Document Type
Sophomore Honorable Mention
Award Date
Fall 2009
Course Name
Literary Explorations I
Teacher
Audrey Wells
Abstract
In recent years, many occurrences—from hurricanes to medical rarities to pictures on pieces of toast—have been labeled acts of God. Those who disagree attribute this association to the idea that people read what they want into a situation. Similar comparisons were made in the time of the Puritans, although theirs tended to be taken more seriously and often held authority in government or court. Still, the idea that these “messages from God” are subconsciously interpreted to fit personal beliefs can also be applied to those of Massachusetts Bay. In his novel The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne shows that when events in the book appear to be messages from God, they are actually reflections of how the characters perceive themselves and each other.
Recommended Citation
Cory, Eleanor '12, "Interpreting Meteors, Weeds, and Sunshine: Acts of God in The Scarlet Letter" (2009). 2009 Fall Semester. 5.
https://digitalcommons.imsa.edu/fall2009/5