The Scarlet Letter - Group 2 Diction

The Scarlet Letter- Group 2 Chapter 6-10
Diction
Hawthorne’s writing in the Scarlet Letter has a fairly denotative formal style. His use of
polysyllabilic diction with an abundance of symbolism conveys a dark, serious mood that
highlights Pearl’s, Bellingham’s, Hester’s, Dimmesdale’s, and Chillingworth’s individual
characteristics, emphasizes imagery, and communicates Hawthorne’s own regrets and
reflections of hidden sins of the human heart.
Upon describing Pearl in Chapter 6, Hawthorne chooses diction that highlights her beauty
and radiance: “luxuriance” “brilliant” “luster” “white”, connoting a “pearl” like appearance;
yet he juxtaposes this bright, innocent diction with “wild” “elf” “flightiness” to demonstrate
Pearl as a impish being. Throughout the book, Pearl is depicted through earthly and spiritual
matters, or in a more symbolic sense, a balance between light and dark, hope and sins.
Hawthorne also describes her in a “fiery luster” further supporting the demonic (reminders
of fire and red) yet beautiful (gold and light) Pearl. Hawthorne’s use of double entendre
presides through the story; for example, “rays” could mean a beam but can also connote
light.
“Hester could only account for the child's character—and even then most vaguely and
imperfectly—by recalling what she herself had been, during that momentous period while
Pearl was imbibing her soul from the spiritual world, and her bodily frame from its
material of earth. The mother's impassioned state had been the medium through which
were transmitted to the unborn infant the rays of its moral life; and, however white and
clear originally, they had taken the deep stains of crimson and gold, the fiery lustre, the
black shadow, and the untempered light, of the intervening substance.” (Chapter 6, pg
94)
Hester’s character is almost always paired with “passion” and is so through her love for
Pearl yet she is also repressed because of sin through the Scarlet Letter. Hawthorne uses a
wicked and torturous diction to describe Hester and her guilt. He is able to materialize the
guilt through using concrete language such as “brain” instead of mind in order to associate
it better with the reader. By using formal polysyllabilic diction throughout the book,
Hawthorne is able to present a serious tone with a darkening mood, reflecting the personal
sins of each character. The diction of speech with each character demonstrates the time
period and strict, Puritan traditions.
“As if the red ignominy were so deeply scorched into her brain that all her conceptions
lavishing many hours of morbid ingenuity to create a analogy between the object of her
affection and the emblem of her guilt and torture.” (Chapter 7, pg 105)
Governor Bellingham’s character is interpreted as lawful “rigid and severe”. Through the
serious governmental diction in Chapter 8 his highly position is established in wisdom and
duty. Upon meeting with Hester and Pearl however, Hawthorne’s diction changes in Hester’s
language into regrets and exclamation once again juxtaposing his words to present the
treasuring yet tortured Hester. “He gave her in requital of all things else, which ye had
taken from me. She is my happiness! –She is my torture, none the less!” (Chapter 8, pg
116)These exclamations continue Hester’s impassioned expressions for her sins and love of
Pearl.
He also presents distinction between “earthly” and “spiritual” of which Dimmesdale and
Chillingworth may represent. In Dimmesdale’s mournings, Hawthorne uses them
distinctively but also ambiguously as “eternal state”, foreshadowing Dimmesdale’s crimes
and sins against Hester. By using “buried” and “grave”, Hawthorne implements a serious
tone, yet also provides Dimmesdale’s hopelessness in trying to “bury” his past with his
body, instead of corrupting his spirit.
“I could be well content, that my labours, and my sorrows, and my sins, and my pains,
should shortly end with me, and what is earthly of them be buried in my grave, and the
spiritual go with me to my eternal state, rather than that you should put your skill to the
proof in my behalf.”
While Dimmesdale is depicted as “revered” to the townspeople, Hawthorn’s use of diction
shows his guilt, and presents irony in the ignorant minds of the townspeople to sin in their
own minister in comparisons to Chillingworth, who’s sin presides in his ambitious hunt for
Hester’s offender with “eyes burning blue and ominous… like on of those gleams of a
ghastly fire”, as Hawthorne relates it to a “dark miner”, creating a dark cynical mood leading
to Chillingworth’s inner vengeance.

The Scarlet Letter - Group 2 Diction

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

The Scarlet Letter - Group 2 Diction

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

The Scarlet Letter - Group 2 Diction

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

The Scarlet Letter- Group 2 Chapter 6-10

You might also like