Progressivism Defined Roots and Goals

Progressivism in American politics refers to a reform movement advocating progress – change and improvement – over conservatism, preserving the status quo. The term has been used in several ways, but primarily has referred to the Progressive Movement of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Out of the Enlightenment in Europe came the idea that both knowledge and economic growth would advance civilization and the human condition. The philosopher Kant talked about progress from barbarism towards civilization, and to those who espoused progressivism, the movement was clearly one of ethical response to practices and conditions seen as barbarous, and towards practices and conditions seen as fostering human flourishing. Public Housekeeping Earlier in the 19th century, a separate spheres ideology envisioned a strict division of public and private spheres – with women in charge of the home or domestic or private sphere, and men of the public sphere, including government and business.  (Of course those enslaved and often those of the poorest classes had little experience of such separation.) Some envisioned the entry of women into reform movements as an extension of their private sphere responsibilities: public housekeeping. What Was Progressivism a Response to? Progressivism was a reaction to the increasing economic inequality that was a product of the Industrial Revolution and virtually unregulated capitalism, including exploitation of labor.  An influx of immigrants into the United States and a massive movement of people from farms to urban areas, often employed in the new industries at low wages and poor working conditions, created slums, poverty, child labor, class conflict, and significant potential for unrest. The end of the Civil War had two major influences on progressivism. One was that many reformers believed that the ending of slavery, after the agitation of the abolitionists, proved that reform movements were capable of making much change.   Another was that, with the freeing of those who had been enslaved but the residual effects of a story of â€Å"natural† inferiority of those of African descent, racism and the rise of Jim Crow laws in the South began to drive many of the formerly enslaved to seek refuge in Norther n cities and the growing industries, creating racial tensions that were in some ways nurtured by the powerful to â€Å"divide and conquer.† Religion and Progressivism: the Social Gospel Protestant theology, already evolving in the face of the growth of liberal religions like Universalism and of increasing questioning of traditional authority and ideas because of Enlightenment-rooted ideas of textual criticism, responded to the growing economic and social exploitation of many with a doctrine of the Social Gospel.  This movement applied Biblical principles to social problems (see Matthew 25), and also taught that solving social problems in this life was a necessary precursor to the Second Coming. Progress and Poverty In 1879, economist Henry George published Progress and Poverty: An Inquiry into the Cause of Industrial Depressions and of Increase of Want with Increase of Wealth: The Remedy. The book was highly popular, and has sometimes been used as a marker for the beginning of the Progressive Era. In this volume, Henry George explained how economic poverty could grow at the same time as economic and technological expansion and growth. The book also explained how economic boom and bust cycles were generated from social policy. Twelve Key Areas of Progressive Social Reform There were other areas as well, but these were key areas of social reform addressed by progressivism. The â€Å"single tax† movement, rooted in Henry George’s economic writing, promoted the idea that public financing should rely primarily on a land value tax, rather than on taxing labor and investment.Conservationism: the promotion of nature and wildness had roots in Transcendentalism and the Romanticism of the earlier 19th century, but Henry George’s writings gave an economic justification as well for ideas about the â€Å"commons† and its protection.Quality of life in the slums: progressivism saw that human flourishing was less possible in the poverty conditions of the slums – from hunger to unsafe housing to lack of light in apartments to lack of sanitation to access to heat in cold weather.Labor rights and conditions: the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire was the most dramatic of many industrial accidents in which workers perished or were injured because of poor working conditions.   Labor organizing was generally supported by the Progressive m ovement, and so were creation of safety codes for factories and other buildings.Shorter working days: the eight-hour day enforced by overtime requirements was a long fight on the part of the Progressive movement and the labor movement, at first with active opposition from courts which found that changes in labor laws interfered with the individual rights of corporate owners.Child labor: the progressives came to oppose permitting children at young ages could be employed in dangerous occupations, from four year olds selling newspapers in the street to children in the mines to children operating dangerous machinery in textile mills and factories.   The anti-child-labor activism continued into the 20th century, and the highest courts at first made it difficult to pass such laws.Women’s rights: though the women’s rights movement began organizing before the Progressive Era, and arguably helped begin it, the Progressive Era saw the expansion of women’s rights from ch ild custody to more liberal divorce laws to information about contraceptives and family planning to â€Å"protective labor laws† to make it possible for women to be both mothers and workers.  Women finally were able to get a constitutional amendment in 1920 removing sex as a barrier to voting.Temperance and prohibition: because, with few social programs and few women’s rights, excessive drinking could threaten the livelihood and even life of the members of the drinker’s family, many women and men fought to make it more difficult to buy and consume alcohol.Settlement houses: more educated women and men moved into poor neighborhoods and â€Å"settled† there to experiment with what was needed by the people in the neighborhood to improve their lives.  Many who worked in settlement houses went on to work for other social reforms.Better government: in the face not only of increased concentrations of money into corporate hands, but also the rise of big city machine politics, reforming government to put more power into the hands of ordinary Americans was a major part of progressivism. This included establishing a primary system where voters, not party leaders, selected candidates for their party, and it included direct election of Senators, rather than having them elected by state legislatures.Limits on corporate power: busting and regulating monopolies and establishing antitrust laws were policies seen as not only benefiting more people and preventing unconscionable wealth disparities, but also as a way for capitalism to function more effectively through a more competitive market.  Muckraking journalism helped expose corruption in politics and business, and motivate limits on both government and business power.Race: Some reformers worked for racial inclusion and racial justice.  African Americans founded reform organizations of their own, such as the NACW, working for such issues as education, women’s rights, child labor ref orm. The NAACP brought together white and black reformers in response to destructive riots. Ida B. Wells-Barnett worked to end lynching.   Other progressives (like Woodrow Wilson) enforced and promoted racial segregation. Other reforms included the Federal Reserve system, scientific approaches (i.e. evidence-based approaches) to education and other fields, efficiency methods applied to government and business, improvements in medicine, immigration reform, food standards and purity, censorship in motion pictures and books (defended as promoting healthy families and good citizenship), and much more.

How Does a Marxist Reading of Dracula Open Up Meaning

Unremarkable though it may seem, to affirm the obvious truism that Bram Stoker’s Dracula originates from a century that historians often describe as the most significant in terms of revolutionary ideology, whilst wishing to avoid the clichà ©d view held, it is undeniable that the more one delves into the depths of this novel the greater wealth of meaning demonstrates significant correlation with Marxist ideology. The 19th Century saw the emergence of revolutionary socialist Karl Marx, who himself used the vampire metaphor to describe the capitalist system as ‘dead labour which, vampire like, lives only by sucking living labour’. Through Stoker’s opulent use of narrative structure, use of setting and imagery, this novel presents a multiple†¦show more content†¦Dracula, representing the feudal aristocracy and Harker working for him implies this scene symbolises how the aristocracy suck the life out of their workers and retain the vast majority of production for themselves. Hence Dracula’s comment ‘This man belongs to me’ furthermore supported by Dracula continuing ‘Now go! I must awaken him, for there is work to be done’ Thus, accentuating the demand and exploitative characteristics as it is only after he no longer has any use for Harkers blood himself does he allow them to have their turn, this scene is symbolic of treatment of the exploited working class in a feudal system. The concept of exploitation is further accentuated by the fact the crew of light is endowed with the ability to take full advantage a system in which ‘bribery can do anything, and we are well supplied with money’ Currency is the weapon that separates the higher classes from the proletariat. Stoker additionally explores aspects of the feudal system through the idea of free will. Upon arriving at Castle Dracula, Harker is greeted with ‘Welcome to my house, enter freely and of your own will’. It seems Harker is free to do as he wishes, however Harker is now at the mercy of his new surroundings and the Count. Harker recognizes similarities between the Count and the driver, who transports him to the castle: ‘the strength of the hand shake was so much akin to that which I noticed in the driver’, subsequently, for Harker to leave he would need theShow MoreRelatedThe Vampire: What Boundaries Does the Vampire Threaten? Discuss with R9200 Words   |  37 PagesThe Vampire What boundaries does the Vampire threaten? Written by Amanda Turner Discuss possible answers to this question with reference to at least two critical or theoretical essays and at least two tellings of the Dracula story._______________________________________________ The Vampire in Dracula threatens the very existence of Victorian England. Stoker constructs the vampire as an embodiment of threat by surpassing his Gothic novelist predecessors to bring

Case Study Analysis of Costco Architecture Evolution

Question: Describe about the Case Study Report for Architecture Evolution at Costco? Answer: Introduction This study focus on the company named as Costco who deals in the retail sector. It mainly targets the high level customers because they are not price conscious as they are ready to pay any amount to gain the best quality possible. Membership coupons are available to the customers who visit regularly and get the additional benefits while shopping of various goods and services (Mari, 2014). The segmented market that is focused by this company is the entire high customers who are generally working households, they do not possess much of time too. Online shopping is the best option for the individuals who are busy in their professional life. Overview of the company Costco Wholesale Corporation is a public company in the retail sector headquartered at United States. The main competitors of Costco Wholesale Corporation are Sams club and also BJs wholesale club. This company has 174000 employees and gets into various policies that help the customers to visit the store once again (Xing, 2013). The services that are rendered by this company are online shopping, Costco travel, connection with Costco, food service as well as business members with Costco. The company mission is to recognize its business activities globally and compete in the global market providing the customer base the products as per their needs and requirements. Primary and secondary target markets The primary target market can be noticed between the age group of 16-35 years. In this primary market, 40 % are studying in colleges so their buying pattern will be different from other age group. This group will be more interested in the purchase of commodities that has the current trends and fashion. So, the company focuses on this customer by providing them vast range of options so that they can select as per their requirements. The secondary target of Costco Wholesale Corporation ranges between the age group of 36 to 50 years that are aged in the sense they have become parents at this time. So this group not only is interested in quality but also they are price sensitive. These customers are mostly not brand loyal as because they gets attracted to any product which are best at low prices. College students can be easily targeted by Costco because they have an edge towards technology and to remain updated with the products and services. Advertisements and promotional activities conducted by Costco can make these college goers interested in the offerings and discounting pattern. With the increase in the E commerce business, anyone who has internet access go for online shopping as because wide range of products are available and it is time saver. We do not have to visit all the offline stores in order to get any product, rather with the help of payment mode; we can either pay by debit card or cash on delivery. By ordering online, the products will be brought to us in our hands without us doing any extra efforts. Costco provides online services to its customer base where they can check on prices and can easily compare with all the other alternatives available. The target customer of Costco is generally different from other discounters that mean small businesses and high income households. The steps in the target market are as follows: Figure: Shopping as per category Target group Costco mainly targets the high income customer because of the unique discount factor that is offered to its customer base. This company makes ways to target the college educated households that is different than any of the other business models. In any case, it has been noticed that low income group fails to shop at Costco because of expensive items present in the shop (Courtemanche Carden, 2014). The company analyzed that high end customers are willing to pay any amount of money looking at the quality as well as that matches up with their status. Basically, this people purchases items that is related to status symbol items (Barnes, 2013). It aims at satisfying the needs and requirements of the high class customers and provide them with positive environment on all the stuff that are required keeping in mind the changing trends and fashion. Several research have found that feedback mostly come from East and west cost of the investment bankers that directly means they are more likely consuming the products and services (Ross, 2015). More emphasis is given to the membership customers who spent a lot of money in getting the membership card that help Costco to know their needs as well as easy to follow up the customers as all the details will be mentioned for future reference (Bauner Wang, 2014). Market position Costcos share has shown an increase of 1.4 percent due to its special dividend policy given to its high customer base (Hutt, Speh, 2012). Another strategy that this company is launching so as to check on the market share, by keeping the price low so that the products can be affordable by all classes of people. The supermarket tries to keep variety of items related to households, fashion, footwear so that large range of customers can avail the services as per their requirements. Membership customers get additional benefits with Costco because they get discounted offers and variety of products that are start from hot dog to diamond rings. So, the customers can visit the store to avail the best of the services at affordable price (Lyon, 2014). The net income of Costco has increased to $547 million from the last year, a benefit on tax is provided in way of special cash dividend up to $1.10 that helped in overall growth of the business enterprise. As far as gasoline is concerned, Costco proves to be the best dealer as compared to its competitors because it offers at low at price. Customers have the facility to get discount coupons for their purchase in the value chain, later they can even redeem the coupons for future purpose that serves as an added advantage (Darroch, 2014). Figure: Market share of Costco and its competitors (Source: Hollensen, 2015). From the above pie chart, it is easier to understand that the market share is dominated by Wal-Mart; the next position is taken by Costco Wholesale Corporation whose share is 17.50%. In the recent past, Costco has increased in the customer base and has make ways to become one of the best in the retail industry. It aims at providing wide range of products so that customers can get all their requirements under one roof. The various membership coupons are beneficial for the customers to shop for their weekly requirements because deduction in the main amount can help them to save a lot of money. Conclusion At the end of the study, it is noticed that Costco mainly targets the high level customers for the sale of its products and services. These customers believe in quality of the products as well as the product that can match up with their status. After Wal-Mart, Costco is the leader in the market share in the supermarket as it provides a range of products to its customer base starting from a stationary to high expensive items like, gold, diamond, platinum, etc. Costco Wholesale Corporation should start targeting even low level customers so as to meet the demands of all class of people. Reference List Barnes, J. M. (2013).Case Study Report: Architecture Evolution at Costco. Tech. Rep. Bauner, C., Wang, E. (2014). Strategic Retailer Reactions to Wholesale Club Market Presence. Courtemanche, C., Carden, A. (2014). Competing with Costco and Sam's Club: warehouse club entry and grocery prices.Southern Economic Journal,80(3), 565-585. Darroch, J. (2014).Why Marketing to Women Doesn't Work: Using Market Segmentation to Understand Consumer Needs. Palgrave Macmillan. Hollensen, S. (2015).Marketing management: A relationship approach. Pearson Education. Hutt, M., Speh, T. (2012).Business marketing management: B2B. Cengage Learning. Lyon, S. (2014). Fair Trade Towns USA: growing the market within a diverse economy.Journal of Political Ecology,21, 145-160. Mari, A. (2014). THE INFLUENCE OF CONSUMER BEHAVIOR ON THE SEGMENTATION OF RETAIL SALES OF CONSUMER GOODS.Zbornik radova Ekonomskog fakulteta u Isto nom Sarajevu, (9), 71-82. Ross, D. F. (2015). Crafting Business and Supply Chain Strategies. InDistribution Planning and Control(pp. 83-140). Springer US. Xing, J. (2013). Market Research about customer segmentation.

The Scarlet Letter Analysis Essay Example For Students

The Scarlet Letter Analysis Essay Nathaniel Hawthornes background influenced him to write the bold novel The Scarlet Letter. One important influence on the story is money. Hawthorne had never made much money as an author and the birth of his first daughter added to the financial burden (Biographical Note VII). He received a job at the Salem Custom House only to lose it three years later and be forced to write again to support his family (IX). Consequently, The Scarlet Letter was published a year later (IX). It was only intended to be a long short story, but the extra money a novel would bring in was needed (Introduction XVI). Hawthorne then wrote an introduction section titled The Custom House to extend the length of the book and The Scarlet Letter became a full novel (XVI). In addition to financial worries, another influence on the story is Hawthornes rejection of his ancestors. His forefathers were strict Puritans, and John Hathorne, his great-great-grandfather, was a judge presiding during the S! alem witch trials (Biographical Note VII). Hawthorne did not condone their acts and actually spent a great deal of his life renouncing the Puritans in general (VII). Similarly, The Scarlet Letter was a literal soapbox for Hawthorne to convey to the world that the majority of Puritans were strict and unfeeling. For example, before Hester emerges from the prison she is being scorned by a group of women who feel that she deserves a larger punishment than she actually receives. Instead of only being made to stand on the scaffold and wear the scarlet letter on her chest, they suggest that she have it branded on her forehead or even be put to death (Hawthorne 51). Perhaps the most important influence on the story is the authors interest in the dark side (Introduction VIII). Unlike the transcendentalists of the era, Hawthorne confronted reality, rather than evading it (VII). Likewise, The Scarlet Letter deals with adultery, a subject that caused much scandal when it w! as first published (XV). The book rev olves around sin and punishment, a far outcry from writers of the time, such as Emerson and Thoreau, who dwelt on optimistic themes (VII). This background, together with a believable plot, convincing characterization, and important literary devices enables Nathaniel Hawthorne in The Scarlet Letter to the develop the theme of the heart as a prison. The scaffold scenes are the most substantial situations in the story because they unify The Scarlet Letter in two influential ways. First of all, every scaffold scene reunites the main characters of the novel. In the first scene, everyone in the town is gathered in the market place because Hester is being questioned about the identity of the father of her child ( Hawthorne 52). In her arms is the product of her sin, Pearl, a three month old baby who is experiencing life outside the prison for the first time (53). Dimmesdale is standing beside the scaffold because he is Hesters pastor and it is his job to convince her to repent and reveal t he fathers name (65). A short time later, Chillingworth unexpectedly shows up within the crowd of people who are watching Hester after he is released from his two year captivity by the Indians (61). In the second scene, Dimmesdale is standing on top of the scaffold alone in the middle of the night (152). He sees Hester and Pearl walk through the market place on their way back from Governor Winthrops bedside (157). When Dimmesdale recognizes them and tells them to join him, they walk up the steps to stand by his side (158). Chillingworth appears later standing beside the scaffold, staring at Dimmesdale, Hester, and Pearl. In the final scaffold scene, Dimmesdale walks to the steps of the scaffold in front of the whole town after his Election day sermon (263). He tells Hester and Pearl to join him yet again on the scaffold (264). Chillingworth then runs through the crowd and tries to stop Dimmesdale from reaching the top of the scaffold, the one place where he cant reach him (265). Ano ther way in which the scenes are united is how each illustrates the immediate, delayed, and prolonged effects that the sin of adultery has on the main characters. The first scene shows Hester being publicly punished on the scaffold (52). She is being forced to stand on it for three hours straight and listen to peop! le talk about her as a disgrace and a shame to the community (55). Dimmesdales instantaneous response to the sin is to lie. He stands before Hester and the rest of the town and proceeds to give a moving speech about how it would be in her and the fathers best interest for her to reveal the fathers name (67). Though he never actually says that he is not the other parent, he implies it by talking of the father in third person (67). Such as, If thou feelest it to be for thy souls peace, and that thy earthly punishment will thereby be made more effectual to salvation, I charge thee to speak out the name of thy fellow-sinner and fellow-sufferer (67). Chillingworths first reaction is one of shock, but he quickly suppresses it (61). Since his first sight of his wife in two years is of her being punished for being unfaithful to him, he is naturally surprised. It does not last for long though, because it is his nature to control his emotions (61). Pearls very existence in this scene is the largest immediate effect of her parents crime (52). She obviously wou ld never had been there had her parents resisted their love for each other. The second scene occurs several years later and shows the effects after time has had a chance to play its part. It begins with Dimmesdale climbing the stairs of the scaffold in the middle of the night because it is the closest that he can come to confessing his sin (152). This scene is especially important because it shows how pitiful he has become. Dimmesdale shows just how irrational he is when he screams aloud because he fears that the universe is staring at a scarlet token on his breast (153). It also shows how much guilt he is carrying by the way he perceives the light from a meteor as the letter A. He believes it stands for adulteress while other people think it stands for angel since the governor just passed away (161). This scene also shows how Hester is managing her new situation. When Dimmesdale tells her to come up the scaffold and asks her where she has b! een, she replies that she has been measu ring the robe that the governor is to be buried in (158). This statement implies that Hesters reputation as a talented seamstress has spread. Ironically, her first well known piece of work was the scarlet letter that she wore on her chest. As a result, she owes her own success to her infamy. Besides growing older, Pearls most significant change is in her perceptibility (158). In this scene, she constantly asks Dimmesdale if he will be joining Hester and herself on the scaffold tomorrow at noon and accuses him of not being true (162). Neither Hester nor Dimmesdale ever told Pearl who her father was, but she figures it out by the way he always holds his hand over his heart (159). Chillingworths derangement is evident in this scene also. His contempt for Dimmesdale is so acute that he risks his cover when he gives him a look so vivid as to remain painted on the darkness after the bright meteor that just passed, vanishes (161). The third scene is very critical because it is the last gli mpse into every characters mind and the last time that everyone is alive. At this point in time, Dimmesdales fixation on his sin has utterly corroded him to the point of death. After he gives his election day sermon, he goes to the scaffold and asks Hester and Pearl to join him because he is so weak that he can hardly support himself (265). He finally exposes the truth and tells his followers of how he deceived them (267). The only good that comes out of conceding his guilt is that he passed away without any secrets, for he was already too far gone to be able to be saved (269). This scene is important to the characterization of Hester because it is the first time thatshe is not in complete control of her emotions (264). Her dream of escaping to England with Dimmesdale is lost when he decides to confess (264). The unanticipated arrival of Chillingworth and Dimmesdales feeble appearance distresses her, and for the first time, she can not control the outcome (264). The greatest transfo rmation in Pearls life occurs in this scene. While she used to be perceived as elfish, she now shows the first signs of normal human emotion. After Dimmesdale confesses his sin, she kisses his lips voluntarily (268). The great scene of griefhad developed all her sympathies; and as her tears fell upon her fathers cheek, they were the pledge that she would grow up amid human joy and sorrow, nor forever do battle with the world, but be a woman in it (268). Ultimately, Chillingworth takes a severe turn for the worse when Dimmesdale reveals his sin. Since Chillingworth based the rest of his life on playing games on Dimmesdales mind, he was left without any goals, and his life became meaningless (268). On that account, it is clear that Hawthorne uses the scaffold scenes, not only as a unifying device, but as a means to keep the reader interested in the novel by providing plenty of action. The main characters sharply contrast each other in the way they react to Hester and Dimmesdales sin. To begin, Hester becomes stronger, more enduring, and even more sympathetic. She becomes stronger because of all the weight she has to carry. She is a single mother who suffers all of the burdens of parenthood by herself. They live on the edge of town, and Pearl has no one to give her food, shelter and emotional support besides Hester. Pearl is especially difficult to raise because she is anything but normal. Hawthorne gives a pretty accurate description of Pearl when he writes: The child could not be made amenable to rules. In giving her existence, a great law had been broken; and the result was a being whose elements were perhaps beautiful and bril- liant, but all in disorder; or with an order peculiar to themselves, amidst which the point of variety and arrangement was difficult or impossible to be discovered (91). Hesters endurance is proven when the people of the colony completely change their opinion of her. While a lesser person would run from the hostile colonists, Hester wi thstands their insolence and pursues a normal life. After years of proving her worth with her uncommon sewing skills and providing community service, the colonists come to think of the scarlet letter as the cross on a nuns bosom, which is no small accomplishment (169). Hester also becomes more sensitive to the feelings and needs of other people. She feels that her own sin gives her sympathetic knowledge of the hidden sin in other hearts (87). So even though the people she tried to help often reviled the hand that was stretched forth to succor them, she continues her services because she actually cares (85). While Hester tries to make the best out of her situation, Dimmesdale becomes weaker by letting guilt and grief eat away at his conscience. Dimmesdale punishes himself by believing that he can never be redeemed. He feels that he will never be seen the same in the eyes of God, and that no amount of penitence can ever return him to Gods good graces. He is so touchy on this subject t hat when Hester says his good deeds will count for something in Gods view, he exclaims, There is no substance in it! It is cold and dead and can do nothing for me! (202). Dimmesdale also believes that his sin has taken the meaning out of his life. His lifes work has been dedicated to God, and now his sin has tainted it (202). He feels that he is a fraud and is not fit to lead the people of the town to salvation. The feeling is so oppressive that the chance of escaping his work and leaving with Hester and Pearl makes him emotionally (and probably mentally) unstable. He walks through the town with twice as much energy as normal, and he barely stops himself from swearing to a fellow deacon (229). When an old lady approaches him he can not remember any scriptures whatsoever to tell her, and the urge to use his power of persuasion over a young maiden is so strong that he covers his face with his cloak and runs off (230). The largest cause of Dimmesdales breakdown is the fact that he keep s his sin a secret. As Gods servant, it is his nature to tell the truth, so the years of pretending are especially hard on him. His secret guilt is such a burden that instead of going with Hester to England and perhaps having a chance to live longer, he chose to stand, confess and perish on the scaffold (268). Ultimately, Chillingworth responds to his wifes betrayal by sacrificing everything in order to seek revenge. After he discovers that his wife bore another mans child, Chillingworth gives up his independence. He used to be a scholar who dedicated his best years to feed the hungry dream of knowledge, but his new allegiance becomes finding and slowly punishing the man who seduced his wife (74). He soon becomes obsessed with his new mission in life, and when he targeted Reverend Dimmesdale as the possible parent, he dedic! ates all of his time to becoming his confidant in order to get his retribution (127). Vengeance was also one of the reasons that Chillingworth gives up his iden tity. The only way he can truly corrupt Dimmesdale is to live with him and be by his side all day, every day. The only possible way to do that is to give up his true identity as Roger Prynne, Hesters husband, and become Roger Chillingworth. Since the only person who knew his true identity is sworn to silence, he succeeds for a long time in tricking Dimmesdale until Hester sees that he was going mad and finally revealed Chillingworths true identity (204). His largest sacrifice is by far, his own life. After spending so much time dwelling on his revenge, Chillingworth forgets that he still has a chance to lead a life of his own. So accordingly, after Dimmesdale reveals his secret to the world, Chillingworth dies less than a year later because he has nothing left to live for (272). In conclusion, Hawthornes use of characterization gives the book a classic feeling by showing Hester, Dimmesdale, and Chillingworths feelings indirectly through acts. The novel revolves around two major symb ols: light and darkness and the scarlet letter. The book is filled with light and darkness symbols because it represents the most common battle of all time, good versus evil. When Hester and her daughter are walking in the forest, Pearl exclaims: Mother, the sunshine does not love you. It runs away and hides itself, because it is afraid of something on your bosom. Now see! There it is, playing, a good way off. Stand you here, and let me run and catch it. I am but a child. It will not flee from me, for I wear nothing on my bosom yet (192). Hester tries to stretch her hand into the circle of light, but the sunshine vanishes (192). She then suggests that they go into the forest and rest (193). This short scene actually represents Hesters daily struggle in life. The light represents what Hester wants to be, which is pure. The movement of the light represents Hesters constant denial of acceptance. Hesters lack of surprise and quick suggestion to go into the forest, where it is dark, show s that she never expected to be admitted and is resigned to her station in life. Another way light and darkness is used in symbolism is by the way Hester and Dimmesdales plan to escape is doomed. Hester and Dimmesdale meet in the shadows of the forest with a gloomy sky and a threatening storm overhead when they discuss their plans for the future (200). The gloomy weather and shadows exemplify the fact that they cant get away from the repressive force of their sins. It is later proven when Dimmesdale dies on the scaffold! instead of leaving with Hester and going to England (269). A final example occurs by the way Hester and Dimmesdale can not acknowledge their love in front of others. When they meet in the woods, they feel that, No golden light had ever been so precious as the gloom of this dark forest (206). This emotion foretells that they will never last together openly because their sin has separated them too much from normal life. The scarlet letter also takes many different for ms in the novel. The first and clearest form that the letter A takes is Adulteress. It is apparent that Hester is guilty of cheating on her husband when she surfaces from the prison with a three-month-old-child in her arms, and her husband has been away for two years (53). Hence, the people look at the letter elaborately embroidered with gold thread and see a hussy who is proud of her sin (54). The second form that it takes is Angel. When Governor Winthrop passes away, a giant A appears in the sky. ! People from the church feel that, For as our good Governor Winthrop was made an angel this past night, it was doubtless held fit that there should be some notice thereof! (16). The final form that the scarlet letter take is Able. Hester helped the people of the town so unselfishly that Hawthorne wrote: Such helpfulness was found in her,so much power to do, and power to sympathize,that many people refused to interpret the scarlet A by it s original significance. They said that it meant A ble; so strong was Hester Prynne, with a womans strength (167). Baby Growth and Development EssayIn closing, one of the most important reasons that The Scarlet Letter is so well known is the way Hawthorne leaves the novel open to be interpreted several different ways by his abundant use of symbolism. This background, together with a believable plot, convincing characterization, and important literary devices enables Nathaniel Hawthorne in The Scarlet Letter to the develop the theme of the heart as a prison. Hawthorne describes the purpose of the novel when he says, Be true! Be true! Be true! Show freely to the world, if not your worse, yet some trait whereby the worst may be inferred! (272). The theme is beneficial because it can be put into terms in todays world. The Scarlet Letter is one of the few books that will be timeless, because it deals with alienation, sin, punishment, and guilt, emotions that will continue to be felt by every generation to come.