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Post by C. Powers on Jun 24, 2014 13:25:13 GMT
This
course studies the American Dream for characters throughout American
Literature. At the beginning of the novel, what is Hester’s American Dream? How
does she and her dream change over the course of the novel? Cite specific
examples from the text to support your answer.
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Post by Sydney Raines on Jul 3, 2014 22:32:57 GMT
Hester's American Dream is individuality. Her dream changes because she has Pearl to help her realize the skills she has even though she's an "outcast" by wearing the scarlet letter.
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Post by iangray on Jul 17, 2014 18:22:53 GMT
Hester in the beginning has the American Dream of, if you work hard you get what you want. Hester's hard work is not for wealth, it's all to omit her from the label that she is a sinner. Later, her dream changes to Freedom. Hester is a Puritan, and Puritan's believe that God controls every aspect of life. Hester doesn't really like this. She struggled with letting God run her life, she wanted to choose a path for herself. “She had not known the weight until she felt the freedom.”
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Post by Preston Archuleta on Jul 20, 2014 19:34:21 GMT
Hester’s American Dream is by getting rid of people looking at her different and in a negatively way towards her because she has to wear the letter "A" on her chest. her dream change over the course of the novel by her new American dream is to have freedom.she want to leave her religion so she can be free and have freedom.
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Post by Luke Leskanic on Jul 21, 2014 21:17:23 GMT
In the beginning of the Scarlet Letter Hester’s American dream is to be like a normal person and to be equal with all the other people. This is Hester’s American dream in the beginning of the book because to everyone else she is seen as a sinner and a horrible person because of what she did and because she has the “scarlet letter” “A” on her chest. Because of the “scarlet letter” everyone knows that she is a sinner. Because of this in the beginning of the book Hester’s American dream is to be equal with everyone and not an outcast. As the book goes on Hester’s American dream changes, instead she wants to be free and feel free to do what she wants and she wants to control her own life. Towards the end of the book she accepts that she is an outcast and her American dream is to be free and to make her own decisions. She wants to be free so bad because in her religion people think that God controls their whole life and Hester thinks she does not have the freedom to do what she wants and to control her own life.
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Post by prestonarchuleta on Jul 22, 2014 18:24:04 GMT
Hester’s American Dream is by getting rid of people looking at her different and in a negatively way towards her because she has to wear the letter "A" on her chest. her dream change over the course of the novel by her new American dream is to have freedom.she wants to leave her religion so she can be free and have freedom. |
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Post by Hilman Chan on Jul 26, 2014 21:44:09 GMT
At the beginning of the novel, Hester's American Dream is to be seen equal amongst everyone in her town, regardless of the sin she carries. The scarlet letter on her chest is proof of her sin and constantly attracts negative attention from the crowds in town. She is believed to bring shame upon them due to the "ignominious letter." When Hester steps into the marketplace, everyone including schoolboys turns "their heads continually to stare into her face."
Throughout the book, Hester recognizes what she has done wrong. "Burning shame" builds up inside her and she goes on her own to arrange a meeting with Roger, her husband. Hester attempts to resolve the broken links between her, Roger, and Arthur. In addition to that, Hester begins to care more deeply for her child Pearl. Hester leads her around town and through the forest, making sure Pearl is safe by her side. Hester's American Dream soon changes to desiring independence from a repressive society and providing Pearl with a better life.
Hester wanted to "win her freedom from the pain which had been thus deeply incorporated with her being." Being in a strictly Puritan society, she was expected to follow God, but she wanted to escape from the religion. Hester wanted an individual and independent lifestyle of her own, so she can not only live without judgement but to also treat her daughter right and guide her through life.
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Post by cmartini123 on Jul 27, 2014 21:19:08 GMT
This course studies the American Dream for characters throughout American Literature. At the beginning of the novel, what is Hester’s American Dream? How does she and her dream change over the course of the novel? Cite specific examples from the text to support your answer. At the beginning of the book Hester only wanted to be equal among others. Her dream takes a quick downfall when she hooks up with the reverend and gets thrown in jail. At that moment she lost all hope in ever becoming seen equal to others in the colony. Once that happened all that she wanted was to have her freedom back. Hester realized that she didn't want to be anything like the people in that colony. Because she knew she was better than them. The only problem was the fact that she was locked up in jail. We see that all she wants is freedom when she yells, "Get me out of here" on multiple occasions. Then when the reverend posing to baptize the baby says they are considering letting you out she has a sigh of relief. In the end she ends up leaving the colony because she doesn't want to be anything like them. By moving away from the colony she gets the freedom of being who she wants to be. |
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Post by Michaela Grimm on Jul 28, 2014 23:38:51 GMT
At the beginning of the novel Hester's American Dream is to be equal to other people in her society. Once Hester gets involved with the reverend and gets thrown in jail, all her hopes and dreams have been lost because she feels that the society sees her differently now. At the end of the novel all Hester wants to do is get out of jail and be free. The reverend finally lets her out of jail and then she moves far away from the colony because she thought they were mean and she didn't want to be anything like them.
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Post by amaiyam on Jul 29, 2014 16:23:36 GMT
At the beginning of the novel, Hester's American dream is to be treated equal in her society and not so much of an outcast because the choices she made. She had relations with the reverend which resulted in her being thrown into jail and punished for her actions. Not only was she punished but because she had to wear the "Scarlett letter" she was also humiliated as seen through the eyes of the people. As the novel progresses Hester's American dream changes gradually. Hester main goal and dream is to be free, meaning to get out of jail and live a normal life. Hester realizes that she doesn't like the people in her town and she doesn't want to be associated with them anymore. As soon as Hester is free from jail, she decides to move out of her town to finally be free.
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Post by K.C. Bomonti on Jul 31, 2014 1:05:01 GMT
In the beginning of the novel Hester's American dream is to be a part of the community. This dream however falls apart after her momentary weakness in which she committed adultery and was cast out of the town and forced to live on the outskirts of the town. During the course of the novel Hester seems to become almost crippled by the fear that Pearl strikes in her, believing Pearl to be an evil nymph meant to play with her mind. Further more, her dream changes from a longing of equality to a longing of redemption in other words to be tortured enough to be forgiven of her sin. Hester's desire to cleanse herself of the sin adultery is one of the few reasons she keeps Pearl in her care and not leave her in a Christian orphanage.
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Post by Cody Hausdorf on Aug 4, 2014 17:50:59 GMT
At the start of the book, Hester's dream is to not be an outcast anymore. she is considered an outcast because she had an affair with the minister of Boston and everybody found out about it. so she got sent to prison, away from every normal person in the community. At this point, Hester longed to just be part of the regular community.
Once Hester finally gets out of jail, she is part of her community; but she doesn't really like it. All of the people still stay away from her because they know of her history. No one wants to be around Hester's daughter pearl neither because they know who her mother is and what she has done in her past. So Hester's American dream changes again. Her dream is to now be free from her old town where everything is wrong. she wants to move away, where everyone treats her normally.
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Post by Kassi Potter on Aug 5, 2014 20:15:39 GMT
In the beginning of the novel, Hester desires to be equal with everyone else. Hester's daughter Pearl says "the sunshine does not love you. It runs away and hides itself, because it is afraid of something on your bosom" which is also what the people of the town did when they shunned her. Throughout the novel, people start to view her differently and have more positive opinions on her. Although her reputation has gained a bit of confidence, she still feels the guilt and burning of the scarlet letter. She soon comes to realize that her true dream is to be united and happy with her family, Reverend Dimmesdale and Pearl, and to be free of the place where her crime was committed. Hester tells Dimmesdale, "there is the broad pathway of the sea!" and "They have kept thy better part in bondage too long already!" in attempt to convince Dimmesdale to move away with her and Pearl.
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Post by laurentaylor25 on Aug 6, 2014 1:31:06 GMT
In the beginning of the story, Hester's "American Dream" is to be looked at like a normal person, instead of the dirty looks and rude remarks that she received for her sin on a daily basis. This dream changes throughout the course of the novel. Toward the end, Hester dreams of a sort of redemption after living seven long, miserable years of regret. She no longer wants to be equal, but she wants to be happy and move on in her life with her family.
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Post by Amanda Magee on Aug 7, 2014 21:24:13 GMT
In the beginning of the novel, Hester’s dream is to be looked at as an individual, not as a sinner. Everywhere she went people would look down upon her. “The unhappy culprit sustained herself as best as a woman might, under the heavy weight of a thousand unrelenting eyes, all fastened upon her, and concentrated at her bosom.” As Hester becomes stronger and embraces the scarlet letter, this dream changes. Hester wanted to move out of Boston to create a better, normal life for herself and her daughter Pearl. “But Hester Prynne, with a mind of native courage and activity, and for so long a period not merely estranged, but outlawed, from society, had habituated herself to such latitude of speculation as was altogether foreign to the clergyman. She had wandered, without rule or guidance, in a moral wilderness. The scarlet letter was her passport into regions where other women dared not tread. Shame, Despair, Solitude! These had been her teachers,—stern and wild ones,—and they had made her strong, but taught her much amiss.”
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