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3.19 AVERAGE
3.19 AVERAGE
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Dimmesdale, bro, get it together.
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I must first say that I accidentally marked this as 4 stars, when I meant to mark it as 3.
That aside, The Scarlet Letter is perhaps Hawthorne's most famous work, being adapted and referenced by the likes of Taylor Swift, and a movie featuring Emma Stone. And for good reason: it is an emotional, raw text exploring and critiquing morality, asking the question of who is truly able to judge. Hawthorne presents this through the Puritans of 17th century Boston, a society which, despite viewing God as the ultimate judge and arbiter, see themselves fit to act as such.
The story is not lacking in complex characters, namely Hester and Dimmesdale, and the ever-mysterious and unknowable Pearl. However, I feel that Hawthorne did not spend enough time exploring these characters. Being a rather short book, Hawthorne seems to give the reader some deeper exploration into the psyche and experiences of the characters but did not give enough to truly flesh them out. He would give enough that moved the plot along, but not enough to create a more complete image of a character. For example, he describes Hester's gradual change over time, but I believe that the story would rather have benefitted from more concrete examples of such change. Same goes for Dimmesdale, but less for Pearl, given her age.
Overall, The Scarlet Letter's major flaw is, in my opinion, pacing and length. The premise of the story is extremely interesting, and the characters are complex, with captivating motives and internal struggles. But the pacing of the book moves too quickly, with the first and last third of the book moving at a pace that I find too quick. Had this been longer, and more thought went towards further expanding on the characters, this would perhaps warrant a 4.
Alas.
That aside, The Scarlet Letter is perhaps Hawthorne's most famous work, being adapted and referenced by the likes of Taylor Swift, and a movie featuring Emma Stone. And for good reason: it is an emotional, raw text exploring and critiquing morality, asking the question of who is truly able to judge. Hawthorne presents this through the Puritans of 17th century Boston, a society which, despite viewing God as the ultimate judge and arbiter, see themselves fit to act as such.
The story is not lacking in complex characters, namely Hester and Dimmesdale, and the ever-mysterious and unknowable Pearl. However, I feel that Hawthorne did not spend enough time exploring these characters. Being a rather short book, Hawthorne seems to give the reader some deeper exploration into the psyche and experiences of the characters but did not give enough to truly flesh them out. He would give enough that moved the plot along, but not enough to create a more complete image of a character. For example, he describes Hester's gradual change over time, but I believe that the story would rather have benefitted from more concrete examples of such change. Same goes for Dimmesdale, but less for Pearl, given her age.
Overall, The Scarlet Letter's major flaw is, in my opinion, pacing and length. The premise of the story is extremely interesting, and the characters are complex, with captivating motives and internal struggles. But the pacing of the book moves too quickly, with the first and last third of the book moving at a pace that I find too quick. Had this been longer, and more thought went towards further expanding on the characters, this would perhaps warrant a 4.
Alas.
is there a SparksNotes version of this? lol I could not get around the language this round, maybe later....,
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes