help with paper?!?!? help appreciated

does anyone have any ideas for a theme or some lit devices in the scarlet letter...i was thinkin evil as the theme...and like imagery of the black man...but idk what else....any help would be appreciated...

i just read something about maybe the theme being sin...ive found a couple examples but our essays we need 3 lit devices and 3 examples of each so anyone else got any examples of how sin is shown throughout the book?

remember that theme is the underlying or universal truth revealed in a work of literature. As such, theme cannot be stated in a single word. You will do yourself a huge favor if you put your theme into a complete statement. Thus "sin" becomes "The guilt of hidden sin in one's life often leads to emotional and physical ruin of the person." Now that your theme is focused on the cause/effect relationship of hidden sin in a person's life, then you can move to the literary elements that highlight this particular theme: character, symbol, setting, etc. There are plenty of symbols in The Scarlet Letter beginning with the rose bush in chapter one to Hester's A, to even Pearl. Hidden Sin is present in Hester's life in her unwillingness to reveal Dimesdale. Dimesdale is the epitome of hidden sin, and even Chillingworth takes on the idea of hidden sin in the fact that his life is a lie. Finally, Setting is hugely important in the book. Look at where and when the major events of the story take place keeping in mind that night time, or darkness, emobies this idea of hidden, and the forest is also a symbolic representation of the unknown.

I hope your paper isn't due tomorrow. Good luck.

I have an analytical journal due july 16 and I need help choosing parts from the scarlet letter to write about. YES i have read the book but i want to be extra creative! please help with thoughts thanks. oh, im new here!
-Brittany
also, i dont know how to start my own post so i just replyed here :)

Just one type of recommendation...The greeks invented almost every literary device and and rhetorical tool used today...stuff like irony, histeron-proteron, hyperbole etc. Do a search on these devices... I believe there are at least twenty commonly used. This should give you a good start. quasimodo1

♥Good vs Evil-good can come from evil, learn from sin, light in darkness, etc.
♥Wilderness;nature;survival-Nature has sympathy for criminals, outsiders etc. it doesn't condemn them like the Puritans.
♥Hidden Sin vs Open Sin-Dimmesdale and Hester-Dimmesdale gradually gets sicker because of the guilt and dishonesty.
♥Dimmesdale and Hesters sin isn't as bad because it was committed out of love whereas Chillingworth's is worse because it is out of malicious intent.
♥Scaffold=guilt & shame
♥Pearl-wild like nature, has no boundaries, big imagination, unlike anything the Puritans have seen.
♥Rosebush-offers hope for immoral in the society, brings beauty and light in dark places...is wild. The rose symbolizes Pearl and the thorns represent evil, but the bloom is pure and innocent. She has a side that is not pure but she is, born out of sin but it isn't her fault.

**these are straight out of my notes for my essay...Got a 98...hopefully they help.

Thank YOOOU! Im struggling beyond belief. I also have to write a summary of the book, so any thoughts would help. Im pretty sure I can manage with the info you guys gave me, but anything more would be wonderful!! :D thanks again
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Brittany

nevermind i posted a topic about it