What would be a good personal reaction to the book 'The Scarlet Letter" by Nathaniel Hawthorne?

Question

I've been working on the essay paper and am stuck on what to write. If you have read the book what would you say if you were asked to do a personal reaction?

Answer 1

"insanity" lol. umm..i'd say that this book just shows that true love feelings are inferior to the rules of society.  this whole book was basically written to show mystery and fear, and that sense of questioning, with the little girl as the symbol of innocence yet still evil. there is so much sympathy given to the lady with teh scarlet letter because, she was basically shunned from society, but she still, helped people out, she was a good person. i guess overall this book just gives me frustration, how life isnt always what it seems, and it can be so unfair, to have your loved one right there, but you cant show that and you cant let anyone else know. its also frustrating how the father of the child just decides to keep it a secret, to not even tell anyonee until the end..and when he finally says it..he dies. thats like cowardness right there. ok..theres my reaction. ^_^

Answer 2

i'd talk about how i was outraged by how different our societies are

from today's and back then and what was considered socially acceptable or unacceptable

and what people were ostracized for

but we accept that now

it's just a normal human instinct to look at the scarlett letter like that, i think

another way would be to claim sympathy for the woman

etc

Answer 3

i had to write a paper on this novel last year and the prompt was to identify a theme, which is similar to a personal reaction.

i wrote a 7 page essay about the effects of public opinion.

in the scarlet letter, hawthorne demonstrates the influence that public opinion has on an individual as various characters in the book allow it to consume their lives. Take, for instance, Hester, who endures the suffering the community imposes for her sin while Dimmesdale imposes his own suffering because he cannot bear to reveal his sin to the community. Chillingworht hides behind a coat of deceit as he refuses to reveal his true identity due to what the public may think. Pearl's isolation from Puritan society and the mocking of the kids leads to a detachment and aggressive behavior on her part. This is all because the characters constantly ALLOW public opinion to dig their claws into their lives and torment them.

you can relate this to modern society by mentioning how at school kids care about what other kids wear, and who they hang out with as well as many other things. And these kids allow that to affect their performance and happiness at school. The opinions of others should not be allowed to consume anyone's lives. It should only be used for beneficial reasons.

Hawthrone teaches us not to let the opinion of others influence our lives as he demonstrates the negative affects this causes through the characters. the scarlet letter ultimately demonstrates that public opinion is not the most important opinion. what matters most is one's own opinion.

if u have further questions or need examples/ quotes from the book to back this up, i may be able to help.

just add me or something.