Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
Putting Forgiveness in the right place
Deleted line(s) 38 (click to see context) :
* Forgiveness: Chillingworth forgives Hester in the first chapter even saying that it is mostly his own fault. Her accomplice is a completely different matter...
Added DiffLines:
* Forgiveness: Chillingworth forgives Hester even saying that it is mostly his own fault. Her accomplice, however, is a completely different matter...
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
Forgiveness
Added DiffLines:
* Forgiveness: Chillingworth forgives Hester in the first chapter even saying that it is mostly his own fault. Her accomplice is a completely different matter...
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
Protagonist centered morality back in shortened version
Added DiffLines:
* ProtagonistCenteredMorality: a particularly blatant example. The antagonist Chillingworth does objectively good things: He gains great medical knowledge from the indians at considerable personal risk and uses it for the benefit of the community. When Chillingworth comes home to see his wife (and indirectly himself) publicly shamed, he comforts Hester, medicates her and her daughter and mostly blames himself for his wife's infidelity. He helps Dimmesdale medically and emotionally by correctly insisting that Dimmesdale will never fully recover until he relieves himself of whatever is weighing his heart. Despite these good acts, the Puritans of Boston seem ungrateful for having a man who has put so much effort into becoming a great doctor for them and seem to interpret everything he does in the worst possible light. Everyone, including the narrator and Chillingworth himself assumes that he is doing everything for the very worst of reasons. Just to hammer in his badness the narrator makes Chillingworth ugly and uglier as the story goes on. Protagonist Dimmesdale on the other hand does objectively bad things by ruining Hester's life and making Pearl grow up a poor paria. He is extremely hypocritcal in participating in the public shaming of Hester, even pretending to try to make her give away the name of her lover. He neither has the courage to confess and face the consequences, nor to take his secret to the grave. Choosing the most cowardly possible solution [[spoiler: he waits until he only has seconds left to live to confess.]] Yet he obviously has the sympathy of the narrator, Hester and all of Boston.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
Removing Wall Of Text that contains first-person opinions. Commenting out ZCE
Changed line(s) 21 (click to see context) from:
* BatmanGambit: Orchestrated by Chillingworth to coerce Dimmesdale into [[spoiler:admitting he's Pearl's father]].
to:
Changed line(s) 24,25 (click to see context) from:
* BurnTheWitch
* CannotSpitItOut
* CannotSpitItOut
to:
Changed line(s) 27,29 (click to see context) from:
* TheColonialPeriod: See page description.
* ComeToGawk
* CreepyChild: Pearl, most definitely.
* ComeToGawk
* CreepyChild: Pearl, most definitely.
to:
Changed line(s) 34 (click to see context) from:
* {{Disneyfication}}: The movie.
to:
Changed line(s) 42 (click to see context) from:
* FramingDevice
to:
Changed line(s) 47 (click to see context) from:
* HourglassPlot
to:
Changed line(s) 57 (click to see context) from:
* MeaningfulName: Pearl is named after a scripture passage which tells of a man who sells everything that he has to buy one pearl of superb value.
to:
* MeaningfulName: MeaningfulName:
** Pearl is named after a scripture passage which tells of a man who sells everything that he has to buy one pearl of superb value.
** Pearl is named after a scripture passage which tells of a man who sells everything that he has to buy one pearl of superb value.
Changed line(s) 64,66 (click to see context) from:
* ThePenance
* ProtagonistCenteredMorality: a particularly blatant example. The antagonist Chillingworth has made considerable personal sacrifices to achieve the level of medical knowledge he possesses. Living with the Indians and trying to find out their medicine would be dangerous and uncomfortable at best for an old man. When Chillingworth comes home to see his wife (and indirectly himself) publicly shamed, he comforts Hester, medicates her and her daughter (not his child) and expressly states that he is as much to blame as poor Hester because an old boring person like him should have known better than to marry a young lively woman no matter how much in love he was. He does state that he thinks her partner in crime should bear the shame too, but does not press Hester as to who he is. This is very generous behaviour under the circumstances in my opinion. He acts very kindly towards the degenerate priest, Dimmesdale one of the protagonists and the person who made the unfortunate Hester pregnant. Dimmesdale expressly admits that Chillingworth has saved his life through his medicine. Chillingworth correctly insists that Dimmesdale will never fully recover until he relieves himself of whatever is weighing his heart. [[spoiler: When Hester asks to be relieved of her promise to secrecy, he kindly grants that too. At the end of the story, he posthumously gives all his money to Pearl, Hester and Dimmesdale's daughter despite knowing she is not his daughter. Only now do we get to know that he was rich. He could have lived a good, pleasant life from his money, but he choose to develop medical skill and use it to serve the citizens of Boston.]] The Puritans of Boston seem ungrateful for having a man who has put so much effort into becoming a great doctor for them and seem to interpret everything he does in the worst possible light. Even accusing him of witchcraft. Hester is certainly not grateful for Chillingworth’s forgiving attitude towards her. She expressly states that she hates him. When Dimmesdale realises who his doctor is, he blames the victim of his adulterous crime (and the man who by his own admission had saved his life) to the point of actually considering him some sort of a devil. Everyone, including the narrator and (when talking to other people) Chillingworth himself assumes that he is doing everything for the very worst of reasons. But if you look at what he actually does and not the supposed "why"s he comes across like an extremely gentle and self-sacrificing person. Dimmesdale on the other hand, who obviously has the sympathy of the narrator, Hester and all of Boston, is extremely hypocritcal in participating in the public shaming of Hester, even pretending to try to make her give away the name of her lover. He neither has the courage to confess and face the consequences, nor to take his secret to the grave. Choosing the most cowardly possible solution [[spoiler: he waits until he only has seconds left to live to confess.]]
* {{Revenge}}
* ProtagonistCenteredMorality: a particularly blatant example. The antagonist Chillingworth has made considerable personal sacrifices to achieve the level of medical knowledge he possesses. Living with the Indians and trying to find out their medicine would be dangerous and uncomfortable at best for an old man. When Chillingworth comes home to see his wife (and indirectly himself) publicly shamed, he comforts Hester, medicates her and her daughter (not his child) and expressly states that he is as much to blame as poor Hester because an old boring person like him should have known better than to marry a young lively woman no matter how much in love he was. He does state that he thinks her partner in crime should bear the shame too, but does not press Hester as to who he is. This is very generous behaviour under the circumstances in my opinion. He acts very kindly towards the degenerate priest, Dimmesdale one of the protagonists and the person who made the unfortunate Hester pregnant. Dimmesdale expressly admits that Chillingworth has saved his life through his medicine. Chillingworth correctly insists that Dimmesdale will never fully recover until he relieves himself of whatever is weighing his heart. [[spoiler: When Hester asks to be relieved of her promise to secrecy, he kindly grants that too. At the end of the story, he posthumously gives all his money to Pearl, Hester and Dimmesdale's daughter despite knowing she is not his daughter. Only now do we get to know that he was rich. He could have lived a good, pleasant life from his money, but he choose to develop medical skill and use it to serve the citizens of Boston.]] The Puritans of Boston seem ungrateful for having a man who has put so much effort into becoming a great doctor for them and seem to interpret everything he does in the worst possible light. Even accusing him of witchcraft. Hester is certainly not grateful for Chillingworth’s forgiving attitude towards her. She expressly states that she hates him. When Dimmesdale realises who his doctor is, he blames the victim of his adulterous crime (and the man who by his own admission had saved his life) to the point of actually considering him some sort of a devil. Everyone, including the narrator and (when talking to other people) Chillingworth himself assumes that he is doing everything for the very worst of reasons. But if you look at what he actually does and not the supposed "why"s he comes across like an extremely gentle and self-sacrificing person. Dimmesdale on the other hand, who obviously has the sympathy of the narrator, Hester and all of Boston, is extremely hypocritcal in participating in the public shaming of Hester, even pretending to try to make her give away the name of her lover. He neither has the courage to confess and face the consequences, nor to take his secret to the grave. Choosing the most cowardly possible solution [[spoiler: he waits until he only has seconds left to live to confess.]]
* {{Revenge}}
to:
*
Changed line(s) 71 (click to see context) from:
* SlutShaming: Half the story.
to:
Changed line(s) 73 (click to see context) from:
* TakeOurWordForIt: Dimmesdale's sermon.
to:
Changed line(s) 82 (click to see context) from:
* {{Yandere}}: Chillingworth
to:
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
Moving YMMV entry to the correct subpage
Deleted line(s) 77 (click to see context) :
* UnfortunateImplications: Hawthorne's novel doesn't stop at BeautyEqualsGoodness. It essentially preaches that good people are beautiful and ugly people are evil. Doing evil also makes you ugly, if a person is getting uglier it is because he is getting more evil. If you are ugly and do good things, such as dedicating your life to helping people as a doctor and forgiving your cheating wife or saving the life of the person you suspect of cheating on you, it doesn't count as good. You are ugly/evil and therefore you must be doing this for horrible reasons so it doesn't count even the person you save will realize you are a devil. Being evil and devils, ugly people have, of course, no rights. It is totally correct to break a sacred promise to un ugly person. Even the ugly person will realize this and realize that it is really his own fault, he is, after all, ugly. The only good thing and ugly person can do is to die and leave all your money to a beautiful person because the only good ugly person is a dead ugly person. Though it was almost certainly not his intention, Hawthorne comes across as having an absolutely ridiculous hate-boner for ugly people.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
Clarifying
Changed line(s) 77 (click to see context) from:
* UnfortunateImplications: Hawthorne's novel doesn't stop at BeautyEqualsGoodness. It essentially preaches that good people are beautiful and ugly people are evil. Doing evil also makes you ugly, if a person is getting uglier it is because he is getting more evil. If you are ugly and do good things, such as dedicating your life to helping people as a doctor and forgiving your cheating wife or saving the life of the person you suspect of cheating on you, it doesn't count as good. You are ugly/evil and therefore you must be doing this for horrible reasons so it doesn't count even the person you save will realize you are a devil. Being evil and devils, ugly people have, of course, no rights. It is totally correct to break a sacred promise to un ugly person. Even the ugly person will realize this and realize that it is really his own fault, he is, after all, ugly. The only good thing and ugly person can do is to die and leave all your money to a beautiful person because the only good ugly person is a dead ugly person. Hawthorne seems to have an absolutely ridiculous hate-boner for ugly people.
to:
* UnfortunateImplications: Hawthorne's novel doesn't stop at BeautyEqualsGoodness. It essentially preaches that good people are beautiful and ugly people are evil. Doing evil also makes you ugly, if a person is getting uglier it is because he is getting more evil. If you are ugly and do good things, such as dedicating your life to helping people as a doctor and forgiving your cheating wife or saving the life of the person you suspect of cheating on you, it doesn't count as good. You are ugly/evil and therefore you must be doing this for horrible reasons so it doesn't count even the person you save will realize you are a devil. Being evil and devils, ugly people have, of course, no rights. It is totally correct to break a sacred promise to un ugly person. Even the ugly person will realize this and realize that it is really his own fault, he is, after all, ugly. The only good thing and ugly person can do is to die and leave all your money to a beautiful person because the only good ugly person is a dead ugly person. Though it was almost certainly not his intention, Hawthorne seems to have comes across as having an absolutely ridiculous hate-boner for ugly people.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
Unfortunate Implications: Ugly people are evil
Added DiffLines:
* UnfortunateImplications: Hawthorne's novel doesn't stop at BeautyEqualsGoodness. It essentially preaches that good people are beautiful and ugly people are evil. Doing evil also makes you ugly, if a person is getting uglier it is because he is getting more evil. If you are ugly and do good things, such as dedicating your life to helping people as a doctor and forgiving your cheating wife or saving the life of the person you suspect of cheating on you, it doesn't count as good. You are ugly/evil and therefore you must be doing this for horrible reasons so it doesn't count even the person you save will realize you are a devil. Being evil and devils, ugly people have, of course, no rights. It is totally correct to break a sacred promise to un ugly person. Even the ugly person will realize this and realize that it is really his own fault, he is, after all, ugly. The only good thing and ugly person can do is to die and leave all your money to a beautiful person because the only good ugly person is a dead ugly person. Hawthorne seems to have an absolutely ridiculous hate-boner for ugly people.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
Redemption
Changed line(s) 67 (click to see context) from:
* RedemptionEqualsDeath: [[spoiler:Dimmesdale finally mans up and reveals the "A" seared onto his chest, admitting to his adultery with Hester, as he finally succumbs to his heart condition. There's a possible case of this with Chillingworth. Although he died because he no longer had Dimmesdale to torment, he leaves Pearl a fortune. ]]
to:
* RedemptionEqualsDeath: [[spoiler:Dimmesdale finally mans up and neither has the courage to admit his crime nor the courage to take it with him to the grave. Taking the most cowardly option he reveals the "A" seared onto his chest, admitting to his adultery with Hester, as he finally succumbs to his heart condition.condition so he neither has to endure the condemnation of his neighbours, nor take the secret to the grave. There's a possible case of this with Chillingworth. Although he died because he no longer had Dimmesdale to torment, he leaves Pearl a fortune. ]]
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
Chillingworth forgives Hester -even stating that her infidelity is mostly his own fault
Changed line(s) 18 (click to see context) from:
* AbsenceMakesTheHeartGoYonder: Chillingworth was separated from Hester for a very long time, and she figured he was dead, falling into the arms (and bed) of Rev. Dimmesdale. It turns out she was wrong; her husband is very much alive...and [[GreenEyedMonster jealous and vengeful]]. (He never reconciles with her, though.)
to:
* AbsenceMakesTheHeartGoYonder: Chillingworth was separated from Hester for a very long time, and she figured he was dead, falling into the arms (and bed) of Rev. Dimmesdale. It turns out she was wrong; her husband is very much alive...and [[GreenEyedMonster jealous and vengeful]]. (He never reconciles with generously forgives her, though.even stating that it mostly his own fault though -her lover is a completely different matter.)
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
Cruel Mercy
* CruelMercy: Everyone, including the narrator and Chillingworth himself, assumes that Chillingworth is just keeping Dimmesdale alive so he will suffer.
Changed line(s) 64 (click to see context) from:
* ProtagonistCenteredMorality: a particularly blatant example. The antagonist Chillingworth has made considerable personal sacrifices to achieve the level of medical knowledge he possesses. Living with the Indians and trying to find out their medicine would be dangerous and uncomfortable at best for an old man. When Chillingworth comes home to see his wife (and indirectly himself) publicly shamed, he comforts Hester, medicates her and her daughter (not his child) and expressly states that he is as much to blame as poor Hester because an old boring person like him should have known better than to marry a young lively woman no matter how much in love he was. He does state that he thinks her partner in crime should bear the shame too, but does not press Hester as to who he is. This is very generous behaviour under the circumstances in my opinion. He acts very kindly towards the degenerate priest, Dimmesdale one of the protagonists and the person who made the unfortunate Hester pregnant. Dimmesdale expressly admits that Chillingworth has saved his life through his medicine. Chillingworth correctly insists that Dimmesdale will never fully recover until he relieves himself of whatever is weighing his heart. [[spoiler: When Hester asks to be relieved of her promise to secrecy, he kindly grants that too. At the end of the story, he posthumously gives all his money to Pearl, Hester and Dimmesdale's daughter despite knowing she is not his daughter. Only now do we get to know that he was rich. He could have lived a good, pleasant life from his money, but he choose to develop medical skill and use it to serve the citizens of Boston.]] The Puritans of Boston seem ungrateful for having a man who has put so much effort into becoming a great doctor for them and seem to interpret everything he does in the worst possible light. Even accusing him of witchcraft. Hester is certainly not grateful for Chillingworth’s forgiving attitude towards her. She expressly states that she hates him. When Dimmesdale realises who his doctor is, he blames the victim of his adulterous crime (and the man who by his own admission had saved his life) to the point of actually considering him some sort of a devil. Everyone, including the narrator and (when talking to other people) Chillingworth himself assumes that he is doing everything for the very worst of reasons. But if you look at what he actually does and not the supposed "why"s he comes across like an extremely gentle and self-sacrificing person. Dimmesdale on the other hand who has the sympathy of the narrator, Hester and all of Boston, is extremely hypocritcal in participating in the public shaming of Hester, even pretending to try to make her give away the name of her lover. He neither has the courage to confess and face the consequences, nor to take his secret to the grave. Choosing the most cowardly possible solution [[spoiler: he waits until he only has seconds left to live to confess.]]
to:
* ProtagonistCenteredMorality: a particularly blatant example. The antagonist Chillingworth has made considerable personal sacrifices to achieve the level of medical knowledge he possesses. Living with the Indians and trying to find out their medicine would be dangerous and uncomfortable at best for an old man. When Chillingworth comes home to see his wife (and indirectly himself) publicly shamed, he comforts Hester, medicates her and her daughter (not his child) and expressly states that he is as much to blame as poor Hester because an old boring person like him should have known better than to marry a young lively woman no matter how much in love he was. He does state that he thinks her partner in crime should bear the shame too, but does not press Hester as to who he is. This is very generous behaviour under the circumstances in my opinion. He acts very kindly towards the degenerate priest, Dimmesdale one of the protagonists and the person who made the unfortunate Hester pregnant. Dimmesdale expressly admits that Chillingworth has saved his life through his medicine. Chillingworth correctly insists that Dimmesdale will never fully recover until he relieves himself of whatever is weighing his heart. [[spoiler: When Hester asks to be relieved of her promise to secrecy, he kindly grants that too. At the end of the story, he posthumously gives all his money to Pearl, Hester and Dimmesdale's daughter despite knowing she is not his daughter. Only now do we get to know that he was rich. He could have lived a good, pleasant life from his money, but he choose to develop medical skill and use it to serve the citizens of Boston.]] The Puritans of Boston seem ungrateful for having a man who has put so much effort into becoming a great doctor for them and seem to interpret everything he does in the worst possible light. Even accusing him of witchcraft. Hester is certainly not grateful for Chillingworth’s forgiving attitude towards her. She expressly states that she hates him. When Dimmesdale realises who his doctor is, he blames the victim of his adulterous crime (and the man who by his own admission had saved his life) to the point of actually considering him some sort of a devil. Everyone, including the narrator and (when talking to other people) Chillingworth himself assumes that he is doing everything for the very worst of reasons. But if you look at what he actually does and not the supposed "why"s he comes across like an extremely gentle and self-sacrificing person. Dimmesdale on the other hand hand, who obviously has the sympathy of the narrator, Hester and all of Boston, is extremely hypocritcal in participating in the public shaming of Hester, even pretending to try to make her give away the name of her lover. He neither has the courage to confess and face the consequences, nor to take his secret to the grave. Choosing the most cowardly possible solution [[spoiler: he waits until he only has seconds left to live to confess.]]
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
Unreliable narrator
Changed line(s) 76 (click to see context) from:
* UnreliableNarrator: According to the preface, the narrator is basing his novel is based on a historical record. Obviously he is making most of it up, including almost all of the dialogue, [[spoiler: since all the eyewitnesses to these meetings are dead by the end of the novel.]] The narrator obviously takes Dimmesdale's and Hester's side and interprets everything Chillingworth says and does in the worst possible light.
to:
* UnreliableNarrator: According to the preface, the narrator is basing his novel is based on a historical record. Obviously he is making most of it up, including almost all of the dialogue, [[spoiler: since all the eyewitnesses to these meetings are dead by the end of the novel.]] The narrator obviously takes Dimmesdale's and Hester's side and interprets everything Chillingworth says and does in the worst possible light. It sure makes the reader wonder what the historical record "actually" (it doesn't exist in real life of course) said and in turn what "actually" happened, but it is probably very far from the novel.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
Unreliable narrator
Added DiffLines:
* UnreliableNarrator: According to the preface, the narrator is basing his novel is based on a historical record. Obviously he is making most of it up, including almost all of the dialogue, [[spoiler: since all the eyewitnesses to these meetings are dead by the end of the novel.]] The narrator obviously takes Dimmesdale's and Hester's side and interprets everything Chillingworth says and does in the worst possible light.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
Protagonist centered morality
Added DiffLines:
* ProtagonistCenteredMorality: a particularly blatant example. The antagonist Chillingworth has made considerable personal sacrifices to achieve the level of medical knowledge he possesses. Living with the Indians and trying to find out their medicine would be dangerous and uncomfortable at best for an old man. When Chillingworth comes home to see his wife (and indirectly himself) publicly shamed, he comforts Hester, medicates her and her daughter (not his child) and expressly states that he is as much to blame as poor Hester because an old boring person like him should have known better than to marry a young lively woman no matter how much in love he was. He does state that he thinks her partner in crime should bear the shame too, but does not press Hester as to who he is. This is very generous behaviour under the circumstances in my opinion. He acts very kindly towards the degenerate priest, Dimmesdale one of the protagonists and the person who made the unfortunate Hester pregnant. Dimmesdale expressly admits that Chillingworth has saved his life through his medicine. Chillingworth correctly insists that Dimmesdale will never fully recover until he relieves himself of whatever is weighing his heart. [[spoiler: When Hester asks to be relieved of her promise to secrecy, he kindly grants that too. At the end of the story, he posthumously gives all his money to Pearl, Hester and Dimmesdale's daughter despite knowing she is not his daughter. Only now do we get to know that he was rich. He could have lived a good, pleasant life from his money, but he choose to develop medical skill and use it to serve the citizens of Boston.]] The Puritans of Boston seem ungrateful for having a man who has put so much effort into becoming a great doctor for them and seem to interpret everything he does in the worst possible light. Even accusing him of witchcraft. Hester is certainly not grateful for Chillingworth’s forgiving attitude towards her. She expressly states that she hates him. When Dimmesdale realises who his doctor is, he blames the victim of his adulterous crime (and the man who by his own admission had saved his life) to the point of actually considering him some sort of a devil. Everyone, including the narrator and (when talking to other people) Chillingworth himself assumes that he is doing everything for the very worst of reasons. But if you look at what he actually does and not the supposed "why"s he comes across like an extremely gentle and self-sacrificing person. Dimmesdale on the other hand who has the sympathy of the narrator, Hester and all of Boston, is extremely hypocritcal in participating in the public shaming of Hester, even pretending to try to make her give away the name of her lover. He neither has the courage to confess and face the consequences, nor to take his secret to the grave. Choosing the most cowardly possible solution [[spoiler: he waits until he only has seconds left to live to confess.]]
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
Whoops! Didn\'t notice the entry already there.
Deleted line(s) 32 (click to see context) :
* DeathEqualRedemption: [[spoiler: For Dimmesdale]]. This interpretation also applies to [[spoiler: Chillingworth who dies leaving Pearl his fortune.]]
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 32 (click to see context) from:
* DeathEqualRemdemption: [[spoiler: For Dimmesdale]]. This interpretation also applies to [[spoiler: Chillingworth who dies leaving Pearl his fortune.]]
to:
* DeathEqualRemdemption: DeathEqualRedemption: [[spoiler: For Dimmesdale]]. This interpretation also applies to [[spoiler: Chillingworth who dies leaving Pearl his fortune.]]
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* DeathEqualRemdemption: [[spoiler: For Dimmesdale]]. This interpretation also applies to [[spoiler: Chillingworth who dies leaving Pearl his fortune.]]
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* AbsenceMakesTheHeartGoYonder: Chillingworth was separated from Hester for a very long time, and she figured he was dead, falling into the arms (and bed) of Rev. Dimmesdale. It turns out she was wrong; her husband is very much alive...and [[GreenEyedMonster jealous and vengeful]]. (He never reconciles with her, though.)
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Deleted line(s) 63 (click to see context) :
* PsychoticLover: Chillingworth.
* {{Yandere}}: Chillingworth
Deleted line(s) 80 (click to see context) :
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 5,6 (click to see context) from:
''The Scarlet Letter'' is a romance written by 19th-century author Nathaniel Hawthorne. It was adapted into a very good silent movie in 1926 with LillianGish, and a very bad 1995 film with DemiMoore cast as Hester.
to:
''The Scarlet Letter'' is a romance written by 19th-century author Nathaniel Hawthorne. It was adapted into a very good silent movie in 1926 with LillianGish, and a very bad 1995 film with DemiMoore Creator/DemiMoore cast as Hester.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
* PsychoticLover: Chillingworth.
Deleted line(s) 78 (click to see context) :
* {{Yandere}}: Chillingworth.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
Vandalism clean-up.
Changed line(s) 16,17 (click to see context) from:
!!This book contains examples of:
to:
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 16,17 (click to see context) from:
!This book contains examples of:
to:
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
No Circular Links.
''The Scarlet Letter'' is a romance written by 19th-century author Nathaniel Hawthorne. It was adapted into a very good silent movie in 1926 with LillianGish, and a very bad 1995 film with DemiMoore cast as Hester.
Deleted line(s) 13,14 (click to see context) :
''TheScarletLetter'' is a romance written by 19th-century author Nathaniel Hawthorne. It was adapted into a very good silent movie in 1926 with LillianGish, and a very bad 1995 film with DemiMoore cast as Hester.
Changed line(s) 16 (click to see context) from:
!! ''TheScarletLetter'' contains examples of:
to:
Added DiffLines:
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
Moving this to YMMV
Deleted line(s) 73,76 (click to see context) :
* VictorianNovelDisease: Dimmesdale and his illness.
* WhatDoYouMeanItsNotSymbolic: Pearl. Then again, this ''is'' a classic...
** It is commonly taught in English classes the country over that the chapter "A Flood of Sunshine" is, in fact, one long literary metaphor for sex. Considering lines like, "All at once, as with a sudden smile of heaven, forth burst the sunshine, pouring a very flood into the obscure forest..." - well, is it any wonder?
** "[[UnusualEuphemism A Flood of Sunshine]]"?
* WhatDoYouMeanItsNotSymbolic: Pearl. Then again, this ''is'' a classic...
** It is commonly taught in English classes the country over that the chapter "A Flood of Sunshine" is, in fact, one long literary metaphor for sex. Considering lines like, "All at once, as with a sudden smile of heaven, forth burst the sunshine, pouring a very flood into the obscure forest..." - well, is it any wonder?
** "[[UnusualEuphemism A Flood of Sunshine]]"?
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Deleted line(s) 32 (click to see context) :
** Dozerfleet Comics adaptations / fanfics about Hester's life take this UpToEleven.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
* BabiesEverAfter: [[spoiler: When Pearl grows up, she has a child of her own.]]
Changed line(s) 63 (click to see context) from:
* RedemptionEqualsDeath: [[spoiler:Dimmesdale finally mans up and reveals the "A" seared onto his chest, admitting to his adultery with Hester, as he finally succumbs to his heart condition.]]
to:
* RedemptionEqualsDeath: [[spoiler:Dimmesdale finally mans up and reveals the "A" seared onto his chest, admitting to his adultery with Hester, as he finally succumbs to his heart condition. There's a possible case of this with Chillingworth. Although he died because he no longer had Dimmesdale to torment, he leaves Pearl a fortune. ]]
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 58 (click to see context) from:
* MorallyAmbiguousDoctorate: Chillingworth
to:
* MorallyAmbiguousDoctorate: ChillingworthChillingworth. He [[spoiler:poisons the man he's supposed to be treating as revenge for being cuckolded]], which is definitely in violation of the Hippocratic Oath.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* YourCheatingHeart: Hester was already married when she slept with Dimmesdale. The husband later shows up and finds out, and the plot unfolds from there.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
** Dimmesdale's life is dimmed by his guilt.
** Chillingworth has a very chilling personality.
** Chillingworth has a very chilling personality.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
moved to namespace
Added DiffLines:
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/9780143105442_2773.jpg]]
No, not the little red "x" that means a picture link is broken.
It's 17th-century Puritan Massachusetts. Life is difficult to eke out in a strange and hostile New World. Among a community that adheres to a strict faith, Hester Prynne, a young Englishwoman sent to the colonies ahead of her much older husband (whose whereabouts are unknown), has had a child out of wedlock. Released from prison two months after the shameful birth, she refuses to disclose the name of the child's father. As punishment, the Puritans force her to wear a [[TitleDrop scarlet letter]] on her breast: [[color:#ff2400:A]], for adulteress.
Humiliated and ostracized, Hester raises Pearl, the child of her love affair. Throughout the book, we receive hints that Pearl may not be entirely human. Her demonic leanings do not go unnoticed by Hester, nor by the community at large.
On the day on which Hester receives her scarlet letter, another surprise appears: Roger Chillingworth, Hester's long-lost husband. Chillingworth arrives in the settlement and takes up residence with Arthur Dimmesdale, the local minister, and begins to prey on him.
So begins a series of dark transformations in a tale of guilt, remorse, and human weakness.
''TheScarletLetter'' is a romance written by 19th-century author Nathaniel Hawthorne. It was adapted into a very good silent movie in 1926 with LillianGish, and a very bad 1995 film with DemiMoore cast as Hester.
----
!! ''TheScarletLetter'' contains examples of:
* AllOfTheOtherReindeer: Played straight, then averted. Although Hester is never again welcomed by the community after her disgrace, she works hard and thanklessly to provide for and help anyone in need in the community, to the point where people start to say that her "A" stands for "able" or "admirable" -- although Hester herself never forgets what it really means.
* AuthorVocabularyCalendar: "Ignominy," "ignominious"
* BatmanGambit: Orchestrated by Chillingworth to coerce Dimmesdale into [[spoiler:admitting he's Pearl's father]].
* BeautyEqualsGoodness: Played with. Hester is at her most beautiful when she's at her best spiritually. Dimmesdale becomes less and less healthy, and thus less beautiful, as he descends into madness. Chillingworth is ugly at the start, and becomes hideous by the end.
* BurnTheWitch
* CannotSpitItOut
* CassandraTruth: At one point, Pearl suggests that [[spoiler:Hester wears the scarlet letter for the same reason Dimmesdale keeps his hand over his heart]]. Hester thinks this is absurd, but later it is revealed that [[spoiler:Dimmesdale has tortured himself by searing a letter "A" over his heart, implying that he ''is'' Pearl's father.]]
* TheColonialPeriod: See page description.
* ComeToGawk
* CreepyChild: Pearl, most definitely.
* DaydreamSurprise: In "The Minister's Vigil", the author makes it seem like Dimmesdale had spoken to Wilson, but then he reveals it was only in his imagination.
* DeathByDespair: [[spoiler:With Dimmesdale, the man he has been tormenting for seven years, dead but redeemed by confessing to his sin publicly, thus foiling his plans once and for all, Chillingworth loses the only thing that keeps him going -- the need for revenge -- and soon dies before the year ended.]]
* DefiledForever: Hester never stops blaming herself for what she did, even if she does earn the respect of the town back; [[spoiler:Dimmesdale]] tortures himself physically and mentally over the guilt; even their daughter, Pearl, is described in terms of a demon or monster because [[HeroicBastard she was born of sin]].
* {{Disneyfication}}: The movie.
** Dozerfleet Comics adaptations / fanfics about Hester's life take this UpToEleven.
* DoubleStandard: Examined -- Hester takes the rap for committing adultery [[spoiler:as Dimmesdale stands free, but not from his conscience]]. After all, signs of adultery were... more visible in a woman.
* EvilMakeover: Chillingworth makes an apparent transformation after Hester's cheating on him.
* {{Foreshadowing}}: Dimmesdale's speech to Hester in the first chapter.
** And this in the fourth chapter:
-->'''Hester:''' "Hast thou enticed me into a bond that will prove the ruin of my soul?"\\
'''Chillingworth:''' ''[[EvilGrin (smiles)]]'' "Not thy soul... No, not thine!"
* FourTemperamentEnsemble: Loose, but it works -- Hester is Phlegmatic, Dimmesdale is Melancholic, Chillingworth is Choleric, and Pearl is Sanguine.
* FramingDevice
* GossipyHens: The group of women who talk while Hester is in jail.
* HaveAGayOldTime: Hawthorne uses the word "intercourse" and "ejaculate" like this several times.
* HeroicBastard: Pearl
* HeterosexualLifePartners: In order to treat Dimmesdale effectively, Chillingworth must share a house with him and become "intimate" friends with him. [[spoiler:The latter also uses it to blackmail Dimmesdale into admitting to his sin.]]
* HourglassPlot
* IgnoredEpiphany: At one point, Chillingworth has a moment of realization as how low he's sunk in his quest for vengeance. He keeps going.
* LastSecondChance: Post-IgnoredEpiphany, Hester to Chillingworth.
* LettingHerHairDown: Hester taking off her bonnet in the forest scene.
* LiteraryAgentHypothesis: See above.
* LivingWithTheVillain: Chillingworth with Dimmesdale.
* LouisCypher: The Black Man (as in a supernatural man who is completely black and not a man who is native to Africa or Australia).
* MarkOfShame: The eponymous scarlet letter.
* MayDecemberRomance: Hester and Chillingworth had a marriage of this at the very least.
* MaybeMagicMaybeMundane: There's a recent theory that [[spoiler:Dimmesdale was being poisoned by Chillingworth]] with two poisonous plants mentioned in the novel -- henbane and deadly nightshade. Both contain scopolamine and atropine, poisons used by Native Americans which can cause cardiac irregularities, hallucinations, lack of coordination and voice changes; the former causes a deep, distinctive sleep and suggestibility, while the latter causes pupil dilation and chest rashes. Coincidence? Maybe, but Hawthorne published a short story six months before this that uses atropine, and his wife was treated with scopolamine and had that sleep. Since he also had a pretty strong interest in botany, he knew what plants would've produced the poisons. Also, some people in the novel attributed [[spoiler:the letter on Dimmesdale's chest]] to divine retribution; some believed that he did it to himself out of guilt, and some believed Chillingworth did it to him by means of dark magic and/or poisons. Hawthorne explicitly states that no one can know and leaves it to the reader to decide.
* MeaningfulName: Pearl is named after a scripture passage which tells of a man who sells everything that he has to buy one pearl of superb value.
* MindRape: Chillingworth's modus operandi. After figuring out who impregnated his estranged wife, he adopts a fake identity, convinces the guy to move in with him and spends the next ''seven years'' messing with him psychologically (and maybe medically) to torture him with guilt, while also going to great efforts to keep him healthy enough to keep him from prematurely dying.
* MorallyAmbiguousDoctorate: Chillingworth
* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: Roger Chillingworth. Creepy much?
* NeverLiveItDown: InUniverse, this is the point of the scarlet "A" Hester has to wear [[spoiler:and the "A" seared onto Dimmesdale's chest]].
* ThePenance
* {{Revenge}}
* RedemptionEqualsDeath: [[spoiler:Dimmesdale finally mans up and reveals the "A" seared onto his chest, admitting to his adultery with Hester, as he finally succumbs to his heart condition.]]
* RedEyesTakeWarning: Chillingworth
* {{Retraux}}: 17th-century setting, 17th-century writing style, 19th-century author. A lot of American high school English classes that try to cover every major American literary movement use this book as a substitute for actual 17th-century texts.
* ReformedButRejected: Double subversion. Hester ''does'' regain the respect of the community by continuously being charitable and a hard worker in spite of her sin, so much so the magistrate thought of allowing her to remove it. Even so, Hester feels that society shouldn't claim her back and that she must find her own way of dealing with her sin.
* SlutShaming: Half the story.
* SugarAndIcePersonality: Hester very rarely shows emotion in day-to-day life, but that doesn't mean she's not full of passion.
* TakeOurWordForIt: Dimmesdale's sermon.
* TalkAboutTheWeather: What [[spoiler:Hester and Dimmesdale]] first do when they meet in the forest.
* TogetherInDeath: [[spoiler:Hester is hinted to have been buried alongside Dimmesdale.]]
-->''(Grave inscription)'' "On a field, sable, the letter A gules"
* VictorianNovelDisease: Dimmesdale and his illness.
* WhatDoYouMeanItsNotSymbolic: Pearl. Then again, this ''is'' a classic...
** It is commonly taught in English classes the country over that the chapter "A Flood of Sunshine" is, in fact, one long literary metaphor for sex. Considering lines like, "All at once, as with a sudden smile of heaven, forth burst the sunshine, pouring a very flood into the obscure forest..." - well, is it any wonder?
** "[[UnusualEuphemism A Flood of Sunshine]]"?
* WhereAreTheyNowEpilogue: [[spoiler:The main narrative ends with Dimmesdale's death. A year after that, Chillingworth, forever denied his revenge, dies a shriveled shell of his old self. Hester and Pearl leave for Europe, but the former later returns to Boston to continue her charitable work, while occasionally receiving letters from Pearl, who has apparently married a European nobleman and has since inherited Chillingworth's property. Eventually Hester is finally being forgiven for her sin, and upon her death was apparently buried alongside Dimmesdale.]]
* WiseBeyondTheirYears: Pearl.
** Although this could be simply because Nathaniel Hawthorne did not know a whole lot about children when he wrote this novel. Her unusual sense of perception is obviously deliberate, but she was also walking and talking long before she should have been. Nathaniel's first child, Una, died young, is reputed to be the inspiration for Pearl. Equally, as mentioned, it's implied that Pearl may not be completely human.
** "[[SesquipedalianLoquaciousness Behold, verily,]] there is the woman of the scarlet letter; and of a truth, moreover, there is the likeness of the scarlet letter running along by her side! Come, therefore, and let us fling mud at them!"
* {{Yandere}}: Chillingworth.
----
No, not the little red "x" that means a picture link is broken.
It's 17th-century Puritan Massachusetts. Life is difficult to eke out in a strange and hostile New World. Among a community that adheres to a strict faith, Hester Prynne, a young Englishwoman sent to the colonies ahead of her much older husband (whose whereabouts are unknown), has had a child out of wedlock. Released from prison two months after the shameful birth, she refuses to disclose the name of the child's father. As punishment, the Puritans force her to wear a [[TitleDrop scarlet letter]] on her breast: [[color:#ff2400:A]], for adulteress.
Humiliated and ostracized, Hester raises Pearl, the child of her love affair. Throughout the book, we receive hints that Pearl may not be entirely human. Her demonic leanings do not go unnoticed by Hester, nor by the community at large.
On the day on which Hester receives her scarlet letter, another surprise appears: Roger Chillingworth, Hester's long-lost husband. Chillingworth arrives in the settlement and takes up residence with Arthur Dimmesdale, the local minister, and begins to prey on him.
So begins a series of dark transformations in a tale of guilt, remorse, and human weakness.
''TheScarletLetter'' is a romance written by 19th-century author Nathaniel Hawthorne. It was adapted into a very good silent movie in 1926 with LillianGish, and a very bad 1995 film with DemiMoore cast as Hester.
----
!! ''TheScarletLetter'' contains examples of:
* AllOfTheOtherReindeer: Played straight, then averted. Although Hester is never again welcomed by the community after her disgrace, she works hard and thanklessly to provide for and help anyone in need in the community, to the point where people start to say that her "A" stands for "able" or "admirable" -- although Hester herself never forgets what it really means.
* AuthorVocabularyCalendar: "Ignominy," "ignominious"
* BatmanGambit: Orchestrated by Chillingworth to coerce Dimmesdale into [[spoiler:admitting he's Pearl's father]].
* BeautyEqualsGoodness: Played with. Hester is at her most beautiful when she's at her best spiritually. Dimmesdale becomes less and less healthy, and thus less beautiful, as he descends into madness. Chillingworth is ugly at the start, and becomes hideous by the end.
* BurnTheWitch
* CannotSpitItOut
* CassandraTruth: At one point, Pearl suggests that [[spoiler:Hester wears the scarlet letter for the same reason Dimmesdale keeps his hand over his heart]]. Hester thinks this is absurd, but later it is revealed that [[spoiler:Dimmesdale has tortured himself by searing a letter "A" over his heart, implying that he ''is'' Pearl's father.]]
* TheColonialPeriod: See page description.
* ComeToGawk
* CreepyChild: Pearl, most definitely.
* DaydreamSurprise: In "The Minister's Vigil", the author makes it seem like Dimmesdale had spoken to Wilson, but then he reveals it was only in his imagination.
* DeathByDespair: [[spoiler:With Dimmesdale, the man he has been tormenting for seven years, dead but redeemed by confessing to his sin publicly, thus foiling his plans once and for all, Chillingworth loses the only thing that keeps him going -- the need for revenge -- and soon dies before the year ended.]]
* DefiledForever: Hester never stops blaming herself for what she did, even if she does earn the respect of the town back; [[spoiler:Dimmesdale]] tortures himself physically and mentally over the guilt; even their daughter, Pearl, is described in terms of a demon or monster because [[HeroicBastard she was born of sin]].
* {{Disneyfication}}: The movie.
** Dozerfleet Comics adaptations / fanfics about Hester's life take this UpToEleven.
* DoubleStandard: Examined -- Hester takes the rap for committing adultery [[spoiler:as Dimmesdale stands free, but not from his conscience]]. After all, signs of adultery were... more visible in a woman.
* EvilMakeover: Chillingworth makes an apparent transformation after Hester's cheating on him.
* {{Foreshadowing}}: Dimmesdale's speech to Hester in the first chapter.
** And this in the fourth chapter:
-->'''Hester:''' "Hast thou enticed me into a bond that will prove the ruin of my soul?"\\
'''Chillingworth:''' ''[[EvilGrin (smiles)]]'' "Not thy soul... No, not thine!"
* FourTemperamentEnsemble: Loose, but it works -- Hester is Phlegmatic, Dimmesdale is Melancholic, Chillingworth is Choleric, and Pearl is Sanguine.
* FramingDevice
* GossipyHens: The group of women who talk while Hester is in jail.
* HaveAGayOldTime: Hawthorne uses the word "intercourse" and "ejaculate" like this several times.
* HeroicBastard: Pearl
* HeterosexualLifePartners: In order to treat Dimmesdale effectively, Chillingworth must share a house with him and become "intimate" friends with him. [[spoiler:The latter also uses it to blackmail Dimmesdale into admitting to his sin.]]
* HourglassPlot
* IgnoredEpiphany: At one point, Chillingworth has a moment of realization as how low he's sunk in his quest for vengeance. He keeps going.
* LastSecondChance: Post-IgnoredEpiphany, Hester to Chillingworth.
* LettingHerHairDown: Hester taking off her bonnet in the forest scene.
* LiteraryAgentHypothesis: See above.
* LivingWithTheVillain: Chillingworth with Dimmesdale.
* LouisCypher: The Black Man (as in a supernatural man who is completely black and not a man who is native to Africa or Australia).
* MarkOfShame: The eponymous scarlet letter.
* MayDecemberRomance: Hester and Chillingworth had a marriage of this at the very least.
* MaybeMagicMaybeMundane: There's a recent theory that [[spoiler:Dimmesdale was being poisoned by Chillingworth]] with two poisonous plants mentioned in the novel -- henbane and deadly nightshade. Both contain scopolamine and atropine, poisons used by Native Americans which can cause cardiac irregularities, hallucinations, lack of coordination and voice changes; the former causes a deep, distinctive sleep and suggestibility, while the latter causes pupil dilation and chest rashes. Coincidence? Maybe, but Hawthorne published a short story six months before this that uses atropine, and his wife was treated with scopolamine and had that sleep. Since he also had a pretty strong interest in botany, he knew what plants would've produced the poisons. Also, some people in the novel attributed [[spoiler:the letter on Dimmesdale's chest]] to divine retribution; some believed that he did it to himself out of guilt, and some believed Chillingworth did it to him by means of dark magic and/or poisons. Hawthorne explicitly states that no one can know and leaves it to the reader to decide.
* MeaningfulName: Pearl is named after a scripture passage which tells of a man who sells everything that he has to buy one pearl of superb value.
* MindRape: Chillingworth's modus operandi. After figuring out who impregnated his estranged wife, he adopts a fake identity, convinces the guy to move in with him and spends the next ''seven years'' messing with him psychologically (and maybe medically) to torture him with guilt, while also going to great efforts to keep him healthy enough to keep him from prematurely dying.
* MorallyAmbiguousDoctorate: Chillingworth
* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: Roger Chillingworth. Creepy much?
* NeverLiveItDown: InUniverse, this is the point of the scarlet "A" Hester has to wear [[spoiler:and the "A" seared onto Dimmesdale's chest]].
* ThePenance
* {{Revenge}}
* RedemptionEqualsDeath: [[spoiler:Dimmesdale finally mans up and reveals the "A" seared onto his chest, admitting to his adultery with Hester, as he finally succumbs to his heart condition.]]
* RedEyesTakeWarning: Chillingworth
* {{Retraux}}: 17th-century setting, 17th-century writing style, 19th-century author. A lot of American high school English classes that try to cover every major American literary movement use this book as a substitute for actual 17th-century texts.
* ReformedButRejected: Double subversion. Hester ''does'' regain the respect of the community by continuously being charitable and a hard worker in spite of her sin, so much so the magistrate thought of allowing her to remove it. Even so, Hester feels that society shouldn't claim her back and that she must find her own way of dealing with her sin.
* SlutShaming: Half the story.
* SugarAndIcePersonality: Hester very rarely shows emotion in day-to-day life, but that doesn't mean she's not full of passion.
* TakeOurWordForIt: Dimmesdale's sermon.
* TalkAboutTheWeather: What [[spoiler:Hester and Dimmesdale]] first do when they meet in the forest.
* TogetherInDeath: [[spoiler:Hester is hinted to have been buried alongside Dimmesdale.]]
-->''(Grave inscription)'' "On a field, sable, the letter A gules"
* VictorianNovelDisease: Dimmesdale and his illness.
* WhatDoYouMeanItsNotSymbolic: Pearl. Then again, this ''is'' a classic...
** It is commonly taught in English classes the country over that the chapter "A Flood of Sunshine" is, in fact, one long literary metaphor for sex. Considering lines like, "All at once, as with a sudden smile of heaven, forth burst the sunshine, pouring a very flood into the obscure forest..." - well, is it any wonder?
** "[[UnusualEuphemism A Flood of Sunshine]]"?
* WhereAreTheyNowEpilogue: [[spoiler:The main narrative ends with Dimmesdale's death. A year after that, Chillingworth, forever denied his revenge, dies a shriveled shell of his old self. Hester and Pearl leave for Europe, but the former later returns to Boston to continue her charitable work, while occasionally receiving letters from Pearl, who has apparently married a European nobleman and has since inherited Chillingworth's property. Eventually Hester is finally being forgiven for her sin, and upon her death was apparently buried alongside Dimmesdale.]]
* WiseBeyondTheirYears: Pearl.
** Although this could be simply because Nathaniel Hawthorne did not know a whole lot about children when he wrote this novel. Her unusual sense of perception is obviously deliberate, but she was also walking and talking long before she should have been. Nathaniel's first child, Una, died young, is reputed to be the inspiration for Pearl. Equally, as mentioned, it's implied that Pearl may not be completely human.
** "[[SesquipedalianLoquaciousness Behold, verily,]] there is the woman of the scarlet letter; and of a truth, moreover, there is the likeness of the scarlet letter running along by her side! Come, therefore, and let us fling mud at them!"
* {{Yandere}}: Chillingworth.
----
