shocked on how serious they had once taken this crime. When thinking of adultery I automatically think of infidelity and how it ruins couples relationships a lot in this day and age. In the 1600s Adultery to me was like murder. Now a days someone can kill another human being and be sent to jail, but committing the simple act of adultery could have you killed back then was crazy to hear. The punishment being any where from beatings to being killed for it. They make it well known to everyone that you have went behind your partners back and done mischievous acts, by sewing A D on the arm and back of your clothing. They put your crime out there for everyone to see.
In this piece they mentioned some information from William Corbett's Advice yo Young Men. What caught me off guard is when he talked about men looking for Chastity in his wife and that in the end adultery was greater a crime for the woman than the men. Why was it looked down upon more for woman than men? It was still the same crime and I find it very unfair and stereotypical for this to occur.
Even though i was not very familiar with this subject and to why it was so important for them to give them the types of punishment they did, why are people so worried about what other people did. Now a days there would be mass amounts of people missing in this world if we spent all of our time focusing on people who commit the crime of adultery. You see it mischievous acts being played upon partners all the time in this day and age.