Both Uses of
contrast
in
The Scarlet Letter
- Had there been a Papist among the crowd of Puritans, he might have seen in this beautiful woman, so picturesque in her attire and mien, and with the infant at her bosom, an object to remind him of the image of Divine Maternity, which so many illustrious painters have vied with one another to represent; something which should remind him, indeed, but only by contrast, of that sacred image of sinless motherhood, whose infant was to redeem the world.
Chpt 2 (definition 1) *by contrast = in a comparison that shows differences
- I have laughed, in bitterness and agony of heart, at the contrast between what I seem and what I am!
Chpt 17 (definition 2) *contrast = notable difference
Definitions:
-
(1) (contrast as in: contrast their writing styles) point to differences between; or compare to show differences
-
(2) (contrast as in: there is a contrast) a difference -- especially a notable difference; or the side-x-side arrangement of things that draws attention to an unmissable difference