Jeannette Grout

12.18.2008
Pd. 3

“…the scarlet letter ceased to be a stigma which attracted the world's scorn and
bitterness, and became a type of something to be sorrowed over, and looked upon with
awe, and yet with reverence, too.” (Hawthorne 215).

In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne is forced to wear the scarlet

letter “A”, revealing her crime of adultery to all of the community. The Puritans lived by

strict moral laws and were judged very harshly. Hester experiences this when she is

sentenced to wear the scarlet letter. It is a symbol of shame and humiliation. She is

isolated by her community. Her life changes, and she learns to become a very

compassionate person. Hester rises above the shame. The letter comes to stand for

“Able” because Hester becomes a very capable woman that even others seek out for

help.

The show “Gossip Girl” on the CW shows how rumors destroy lives on practically

every episode. One in particular, called “A Thin Line Between Chuck and Nate” displays

this theme several times within the course of the hour. When it is revealed to all of

Manhattan on the blog site Gossip Girl that Blair Waldorf had affairs with both Chuck

Bass and Nate Archibald within a week, her life is in shambles. As Gossip Girl said in the

episode, “Anyone can commit a minor indiscretion and generate a day's worth of buzz,

but in order for gossip to birth a true scandal it requires the right person to be in the

wrong place. Take one "it" girl on a pedestal, add a crowd eager to see her fall, and give

them the means to knock her down” (Gossip Girl Insider). Blair, once the leader of her

exclusive clique, is turned away by even her closest friends. Neither Nate nor Chuck will

take her back after the truth comes out. Her life is ruined and she is publicly humiliated,
very much like Hester. However, later in the season she rises above her problem and

resumes her role as “Queen B” (Gossip Girl Insider).

If I were forced to wear a scarlet letter, a friend told me it should be the letter “T” for

talkative. I tend to talk constantly, and I cannot force myself to stop. Another friend said

it should be “T” for Twilight Obsessed. I am overly devoted to the movie and books. I

talk about Twilight all the time. I wear Twilight themed clothes, quote the books, discuss

movie scenes, and spend a pathetic amount of time thinking about Edward. I honestly do

not know if I will ever recover from this weakness. Not even intensive therapy would

help. I believe I have the most severe case of Obsessive Cullen Disorder known.

One friend considers my Twilight obsession a positive trait. She believes the Cullen

crest from Twilight would be a very appropriate symbol for me to wear for a “power

letter.” In fact, I already use this power letter; I wear the Alice’s Cullen crest necklace

everyday. I was also told by a friend that my power letter should be “K” for

knowledgeable. She has observed how well I know movies, TV shows, and celebrity

gossip. Another friend believes my power letter should be “P” for passionate. I

completely agree with her. I do tend to take a very passionate approach at life. Though

the friend meant that I have a passion for friends, family, and books, which is true, I

relate that power letter to every aspect of my life. One of my absolute favorite things in

life is figure skating. There is nothing I would rather be doing than figure skating.

Though I do compete, winning isn’t the main intention of my skating career. I simply

want to be able to develop as many skating skills as I can, master as many jumps as I can,

and become the best skater I can possibly become. I love figure skating and have an

unbelievable amount of passion for it. I believe the “P” power letter ties together the
other two power letters as well. I show passion for Twilight and for being informed on

movies and gossip.

Scarlet letters can be found in modern day life. People who have DUI’s are forced to

show a red and yellow license plate on their cars. Pedophiles are also made known to the

public. I think that these crimes should be displayed. The public should be able to know

who is a pedophile. Police should be able to tell who will likely be driving drunk. They

should be revealed not to shame the person but for the public to be aware of a potential

repeat of the crime.

Hester’s life was ruined when she was publicly humiliated in The Scarlet Letter.

However, she made the best of her life. She turned her scarlet letter for “Adultery” into

the power letter for “Able.” There was no longer any shame with the letter, and she was

recognized positively.
Works Cited:
1. Hawthorne, Nathaniel. "The Scarlet Letter." Google Book Search. 18 Dec 2008
<http://books.google.com/books?id=lqHEe63THRAC&printsec=copyright&dq=t
he+scarlet+letter+ceased+to+be+a+stigma+which+attracted+the+world%27s+sco
rn+and+bitterness,+and+became+a+type+of+something+to+be+sorrowed+over,+
and+looked+upon+with+awe,+and+yet+with+reverence,+too.>.
2. SparkNotes, "The Scarlet Letter." Sparknotes.com. 2008. 18 Dec 2008
<http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/scarlet/quotes.html>.
3. Gossip Girl Insider, "A Thin Line between Chuck and Nate." Gossip Girl Insider.
18 Dec 2008 <http://www.gossipgirlinsider.com/episodes/season_1/the-thin-line-
between-chuck-and-nate/>.
4. North Shore Community College. "Introduction to Hester and Pearl in the Scarlet
Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne." Hawthorne in Salem. 2008. 18 Dec 2008
<http://www.hawthorneinsalem.org/Literature/Hawthorne&Women/ScarletLetter/
Introduction.html>.