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Why does Hawthorne begin his story with a description of a prison and its door?

User Egordoe
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8 votes

Answer:

The prison door is the doorway to all the sinners and criminals. It is described as never seeing innocence. Hester's sin is not innocent, so it fits the prison because the door has seen sin and it holds sin. It represents that harshness of Puritan discipline.

Step-by-step explanation:

User Dzenly
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4 votes

Answer:

Hawthorne implies that no matter how perfect a colony is, it will need a prison because it cannot escape sin.

Step-by-step explanation:

User Inyourdream
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