|
|
Post by abeaudro on Aug 18, 2014 1:21:01 GMT
In the beginning, Hester's American dream was to start a new life and live normally. After she is essentially shunned from the community her dream changes. She longs to fit in and be accepted in her community again. She wants the pain, sadness, and loneliness to go away. She also wants a happy life for her daughter, Pearl.
|
|
|
|
Post by Brianna Patenaude on Aug 18, 2014 1:29:17 GMT
Hester’s original American Dream at the start of The Scarlet Letter is to no longer be an outcast in her society. Because she committed the crime of adultery, she is made fun of and shunned by the townspeople, and even sometimes by, it seems, nature itself. Hester’s daughter, Pearl, says at one point in the novel, “the sunshine does not love you. It runs away and hides itself, because it is afraid of something on your bosom…” As the story continues, Hester’s dream changes into moving away from Massachusetts with Pearl and Arthur Dimmesdale. She longs to escape her society and make a new life. She removes the scarlet letter as her new dream reinvigorates her. The text tells the reader of her newfound energy, stating, “O exquisite relief! She had not known the weight until she felt the freedom!” However, Hester’s dream changes for one final time as things take a completely different turn—Dimmesdale dies after admitting the truth to the townspeople. After moving away with Pearl to an unknown region for many years, she returns back to New England alone. Hester’s dream transforms: since having accepted her past actions, she just wishes to live peacefully and in control of her own destiny. Hester doesn’t want to let her society define her any longer—she wants to make her own image for herself. The text states, “Here had been her sin; here, her sorrow; and here was yet to be her penitence. She had returned, therefore, and resumed—of her own free will, for not the sternest magistrate of that iron period would have imposed it—resumed the symbol of which we have related so dark a tale.”
|
|
|
|
Post by cjhashem on Aug 18, 2014 1:34:13 GMT
In the novel "The Scarlet Letter" by Nathaniel Hawthorne the protagonist Hester's American dream is to not be thought of in a bad light. She doesn't want to be individualized by her because of her letter and her past. She wants to be treated like a normal person and does not want to be viewed in any other way. Hester doesn't like to have attention called to herself and she would rather just fall into the crowd. Through all this seemingly impossible dreaming, Hester finds something within herself that was i believe surprising to all including her. She no longer wanted to be like the stuck up judgmental townsmen and women but she wanted to be something more, her own person. She wanted to be better not only for herself but for her child Pearl. The only flaw in her new found life changing goal was she was locked in jail, and couldnt do much about it. After multiple grueling hours and days sitting in jail crying "Get me out of here" the Reverend finally released her. Prior to being released from jail Hester Prynne decides that the only for her and Pearl to have a good life where she can finally become the person she wants to be is to leave her colony and begin a new journey.
|
|
|
|
Post by ikejr11 on Aug 18, 2014 3:07:04 GMT
I believe before the adultery Hester just wanted to come to America and live a better life than what she left behind in Europe. I believed she dreamed of being a productive common, and common person in society once her husband reached America. This however is all ruined when it is discovered she committed adultery. She is shunned from the community, and takes her daughter with her. I believe from there on her dream is just to move on from the adultery, and not be frowned upon anymore. She wants to move away, and catch a ship back to Europe with Chillingworth so she no longer is forced to have to live with the constant reminder that she committed adultery.
|
|
|
|
Post by bkristof on Aug 18, 2014 3:31:34 GMT
Hester Prynne’s American dream at the beginning of the novel was to not be an outcast and to fit in with the rest of her community. However, it is her daughter, Pearl, that causes her to change this American dream by the end of the novel to one of freedom for herself and for her daughter from a life where they are both oppressed by their society for Hester’s actions. Pearl had always wondered why her mother had to wear the scarlet letter and nobody else was forced to. In addition, she wondered why they lived in an abandoned house and why nobody really talked to them when they went into town. Hester never wanted her daughter to be ashamed or to grow up without interaction in her life. Therefore, she started doing her good deeds to the community and accepting her fate when it came to the adultery she committed. This even brought her to the center of town on a pedestal, but she accepted that as well if it meant not being an outsider anymore. When the town eventually realized that Hester wasn’t a bad person, but just one who ended up in an unfortunate act, they finally accepted her and she had acquired her American dream at last.
|
|
|
|
Post by tristanwycallis on Aug 18, 2014 3:46:24 GMT
I believe that Hester's American Dream was to be free in the New World and be Self-Reliant, but due to her crime and her daughter, Pearl, her dream changes to the wish of a happy life for her daughter pearl.
|
|
|
|
Post by Karina perez on Aug 18, 2014 4:48:52 GMT
In the beginning Hester's american dream is to be treated as a equal and not be a outcast. She doesn't want the choices she made define her. When she gets out of jail she decides that she doesn't like anyone in her town and wants nothing to do with them. As the book goes on her dream changes she just wants to be free, so she can control her life.
|
|
|
|
Post by Lance Madow on Aug 18, 2014 18:11:02 GMT
I believe in the beginning of the book her dream is to have people not look at her like she's different. She had a child with someone else because she was not happy and happiness was all she was seeking. And now she is being shunned and attacked for just trying to be happy. Throughout the book though her dream stops going from herself but to Pearl. She only wants the best for the child brought into bad circumstances. We know she no longer wants the letter removed because when Roger tells her about the consideration of her taking off the scarlet letter she replies "It lies not in the pleasure of the magistrates to take off this badge." But when she is told about the rumor of Pearl being taken from her, she goes to the Mayor and pleads him not to take her away.
|
|
|
|
Post by haydenwatson on Aug 18, 2014 18:17:56 GMT
In the novel Hester's dream is to be viewed a normal person, rather than just an “adulterer” or “sinner.” By the end of the novel she just wanted freedom. The freedom to leave her religion, and to make her own choices. She also wanted a better life for her daughter.
|
|
|
|
Post by Brendan Mazza on Aug 18, 2014 19:38:53 GMT
Hester's original American dream is for everyone to treat her like everyone else. But when everyone treats her as a "outcast" her dream changes to being free
|
|
samc1
New Member
Posts: 4 
|
Post by samc1 on Aug 18, 2014 22:24:24 GMT
Hesters American dream at the beginning of the book is that she wants to be treated equal like all the rest of the people that live in the town. Hester and her dream changes over the course of the novel by that she wants to get out of the jail and be free. So once she if released from jail, she moves away from the colony and can finally live the free life that she wanted to have.
|
|
ryan
New Member
Posts: 4
|
Post by ryan on Aug 19, 2014 1:11:25 GMT
Hester's "American Dream" is to be free of her past and the actions she has made through her lust but as time progressed and Hester's daughter Pearl began to understand Hester's past Hester begins to realize she must accept herself and change her dream to being able to raise pearl normally and live with her past.
|
|
|
|
Post by darrendowdy on Aug 19, 2014 1:39:57 GMT
For Hester, her American dream is similar to many other people back in her day and now. Everyone at some point gets the feeling that they have to "fit in". As for Hester, she lived in a community full of Puritans, which were people that believed God controlled every aspect of our lives. As the story unravels, Hester's dream changed into wanting to have her own independence/freedom so she wouldn't be harassed from the judgement from her townspeople. She also wanted this so she could better raise her child Pearl.
|
|
|
|
Post by Nicholas Charts on Aug 19, 2014 1:52:55 GMT
The american dream of Hester in the beginning of the novel is to live a normal life of working hard for what you want. Later that changes when she is labeled as a adult-er. After that her dream is to be free of this social exile created by the town. All she wants is to be free from the shackles of religion for both her and her daughter.
|
|
|
|
Post by gavinpara on Aug 19, 2014 3:08:50 GMT
Hester's American dream at the beginning of the story was to be looked at as equal among the towns people and to be excepted. Hester changes by excepting that she has sinned and at the end of the story her dream changed. She wanted to be forgiven and move on with her life in a new land wear she can live without shame and the scarlet letter.
|
|
