American Literature (G) Portfolio

“La douleur exquise” is defined as the heart wrenching pain of wanting someone unattainable. This phrase directly relates to the novel The Sun Also Rises because many characters experience this “douleur exquise” throughout their adult lives. Jake, the narrator, Cohn, a friend of Jake’s and Brett, another friend, all seem to be unsatisfied with their love life. This theme shapes many of the events that occur in the book and the attitudes people have towards others. The theme of unfulfilled love occurs frequently throughout the story, and it specifically pertains to three characters: Jake Barnes, Robert Cohn, and Lady Brett Ashley.
Jake Barnes experiences unfulfilled love because he cannot be with his one true love, Brett Ashley. Jake tries his best to make things work with Brett even though things seem to be going downhill. While they are riding in a car together, he asks, “‘Couldn’t we just live together, Brett? Couldn’t we just live together?’ ‘I don’t think so. I’d tromper you with everyone… It’s my fault, Jake. It’s the way I’m made’” (Hemingway 62). Jake is trying to hold onto anything that Brett gives him, but nothing ever works out. Jake was injured in the war, and the significance of his injury is that he is no longer able to be sexually active. By using the word ‘tromper’ Brett means that she would cheat on him all the time, and she knows he would be hurt by that. Another reason Jake is hurt by his unfulfilled love for Brett is the fact that he knows they would be perfect together. There is another scene where Jake and Brett are in a car together at the end of the book. Brett says to Jake, “‘Oh Jake… we could have had such a damned good time together’” (Hemingway 205). Jake responds by saying, “Yes… Isn’t it pretty to think so?” (Hemingway 205). Jake and Brett go through alot together throughout the course of the novel. Jake is always there for Brett when she needs a friend, and they spend quite a bit of time together as well. It pains Jake when Brett says that they ‘could have had such a damned good time together’ because if his injury did not happen, they could have been together the whole time. Jaks response to Brett’s comment seems to be sarcastic. He seems annoyed that it took Brett that long to realize they were perfect for each other. He could also be mad because Brett was with countless other men, and she cannot be with him because of something that he did not have much control over. He did not chose to have that specific war injury, it just happened. Another person whose love is unfulfilled because of Lady Brett Ashley is Robert Cohn.
Robert Cohn tries so hard to make Brett love him, but it never works out. Eventually he becomes very annoying and the whole group of friends turn on him. They say that he is unwanted and he should leave Spain. Jake describes Cohn’s reaction to this saying, “Cohn stood up and took off his glasses. He stood waiting, his face shallow, his hands fairly low, proudly and firmly waiting for the assault, ready to do battle for his lady love” (Hemingway 182). Robert has a fantasy-like love for Brett, and he thinks that it will end like a fairytale: with him getting the girl. This idea is expressed in the phrase, ‘ready to do battle for his lady love.’ This wording reminds the reader of medieval times where a knight in shining armor would mount a horse and battle against another man to win the love of a woman. After the many attempts to try and win Brett’s love, the group of friends in Spain get very annoyed. One example comes when he decides to stay with Brett and Jake after Mike and Bill leave, Brett snaps on Cohn. She says, “ ‘Oh don’t… For God’s sake, go off somewhere. Can’t you see Jake and I want to talk?’ ” (Hemingway 184). Once Cohn leaves, she says to Jake, “Was I rude enough to him?“ and “My God! I’m so sick of him!” (Hemingway 184). Before this, it was usually Mike, Jake, and Bill who talked bad about Cohn and his behavior. Now Brett has had enough as well. She gets mad at Cohn for trying to invade her privacy, and tells him to get lost. Once he leaves, she tells Jake how she feels about him. Brett does not want to put up with Cohn either. Cohn’s love for Brett is unfulfilled because of the rejection he experiences. He eventually leaves the fiesta in Spain early; consequently, he is never heard from again. Both Jake and Cohn go after the same woman and their love is unfulfilled. Ironically that woman, Brett Ashley, also has her love unfulfilled.
Lady Brett Ashley’s love seems to be unfulfilled because of the lack of commitment she has to one man. Throughout the story, Brett keeps moving on from guy to guy. Her love life must be unfulfilling if she cannot stay with one man. In the beginning, she likes Jake, then she goes of with Cohn. She and “the count” seem to be having an affair while she is engaged to a man named Mike. Even though she is going to marry Mike, she meets a Spanish bullfighter named Romero while they are at the fiesta and then goes away with him after the fiesta concludes. Her love with these men must be unfulfilling because of how fast she moves on. It is obvious that what the men do not give her the love she expects. One reason that this feeling of unfulfilled love could come to Brett is because of her past relationship. While in Spain, Mike explains to Bill and Jake that Brett was in an abusive relationship before meeting him. He told them that her ex-husband “Always made her sleep on the floor. Finally, when he got really bad, he used to tell her he’d kill her. Always slept with a loaded service revolver” (Hemingway 206). There was no real love in this relationship. Brett was pressured to stay with this man. This could be a reason why she does not stay with one man for too long. She is traumatized by past events, and she is afraid to show true love because of the way her past has been.
In conclusion, unfulfilled love is a common theme throughout the book, with many characters experiencing it first hand. Jake, Cohn, and Brett are never satisfied with their love life, and it pains them over the course of the story. Jake and Cohn do not get their love, Brett Ashley, and Brett herself does not have her love fulfilled either. She moves on from man to man in search of true love. These circumstances shape the way these characters act and are interpreted.

Vietnam summers seem to be hotter every time I return. It’s the kind of humid tropical climate that can make asphalt melt, the kind of weather that will make you want to shower again right after walking out of the bathroom and all you ever feel is the need to stay inside with the air-conditioner turned on all the time.
I’m meeting Hailey today. She is one of my middle school friends. Nothing too special, she just jumped in my messenger one day and asked if I was free. I said yes and here I am waiting in front of my house. It’s been ten years since I last saw her. Hailey moved to New Zealand, I went to study abroad in America one year later, and we only flew back during summer breaks. As a result, I never had the chance to see her. Once a year I congratulated her on her birthday, but the habit slowly faded away. Hmm, Hailey used to be my best friend. I just couldn’t find a way to share my life with her anymore, not after that day.
We used to be in the same class. Same table, too. I would sit next to Hailey, eight classes a day, six days week. We spent even more time together as we shared the same group of friends and had tons of sleepovers at other’s houses. Her parents treated me like another daughter in their house and were accustomed to me showing up at a random time. Our parents even planned trips together. There were times when I wondered how I could survive without her.
Hailey waves at me at the other side of the road, I smile and run to her car. We sit quietly in our seats as she tried to figure out the GPS as both of us are clueless about direction. Most of the time I look out in the window, sometimes turning around to see if she’s doing okay. Hailey has changed so much. She looks tanned and healthy; you can see the muscles in her arms while she’s driving. She dies her hair blonde. Even though I have looked at her changes through photos on Instagram, I’m still amazed. Hailey even knows how to drive. Meanwhile I’m already twenty-three and still refuse to sit in the driving seat, scared of the potential to crash the car at any time. She even changes her name, Hailey is just an English substitution for her real Vietnamese name, but no one calls her that anymore except me, she said. She is now a chef. I still cannot comprehend that fact. I recall her cooking something for us two for lunch. It was like a noodle soup with meat and a bunch of vegetables put together. It was absolutely inedible. We had to throw all of it away in the end and found some leftovers to eat instead. As I chuckle and tell her the story, Hailey laughs. She tells me she ended up going to a culinary school and is now a chef in a pretty crowded hotel in Sydney. “Nice”, I say, “I’m jobless”.
It’s almost evening now but everything’s still burning. The roads are filled with impatient people who can’t wait to get home. The heat still finds its way to my body when we are in the café. We have been sitting here for almost two hours. After all, ten years is not a short time to go over. Hailey told me about her life in New Zealand, then her move to Australia for college. The first year after college was miserable, nobody wanted to hire her. The real estate in Sydney cannot wait for her to find a job. She finally found decent work at the hotel she works for now through a friend’s connection. Hailey just broke up with her boyfriend, who she said she only dated for fun. I told her mine, I’m now in graduate school, still dependent on my parents. Small stories about my high school being in the middle of nowhere, how I changed my major twice, stuff like that. Still, I want to tell her more. I want to tell her much more but I just can’t. Not after that day.
It was like any other day when I woke up from my nap. In my middle school, there is always nap time after lunch and before afternoon classes. It was nice to regain your energy mid day. I woke up from the noise of someone talking and I realized it was Hailey. She was talking to another girl. I didn’t feel like opening my eyes and so I tried to lure myself to sleep again, but then I heard my name being mentioned. The memory is blurring in my head. I couldn’t make out what they were talking about, but it was about me.
“Any plans for your future?” – Hailey suddenly asks out of curiosity.
“Sure, I’m going to be an intern in a company, I’m already applying for the position. There’s a high chance that I can be official worker too.”
That’s not the truth anyway. There’s no company. I have no idea what to do after graduation. I don’t even like going to graduate school. Nonetheless, I feel like I shouldn’t be showing my broken-ness to her. I should be sure about my future, my job,s and secure my future just like Hailey. I should be confident in front of her.
That day, the other girl asked Hailey why she was so close with me.
“What? I don’t even consider her friend, but I need someone to finish my homework.”
The sentence was followed by laughter and giggles. I tried to lure myself to sleep again. I tried to get those words out of my head. I can felt my heart drop for a second, then beat as fast as possible. I tried to calm myself to sleep again but my heart felt like it would explode anytime. The giggles continued. I wanted to put my palms against my ears to avoid hearing those giggles. I wanted to sleep. I told myself to sleep again but I can’t. Nap time was over but I still wanted to sleep. I went to the health center and continued calming myself, trying to sleep again.
After that day, everything was back to normal. Hailey still sat next to me. She could come over to my house anytime, even copy my homework. I just couldn’t tell her everything anymore. Sometimes when we were in the same place, I wanted to scream in her face, break down and ask if I have done anything wrong to her to be treated like this. Why did she want me to suffer? I wanted to hit her as hard as I can. I wanted to kick her out of my house. In the end, I wasn’t brave enough. I stayed silent the whole time.
Hailey flew to New Zealand two months after that.
People start to turn on all the lights outside. Night life in Vietnam has always been beautiful in my eyes. It’s when the heat of the weather is gone and replaced by the heat of excitement. It makes me want to go for a walk with my mom like when I was little.
“You know what?” – I ask Hailey, looking out the window.
“What?”
“… Nothing.”
“What? Tell me!”
“Nothing, I forgot what to say. Should we go now? I told my parents I’m coming for dinner.”
“Yeah let’s go.”
There is this line that I cannot forget from a movie: “My mother used to tell me that in this world, you must be oh so smart or oh so pleasant. Well for years I was smart. I recommend pleasant.” I don’t want to know the truth, why she did that, anymore. I don’t want to dig deepper into my thoughts. I, too, want to be pleasant.

“Unsportsmanlike conduct. Number 60, Poland. 15 yard penalty”. Those words were all too familiar to me on the football field. I started playing football when I was just six years old in first grade. I have always been, as Dan Halloran would say, “a heavyweight” so I have played offensive and defensive line for the entirety of the eleven years I have played, but honestly I wouldn’t want to play any other position on the field. One thing that I am not necessarily proud of over the course of my football playing time, is that I have personally called for roughly 1,400 penalty yards of unsportsmanlike conduct.
I would like to say that I am a totally different person off of the football field. It’s kind of like when I step on the field, the well mannered and innocent Quinn decides to just hide somewhere, and then the mean, trash-talking, and unnecessarily rough Quinn decides to come play. I was always the kid that the other team’s parents would say rude things about such as, “Did you see that number 60? He was such a nasty little player. His coaches really aren’t teaching him well enough”, or my favorite saying, “That boy’s parents really ought to raise their kid better”.
I remember my first ever unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. It was my very first game of football, and I was playing for peewee league team in Auburn named the Vikings. We were playing a team from Dixfield and I vividly remember this because my cousin Cooper was on that team. He was also the kid that I eventually ended up fighting with during the game, and I was called for my very first unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. My aunt even has a video of it and it is kind of funny to go back and watch six year old me wrestling my cousin (whom I am absolute best friends with now) during the middle of a football game. From that day game up until fifth grade, I would end up either saying something nasty in front of the refs or end up fighting with somebody once every few games. It was in fifth grade when my nastiness really picked up.
In fifth grade I stopped playing for Auburn and ended up playing for Poland instead. Ben English has some pretty good first hand experience in witnessing me getting called for flag after flag from fifth grade up until high school. Whether it was for fighting (which happened literally every game), holding, or trash-talking, I was somehow always getting penalized. The best examples of me being called for unsportsmanlike conduct is on kick return. This isn’t an exaggeration and isn’t made up either. There was a boy on our team named Mason and he would return the kicks for us. He was very fast and was a great football player. It just so happened that every single kick return that he had for a touchdown was called back because of me. It was always either because I felt the need to block the other kids until they were flat on their backs, or because I had taken a cheap shot on someone. It eventually came to the point in time where Mason would score and then he would be looking around for the yellow penalty flag. Later in my first year in high school was when I had a pretty rude wake up call.
I started varsity as a freshman in high school not because I was bigger and stronger than the others (which I definitely wasn’t), but because I was very smart when it came to football and I really knew what I was doing. I was actually about three inches shorter and forty pounds lighter than an average high school lineman my freshman year. I remember playing at Wells, Maine and I had been trash talking my opponent for most of the game. I’m not sure why I was doing this because he was much bigger and stronger than I was. Later on in that game my opponent decided to retaliate against me which I don’t blame him for. All I remember is running down field and trying to block for my running back, and then I remember waking up about thirty seconds after the play was over. If you haven’t already figured it out, I was hit pretty hard a knocked out cold by my opponent. That one play really made me realize that I probably shouldn’t be doing the things that I do or say during football games and that I had to at least cut back or become aware of how much I these things.
Now that I’m at Hebron, I am proud to say that I haven’t gotten into one single fight during a football game, mostly because I am aware that I would get kicked out of school for doing do. I may say some harsh things to other players every once in awhile, but honestly I don’t as much as I used to. Although I have a pretty extensive history of being unsportsmanlike during football, I’m really not proud of this at all. These things may make some pretty sweet stories, but I hope that eventually my unsportsmanlike-ness will come to an end.

“The pearl is the queen of gems and the gem of queens” (Unknown). Hester’s daughter Pearl is a controversial character in The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne. At some points, she is like a gem to Hester. On the other hand, she causes trouble in society, and her existence and behavior leads to people being skeptical about her and Hester. Pearl may have her positive moments, but she has an overall negative effect on Hester throughout the story.

Some people might say that Pearl has a positive effect on Hester. In chapter 6, the narrator describes Pearl as, “By [Pearl’s] perfect shape, its vigor, and its natural dexterity in the use of all its untried limbs, the infant was worthy to have been brought forth in Eden” (Hawthorne 81). The fact that Pearl is so perfect could be a sign of hope for Hester. Hester could embrace Pearl’s perfection and try to become a better person because of it. Hawthorne references the Garden of Eden to give us an idea of Pearl’s effect on Hester when she is first born. Pearl is everything to Hester. She gives her mother the will to live. Another instance where Pearl is a positive influence on Hester is the scene when Hester is invited to go into the woods with the witches. After being invited, Hester answers, “I must tarry at home, and keep watch over my little Pearl” (Hawthorne 105). Her ‘little Pearl’ is the one who keeps her from joining the witches in the woods for their Satanic ritual. In this scene, Pearl’s presence literally saves her mother’s life.
Some readers may say that Pearl is a positive influence on Hester, but Pearl actually has a negative effect on Hester. An example of this is Pearl never lets her mother live down the scarlet letter on her chest. One time when they were in the forest, “Pearl paused to gather some prickly burrs… Taking a handful of these she arranged them along the lines of the scarlet letter that decorated the maternal bosom, to which as their nature was, tenaciously adhered” (Hawthorne 120). Pearl putting these burrs on Hester’s letter is yet another reminder of the “A” on Hester’s chest. Many people in the town give Hester weird looks because of her letter, but one would think her own daughter would let it be. But no, Pearl is a constant reminder to Hester of the guilt she possesses for her sin. Another instance is when Pearl puts Hester in a difficult situation while they are in the governor’s mansion. Pearl is asked, “Canst thou tell me, my child, who made thee?” (Hawthorne 100). She says that, “She had not been made at all, but had been plucked by her mother off the bush of wild roses that grew by the prison door” (Hawthorne 100). Pearl puts her mother in a dilemma by saying that Hester is not actually her mother. Saying ‘she had not been made at all’ insinuates that Hester is not her mother, and puts her custody of Pearl in jeopardy. Pearl could have been a good child and said she was her mother’s child, or she could have said she was sent by the Heavenly Father. Instead, she ends up making the people think she is the child of the devil. If she was a spawn of the devil, she must be taken away from Hester immediately. Another instance of Pearl potentially being a spawn of Satan is after Hester tells her God sent her. Pearl responds with “I have no Heavenly Father” (Hawthorne 88). With, Pearl saying she has no Heavenly Father, the reader can infer that she came from the Devil to make Hester’s life miserable because of her sin. A third instance of Pearl negatively affecting Hester’s life was when she fought other puritan children after they flung mud at them. The narrator describes the fight, and says, “She screamed and shouted, too, with a terrific volume of sound, which doubtless caused the hearts of of the fugitives to wake them” (Hawthorne 92). Pearl’s ‘screams’ and ‘shouts’ reflect poorly on Hester. Pearl could have respectfully tried to talk to them, or just let it happen, but she chose to engage in a huge brawl and scream so loud that, ‘which doubtless caused the hearts of the fugitives to wake them.’
Pearl did have some moments where she lived up to her name and was like “the queen of gems.” One example of this occurs in the scene where Pearl’s presence keeps her mother from going with the witches, but her overall impact on Hester’s life is negative. Pearl spurs Hester’s guilt and remorse by always pointing out the letter on her chest, and Pearl’ actions in public reflected Hester in a poor way.

First Day on the Job

        As I came around a familiar corner, I turned to my dad who was driving and tried to convince him that I didn’t need a job. My hands were shaking and the sweat dripping through my new work shirt is not a good way to meet my new boss. I begged my dad to come in with me. I couldn’t face my boss alone. I was a nervous wreck. As I walked into the back of the clubhouse, it hit me. I was going to be a working man. I could spend the money I earned on whatever I wanted. All of a sudden I was excited to receive my first paycheck.

        In the back of the clubhouse I met a guy named Kyle. I wasn’t new to Haverhill Country Club because I golf there all the time, so I had a good idea of how things worked. Or at least I thought. The first thing Kyle had me do was go down to the range and pick up golf balls in the field. I was so excited. All I had to do was drive a golf cart around the field for a while. After three hours in the golf cart, I was debating about when to walk out. I was covered in sweat and my shorts were destroyed by grease stains. I went back up to the clubhouse to see all the other employees sitting on their phones doing nothing. I couldn’t say anything because I was the new guy and didn’t want to make enemies early.

        Part of my job was to clean members golf clubs and there was about twenty bags sitting there not being cleaned. Kyle told me to pick up a towel and start cleaning. As I cleaned clubs by myself, the other two claimed they were examining if I had what it takes. One after another they kept handing me bags and the bags weren’t easy to carry either. I just stuck my head down and brushed the clubs until you could eat off them. I couldn’t feel my hands after a while because of how hard I was scrubbing. When I finished cleaning clubs, my shift had come to an end.

        I was ready to go home with some money in my wallet. There was a total of two hundred and thirty-two dollars in the tip jar, so I was excited. There was a total of five people working so Kyle divided everything up evenly. I waited until he handed me my cut, and was shocked at what I just received. He handed me ten dollars. Not only that, but he handed me ten dollars all in one dollar bills. The other four guys, including Kyle, put fifty-five dollars each into their back pocket. They gave me ten dollars all in ones. I did all the work, and at the very least, aside from not getting the same amount of money as everybody else they could have given me a five and five ones. I walked out of the clubhouse furiously and went to the parking lot where my dad was waiting to drive me home. He had to stop for gas so I ran into the market to use the restroom. As I was heading out, a Hershey bar caught my eye.

        I then remembered I actually had money on me this time, and could buy it without my dad saying I can’t eat junk food. The feeling of buying your own food is one of the best feelings out there. To this day I’ve never tasted a better chocolate bar.

One day in sixth grade I took my friend’s football out to recess without asking him. At the time, I did not see anything wrong with it. We would play with it while we were outside and then I would put it back exactly where I found it. That is exactly what happened. Everything seemed okay until my teacher pulled me aside with my friend and told me the news. “Ben, what you did was unacceptable. You took (I won’t use actual names) Jimmy’s football without him knowing. I expect more from you than that. Seeing the look in Jimmy’s eyes completely changed my perspective on the situation. In his gaze I could see half anger and half disappointment. He seemed shocked that I would do such a thing. My heart immediately dropped. I thought of all the things that could have gone wrong and realized that I got a bit lucky. I would have been in a lot more trouble if something happened to the ball. Remorse and sorrow filled my body. I already knew that my parents were going to find out, and that was enough trouble to be in.
The punishment my teacher gave me, though it seems a bit silly now, turned my whole world upside down. I was not allowed to play football during recess for a whole week. When I was in elementary school, all I did at recess was play sports. Whether it was football, soccer, basketball, wall ball or dodgeball, I was always competing and having fun with my friends. I spent every recess the following week feeling like a prisoner. I sat along the wall of the school, watching my friends have fun playing the games I loved. I always heard them talking about how great so and so’s catch was, or how badly their team got beat. It pained me to not be able to join in on these conversations.

One situation hit me extremely hard. I was headed towards the wall one day, and one of my friends came up to me and said, “Hey Ben, why aren’t you playing today?” Embarrassed at the reason, I told him the story. His expression stayed blank, and he replied with an, “Oh, okay. See you later.” He turned and ran off to join the game. It pained me not only to watch, but have to explain what happened. It was a stupid decision that I did not think through. I regretted it every for the rest of the year, and I will even reflect back on it now and then and realize how much that changed me as a person.
Because of that incident, I know think more thoroughly about my decisions. I make sure to think about all the possible consequences, and whether the people in my life, parents, peers, and teachers, would think it was okay. I also learned to ask permission more often. Even today, I will ask permission for something that I know I can do instead of just assuming. My driver education teacher once said, “If you assume, it makes an ass out of u and me.” The second I heard him say that I immediately thought about sixth grade and the football incident. I assumed that taking the football was okay, and I definitely made an ass out of myself. That one little mistake shook up my whole world, but it changed me for the better. I am now a better person from this experience, and even though I am not happy I committed the act of theft, I am glad that I learned many important lessons from its repercussions.
About my letter:
I chose the letter T to represent Theft. The vertical part of the letter is black and white stripes because I felt like a prisoner after the crime I committed. The horizontal part is a football because my sin was stealing a football.

Morality has been a growing fundamental part of our lives for centuries. Today’s political events such as a woman being able to run for a high position of authority show how morality has and will continue to change over time. Since the 1600’s the social definition of morality has been altered by human discovery and evolution. Our modern definition of morality today is understanding what is right or wrong, or good and bad behavior characterized around respect, and the well being of other people. Since the 1600’s, modern society has not become more or less moral, but the definition of morality has endured numerous changes from being strictly determined by religion and the bible, to scientific human evolution that has affected societies approach towards right and wrong, or good and bad behavior.

Puritan society in the 1600’s was heavily influenced by religion, therefore their definition of morality was guided strictly by the bible. In The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, religion plays a big role in the lives of the Puritans and how they treat others. While Hester and Pearl were walking home, a children of the Puritans said, “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!” (Hawthorne 70). These Puritan children have been brought up by a strong religious background, and have learned to treat sinners poorly. They humiliate Hester and Pearl by signaling them out to be ‘the woman of the scarlet letter,’ and ‘the likeness of the scarlet letter.’ After signaling Hester and Pearl out, the children chose to ‘fling mud’ at them. Not only is that seen to be morally wrong in modern society, but for a child to be treating a grown woman this way is even worse. Modern day children are taught to respect other, and essentially “treat others how you would like to be treated,” Puritan children were influenced and taught to act according to the bible and to see sinners as bad people.

In modern day society, sinners are not punished with public humiliation like they were in the Puritan society. Hawthorne depicts the Puritans to be mean and ruthless when it comes to religious punishment for sinners. While Hester was being publicly humiliated on the scaffold, a woman yelled, “This woman has brought shame upon us all, and ought to die” (Hawthorne 36). Other than having to wear a letter “A” on her breast to differentiate her from everybody else, she is put infront of everybody to be punished and insulted. The woman feels like hester’s sin has ‘brought shame’ upon the Puritan society, and should be punished with death. Back in the 1600’s, acts like adultery were seen to be a crime, morally incorrect, and punishable by death, while today, although it is still seen to be morally bad, it is not a crime and is certainly not punishable with death. In the Puritan society, religious morality had a heavy impact on how sins and crimes were dealt with and how people were punished, while today religion morality has faded away from having an impact on how crimes should be punished. As a result, religion had a big influence on how society functioned morally. Since religion has lost weight in our modern day lives, the social definition of morality revolves around respect, and the well being of other people.

In The Crucible by Arthur Miller, religion also plays a big role in the lives of the Puritans. Since the Puritans’ definition of morality was based on the bible, acts such as reading the bible and participating in regularly religious functions were seen to be morally correct, and acts such as sinning and not following the bible were seen to be morally incorrect. After Proctor explains why he has not attended church recently, Mr. Hale replies, “A Christian on Sabbath Day must be in church” (Miller 62). In the Puritan society, no matter the issue, anything took a backseat to religion. Proctor’s wife was sick and needed help, yet Mr. Hale does not excuse the reason for his absence and says he ‘must’ attend church on sundays. Missing church was seen to be morally incorrect, although proctors absence was from simply working to support his family. In the 1600’s religion took preference over any problem, while today, modern society would see Proctors reason for absence morally correct because his intentions were right. Another example of religious morality compared to modern day morality is when Mr. Hale asks Proctor, “Do you know your Commandments?” (Miller 63). Not reading the bible and not knowing your commandments was a sin and morally incorrect among Puritans and the Christian religion. Since Proctor was unable to recite the commandments, he was seen to be immoral and unfaithful. In the 1600’s not reading the bible was morally wrong and a sin, where in modern day society, religion and the bible are not as much as an influence on our lives as it used to be, therefore not reading it wouldn’t be morally wrong or a crime.

Since the Puritan times, the definition of morality has undergone several alterations due to human discovery and evolution. The Religion and Science: Whose History is Right? academic journal by James Pilcher, addresses the change in social morality from being heavily influenced by religion, to being changed by a loss and gain of religious beliefs from scientific discovery. James Pilcher explains how the social definition of morality has changed over time due to a lack of religious presence in modern day society, and an advance in scientific discovery. James doesn’t just explain the “how,” but the “why” religion began to fade away as scientific discoveries grew.  Religion was popular not only because it contained a version of the upcoming of humans, but also because the bible was the answer to new unsolved questions. For example, in The Crucible, when Goody Putnam has six miscarriages and believes it was the devil’s work. The Puritans lacked the technology to find out why she had that many miscarriages, so their religious moral reasoning lead them to believe it was the devil. Modern day technology is advanced enough to find out the cause of all the miscarriages, therefore, scientific moral reasoning was able to answer to these unsolved questions. As science grew, the amount religious believers decreased. Many of the questions that were left unsolved by the bible were being answered with science. As the population left religion and began to adapt science, the definition of morality changed as well. People stopped using the bible as answers to what was right and wrong, and began to use science instead.

Today, religion has less of an influence on our lives, as it did back in the Puritan era. Defending Religious Freedoms by Hillary Clinton, addresses how she supports the idea of people being able to practice their own religion beliefs. She explains how if she were to be elected president she would promote and provide resources for religious freedoms, as opposed to her opponent Donald Trump, who has opposing view on religious freedom. In the 1600’s, it was seen to be morally incorrect to have opposed religious beliefs to those of the church, while in modern day society it’s morally acceptable to practice your own religious beliefs. For example, in The Crucible, Danforth tells Proctor he must either be with the church or against it. In the Puritan society, straying from the church and religion to other beliefs was morally wrong. Today, social morality allows us to freely practice our personal beliefs with the First Amendment.

Apart from just writing Defending Religious Freedoms, Hillary Clinton represents a change in mortality since the 1600’s. For the Puritans, it was morally right to treat women as less than men, where today’s morality has allowed Hillary to run for a high position of authority alongside a man. This moral change from the 1600’s to the present day has allowed women to have more power in their communities. In the Puritan society, it was seen to be immoral for women to have power in the community. For example in The Scarlet Letter, all positions of high authority are held by men, while the women are only allowed so much social freedom. Today’s society has found it morally fair to provide women with the same opportunities and social freedoms to hold high positions of authority.

From the Puritan times in the 1600’s to modern day society, the social definition has undergone many changes from human discovery in both the fields of science and religion. Since the 1600’s, religion offered a morally answer for arousing questions among the community as time went by. When events such as the enlightenment happened, a shift from religion to science grew among the people. Science was able to answer the unsolved questions that religion could not answer. These scientific discoveries caused religion to fade from the average person’s life, and slowly changed the social definition of morality from being strictly guided by the bible, to being revolved around the well being of other people. As a result, people today have not changed to be  more or or less moral, but the social definition of morality has changed affecting our approach towards right and wrong, or good and bad behavior.

Morality Today And in Puritan Times

In The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Hester’s daughter, Pearl, plays a big role in Hester’s transformation throughout the book. Since Hester is an outcast from society, Pearl plays a major role in her life as Pearl is the only other person Hester has a lot of contact with. By Pearl being outcasted as well as her mother, she has very few interactions with people other than Hester. Pearl’s separation from the outside world soon causes problems for Hester when she is introduced into society. Pearl’s inexperience to this new world leads her to act in a way that could damage her future with Hester. Although raising Pearl was difficult, she was the cause of Hester’s redemption later in the story. In retrospect, the conflicts of raising Pearl caused Hester’s transformation throughout the book. As a result, Pearl’s bad influence on Hester caused her to change for the good, enhancing Pearl’s future.

Hester’s sin automatically put her and Pearl on the bottom of the social hierarchy. Hester was forced to wear a red letter “A” on her chest that stood for adultery. After Hester was released from prison, she and Pearl were ridiculed and publicly humiliated. Their reputation among the community was poor, and being that Pearl had just been born by Hester, by affiliation she was considered a sinner and outcast as well. The narrator describes how Pearl is perceived amongst the community: “Pearl was a born outcast of the infant world. An imp of evil, emblem and product of sin, she had no right among christened infants” (Hawthorne 64). Pearl is referred to as, ‘an imp of evil,’ and among the people she is seen to be goblin like or trouble among other children. She is the living ‘emblem’ of Hester’s crime, and the consequences of her sin. Straight from birth, Pearl automatically ‘had no right among christened infants,’ and now that she was considered to be a ‘product’ of evil, she was not allowed to play with any of the other children growing up. Hester’s sin directly affects Pearls life, but indirectly affected her own. Pearl’s division from the community due to Hester’s sin, lead to social conflicts amongst Pearl and other people, causing Hester problems that could affect both their futures.

As Pearl grew up an outcast, her social inexperience sparked problems among other children in the community, and hurt Hester’s reputation as the mother. Once Pearl was old enough to accompany Hester out of the house, she encountered herself among other children of the community. The children knew of her affiliation to her mother, so Pearl was also treated poorly and humiliated while in public. Pearl’s social inexperience lead to her actions toward this shame, as she was blighted with a propensity to act violently towards the children: “If the children gathered about her, as they sometimes did, Pearl would grow positively terrible in her puny wrath, snatching up stones to fling at them, with shrill incoherent exclamations that made her mother tremble, because they had so much the sound of a witch’s anathemas in some unknown tongue” (Hawthorne 64). Hester is scared of Pearl and how she chooses to react towards the children. Pearl is depicted to be evil, and simulate the ‘incoherent exclamations’ of an ‘unknown tongue’ of such a creature known to be a ‘witch.’ Readers can see how Pearls actions cause Hester grief and doubt to whether Pearl is an evil child or not. This boudt is also shared among the community, weakening the public opinion on whether Hester is fit to raise Pearl. Later in the story Hester is asked to meet with Reverend Dimmesdale to discuss the consequences of Pearl’s actions.

All the problems Pearl has been causing in the community provoked the meeting she and Hester had with Reverend Mr. Dimmesdale. Pearl’s actions among the community were causing a ruckus, and needed to be stopped  so she and Hester were called in to speak with the reverend Mr. Dimmesdale about Pearl’s punishment: “On the superstition that Pearl, as already hinted, was of demon origin, these good people not unreasonably argued that a Christian interest in the mother so required them to remove such a stumbling-block from her path. If the child, on the other hand, were really capable of moral and religious growth, and possessed the element of ultimate salvation, then, surely, it would enjoy all the fair prospect of these advantages of being transferred to wiser and better guardianship than Hester Prynne’s” (Hawthorne 68).  Hester is trapped and will loose Pearl no matter the option. The first option states that Pearl will be removed from her mother, so that Pearl can be converted back to a normal Christian child. The second option states that Hester shall be removed from Pearl, as she is not seen fit to raise a child. As a result, all of Pearl’s actions led to Hester and Pearl being threatened to be separated, causing problems for their future together.

The threat of losing Pearl sparked a fire in Hester’s heart, setting her on the path for redemption. When Hester almost loses Pearl, she realizes she needed to redeem herself for the sin she committed and save herself for the good. Pearl meant everything to Hester, and she was willing to do everything to keep her. In desperate need for ideas to convince Mr. Dimmesdale Pearl should stay with her, she explains, “This badge hath taught me, – it daily teaches me, – it teaches me at this moment, – Lessons whereof my child may be the wiser and better, albeit they can profit nothing to myself” (Hawthorne 76). Hester’s answer excused both the options of Pearl being taken away. She explains how ‘the badge hath taught’ her,  punished her for her sin, and changed her to a better mother more fit to raise a child. Also allows her to teach Pearl ‘Lessons’ and convert her from he evil ways to be ‘wiser and better’ than before. The realization of almost losing Pearl because of her foul behavior,  started the shift to good on behalf of Hester’s life.

Now that Hester has secured Pearl to herself, she has become motivated to redeem herself for the good of Pearl’s future. On Hester’s way back home, she has an encounter with a witch. She is offered to join the witch in the forest to practice the ways of evil and Satan. Hester replies with, “I must tarry home, and keep watch over my little Pearl. Had they taken her from me, I would willingly have gone with thee into the forest, and signed my name in the Black Man’s book too, and that with mine own blood!” (Hawthorne 80). Pearl saves Hester’s life, by being the reason she doesn’t decide to go with the ‘Black Man’ into the woods. She would have ‘willingly,’ meaning very easily had given up her life is she had lost Pearl This marked the beginning of Hester’s change towards the redemption of her sin, and proving she was fit to raise Pearl. Peal was all she had left to live for, and the threat of losing her had sparked the start of Hester’s transition.

The problems Pear caused lead to Hester’s fear of her being taken away from her. This fear marked the transition from Pearl being a bad influence in her life, to being a good influence. As a result, Pearls actions throughout the book caused Hester to change and better the future of their lives together. Many argue that the scene on the scaffolding is the most important scene in the book; However, the scene in Governor Bellingham’s house was the most important in the novel. In this scene Hester realizes how much of value Pearl is to her and how much she doesn’t want to lose here. This scene marks the start for Hester and Pearl’s redemption to the sins Hester committed. This change motivated Hester to better herself for the benefit of Pearl’s life in the future.

Scarlet Letter Pearl Essay

                  Often times life presents series of challenges which changes the  natural course of events and require all creation to improvise  in order to survive. God is good, He is all loving, kind and forgiving and as such it only follows divine supposition that His creation exhibit similar traits.In the novel The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne Hester gives birth to a beautiful  girl who,based on the designed structure of the society is considered illegitimate , but she considers a blessing and a gift from the Giver Himself. Pearl is a gift sent from above who changes not only her mother’s life , but that of a society that for a long time has been built on the foundations of self righteousness and one that would not hesitate to cast the first stone even though these same people are guilty of the same transgression. Pearl’s presence in Hester’s life prevents her from selling her soul to the devil, lifts her up the social ladder and makes her the image of righteousness in the Puritan society.

        Pearl’s existence  not only represents love but also a figure that has kept Hester’s soul where it rightfully belongs.  She remains Hester’s sole reason for not trading her soul to Satan. Hester declares,“‘Make my excuse to him, so please you!’Answered Hester, with a triumphant smile. ‘I must tarry at home,  and keep watch over my little Pearl’” (Hawthorne 105). Her birth has brought Hester a lot of shame , but has done what may be considered the ultimate by keeping Hester’s soul with God. Had it not been for Pearl, Hester would had accepted Mistress Hibbins’ invitation to join her in the meeting of witches , but rather she declined in order to be with Pearl. Her perception of Pearl as a blessing from God makes her decision not to worship Satan easier and saves her from “Satan’s snare”. Hester’s situation represents one who has risen from the lowest point in a society where righteousness was measured by the deeds of an individual and therefore made it almost impossible for anyone to be considered righteous.Pearl’s birth which represents sin, has made it possible for Hester to ascend the throne of righteousness.

            Herter’s sin has brought her righteousness and has lifted up the social ladder of the Puritan society. The scarlet letter symbolizing Pearl’s existence over the years has transformed from adultery to amiable: “ Do you see that woman with the embroidered badge? They say to strangers. ‘It is our Hester,- the town’s own Hester,- who is so kind to the poor, so helpful to the sick, so comfortable to the afflicted” ( Hawthorne 147). Even though it’s been seven years and Hester has seen so much ignominy which cannot be compensated for by anything, Pearl’s birth has made Hester an image of righteousness in the Puritan society. Had it not been for Pearl’s birth and the attachment of the scarlet letter to Hester’s life, Hester would have never been able to rise to this level in society. As black as her heart was considered, it is now whiter than snow. Hester has become an image of righteousness and kindness, something which even some clergymen in the society are not tagged with. Hester Prynne as the people in the Puritan Society affectionately called  her, has made visible the unrighteousness of the Puritan society.

            Pearl birth has exalted Hester to a level as though she was on the same pedigree as that of her maker. Hester is able to see how impure the puritan society is and help those who are being silently inflicted by the rod of societal judgement. In the signaling pulse of her letter A, “ She shuddered to believe,yet could not help believing, that it gave her a sympathetic knowledge of the hidden sin in other hearts”(Hawthorne 77). Without the sin and its fruit,  there wouldn’t have been an embroidered letter that would see through the walls of hypocrisy built by the inhabitants of the Puritan society. Hester was an outlet for people who dealt with sin but had no one to talk to for fear of being judged.

         Pearl’s birth has brought shame on Hester and also listlessness to the  scholarly preacher, but if for the benefit of the entire Puritan society, four people had to suffer, it may be considered a blessing or an act of grace. The puritan society was in need of salvation and Pearl’s birth brought just that. She has brought more joy, and happiness to her mother and teaming number of people who were dying from their sins in the Puritan society.

                   The world’s perspective about social issues has changed over a period of time. Some believe the level of morality in the society has experienced a drastic change. Whether this change is positive or negative, society can still be applauded for its dynamism. For a 21st century man or woman, an analysis of the past and present with regards to the magnitude of what we deem today as negative can give us an estimation of the amount of change that has taken place. From the viewpoint of one living in this era, it is quite obvious that society has become less moral since the 1600’s. In the 21st century, pornography, rape and abortion just to name a few are areas which can be blamed for this decline in morality. In those years, one could argue that morality was declining but at the same time there is no doubt to the fact that it has taken a nosedive since the beginning of the 21st century. In the 1600’s even though, pornography might had been done in a different form, records of its use and existence cannot be compared to that in contemporary times. In this modern day “the statistics on today’s porn use are staggering, A Huffington Post headline announced in 2013 that ‘porn sites get more visitors each month than Netflix,Amazon and Twitter  combined’ and one of the largest free porn sites in the world,Youporn,streamed six times the bandwidth of Hulu in 2013.Pornhub,another major free porn site,boasted that in 2015 it received 21.2 billion visits and streamed 75GB of data a second, which translates to to enough porn to fill the storage in around 175 million GB iPhones” (Washington post 2016). Pornograpghy has had a huge influence on the morals of our society today. It affects viewers psychologically, destroy marriages and distorts sexuality. There are so many people involved in the pornorgraphy industry today including people from all walks of life. Men, women, the young, the old, middle aged are all spending time and money on pornography. People are not shy to admit their addiction to pornography, neither do they feel the obligation to uphold societal values.

        There is no doubt morality back in the day wasn’t perfect. In history, humans have done a great job in presenting what seems right in the eyes of society leaving behind those that might be considered unacceptable. Sometimes, immorality goes on without the knowledge of the custodians in the society who fight to keep it. In THE SCARLET LETTER, there was a level of immorality in the Puritan society. Mistress Hibbins confesses that “many a church member saw i, walking behind the music, that has danced in the same measure with me” (Hawthorne 221). There were many people who lived in the pious Puritan society but were still involved in witchcraft. These were people who pretended to be righteous but in reality weren’t righteous. This is just an indication that there were cracks of immorality in the social system even  at that time. While this fact is undeniable, the level of immorality in those days was  limited as compared to that of  the present day.

                         There are so many devastating acts going on today in schools,especially in colleges. In the 1600’s, because people involved in rape cases were either hanged, condemned or punished severely, there were only a few of them. The figures of people involved in dating violence has skyrocketed in current times. These statistics speak for themselves , as according to the Christian Science Monitor “ one in four women will be sexually assaulted on a college campus. Between 15 and 30 percent of college women have been victims of acquaintance rape at some point in their lives” ( Christian Science Monitor 2011). It is no longer safe to fully express yourself as a woman in college through your sense of fashion or who you desire to hang out with. Many people walk with fear in the nights in colleges and even in our neighbourhoods. As the number of rape cases in our society increase, it does nothing but tanish the image of the society. It sends negative signals to the younger generation who can either adopt this as the new normal or have their confidence thrashed. People especially ladies are scared so hang out with guys in the evening or in quiet places. This is sometimes given to them as an advice by their parents and this shows how  bad the level of immorality has soared in our society. It is clearly  shown from the accounts given in THE SCARLET LETTER  that even those who were involved in acts of immorality didn’t have enough courage to do it in public light, but it is easier for a 21st century man to make sexual remarks or pass them in public and not feel bad about it since it has become commonplace.

         It is quite obvious that some people belong to the school of thought which says morality today is better compared to that in the 1600’s. A reference to disprove this fallacy can be drawn from a variety of  sources. While these sources might argue for the increase in morality today, accounts in THE SCARLET LETTER disprove this notion. Religion and law were almost the same back in the day and prevented people from choosing to follow one. Everyone in the society served as a check on each other. Based on this, no matter highly people praise today’s morality, one can argue that  “in either case, there was very much the solemnity of demeanor on the part of  the spectators;as befitted a people amongst whom religion and law were almost identical, and in whose character both were thoroughly interfused, that the mildest and the severest act of public discipline  were alike made venerable and awful” (Hawthorne 45). In most societies in the 1600’s, since religion was tied to the law it made people who broke religious vows at the same time had automatically violated the law. This instilled a higher standard of morality in the society.The Puritan society gathered to watch the punishment of Hester who has committed adultery.  Even though there are several disadvantages with such a system, one can argue that it lifts the standard of morality in the society. In this age, most people hide behind the comfort of democracy to do all sort of immoral things.

                     Democracy offers  many rights and liberties but has been misconstrued by some people resulting in the dip in morality in  society today. The legalisation of abortion has made the society less moral because some people misuse the right. For example the, “US abortion law makes many countries in Europe look like pro-life radicals”(Los Angeles Times 2016). Abortion can sometimes be the same as murder when it is done deliberately or not prescribed by a health practitioner. In today’s society, many people commit abortion whenever they feel like because there are laws that permit them. Many people now do not care about the consequences of unprotected sex because there is a way out in case of pregnancy.

          There were times even before the 1600’s when immorality was seen in the society; besides, everyone is liable to sin at some point in time.THE CRUCIBLE offers some circumstances where the imperfections of the 1600’s are seen. In Salem, so many people were prosecuted for engaging in witchcraft. There are always times people are going to do wrong. In the history of the world, there has not been any society that has been successful in establishing a utopia. Evidence to this point is given in THE CRUCIBLE when an honorable Reverend John said “ I think not, or you should surely know that Cain were an upright man, and yet he did kill Abell”(Miller 91). It implies that a man can be righteous yet sin. Does the fact that Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale in THE SCARLET LETTER committed adultery with Hester mean he has been rendered unrighteous for life even if he repents? In the Bible Cain killed his brother Abel at the time when morality in the world was almost perfect.        

                 Immorality has always existed in society,but the difference between then and now is the frequency at which is happens.  It is true that there can never be  a utopia in any society and some societies draw closer than others but it was better in times past than it is now. Differences in the number of rape cases recorded in times past and now, the influx of pornography in our culture today. One’s thought of immorality today even gets worse when you know the complications that can result from abortion “according to a 2014 study from the University of California,San Francisco that tracked 55,000 women for six weeks after their abortions (Scherker). This is a huge number considering the number of lives lost during these abortions. The entire population of the Puritan society can’t even match this number , yet in our society that much number of abortions were carried out in six weeks. The society today has been derailed by factors such as pornography ,rape and abortion from sustaining the high level of morality inherited from the past.

       WORKS CITED

Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Scarlet Letter. Pleasantville, NY: Reader’s Digest Association, 1984. Print.

Miller, Arthur. The Crucible: A Play in Four Acts. Harmondsworth, Eng.: Penguin, 1976. Print.

DeVaron, Tina. “At Colleges Plagued with Date Rape, Why ‘No’ Still Means ‘Yes’.” Christian Science Monitor. 28 Jun. 2011: n.p. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 09 Nov. 2016.

Dines, Gail. “Is Pornography Immoral?.” Washington Post. 10 Apr. 2016: B.1. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 09 Nov. 2016.

Day, Kristen, and Charles Camosy. “Abortion Rights That Go Too Far.” Los Angeles Times. 27 Jul. 2016: A.13. SIRS Issues Researcher.Web. 09 Nov. 2016.

Scherker, Amanda. “10 Abortion Myths That Need To Be Busted.” The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2016.