pointing out he beauty and "perfect elegance". He never once pointed out a flaw of…
Undoubtedly, Hester, Dimmesdale, and Chillingworth had all committed sin in one form or another, but Chillingworth’s sin lies on a much larger scale because while Hester and Dimmesdale repent for their sin Chillingworth fails to even recognize his own.…
Capital punishment was wide spread in Puritan Boston. Although the Bible was a moral guide, societies were swarmed with crimes and sins. The punishments included severe whipping, imprisonment, slitting nostrils, and public execution on scaffold(“Puritan”). In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, although the two main characters, Hester and Dimmesdale are guilty of the similar sins, they experience different punishments and outcomes.…
(An analysis of the letter ‘a’ and all the symbolisms behind it from Nathaniel Hawthorne’s, The Scarlet Letter.)…
There are many maladies in this world to which the fragile human body can fall victim. Be it from disease or from physical injury, the end result is the same if the ailment is left unattended for too long. However, what happens when this sickness emerges from the darkest corner of the human soul and begins to agonizingly consume the fibers of one’s being day by day? When the parasite is an insatiable guilt which causes sensations so tortuous and vile that they can drive a man to the brink of insanity, and perhaps even into the waiting claws of death? Such horrid feelings, especially when contained, possess an unfathomably immense danger with grave consequences. In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s, The Scarlet Letter, Arthur Dimmesdale’s deteriorating…
In The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne utilizes Puritan ideology to convey a philosophical reflection on sin and redemption. Adulteress Hester Prynne must wear a scarlet A to mark her shame, and while her lover, Arthur Dimmesdale, remains unidentified and is wracked with guilt, her husband, Roger Chillingworth, seeks revenge. Although all three characters contemplate redemption, it is only Hester that chooses to confront her sin; Dimmesdale and Chillingworth refuse. This decision is heavily influenced by their respective morals. Hester’s morals of truth, forgiveness, and honesty allow her to be almost fully redeemed in the eyes of the public, whereas Dimmesdale's perverse loyalty to the morally corrupt society that hinders his love for…
The Shame “Shame is nothing more than denial of the truth.” – M. Funkhouser. Everyone agrees that…
Revenge, the action of inflicting hurt or harm on someone for their wrongdoings against another, is characterized as a corruption of the mind of the affected individual. Throughout the history of literature, countless authors have incorporated the theme of revenge into their works. For example, in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s, The Scarlet Letter, Roger Chillingworth seeks revenge on Minister Dimmesdale because of his crime committed with Hester. Similarly, in William Shakespeare’s, Othello, Iago devises an evil plan to avenge Othello of his rumored sin.…
In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, numerous perspectives show the different ways in which people deal with their sins and keeping secrets. The composed manner of Hester Prynne is contrasted with the weakened Arthur Dimmesdale to reveal the effects of secrets on the mind. The longer one tries to hide a shameful secret, the faster it will deteriorate them from the inside.…
In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s Scarlet Letter, Pearl undergoes a dramatic transformation from a devilish infant to a sagely child. Born into a society full of judgment and hypocrisy, Pearl, a bastard child, is unable to escape her predetermined role. Pearl lacks a traditional family; her mother is the sole provider, a direct attack on Puritan standards designating this young family as outsiders. Furthermore, Pearl, unlike her peers, establishes a reputation for being strange because she does not adhere to conventional norms. Despite her apparent shortcomings, Pearl is more perceptive and compassionate than members of her community. Predestined by stringent, oppressive Puritan standards, Pearl is outwardly…
The scarlet letter tells the story of sin, guilt and repentance. The scarlet letter was given to Hester and Dimmesdale to constantly remind them of their sins. Guilt ate away at characters, such as Dimmesdale, when trying to conceal his sins. Repentance was also felt by characters throughout The Scarlet Letter.…
“Guilt is through the spirit and Pain is the body.” Everyone is sinful or guilty in a way, whether it is lying or doing adultery. It is mistakes that are caused by people. Because you will have to be guilty first in order to suffer the pain that was caused by their sin. Mr. Dimmesdale in The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne had to suffer his own sin and can’t find a way to confess to the society, no one understands what is he going through. Hester has to suffer from her own sin with everyone be disgusted by her, wish to not have any relationship with her. This is the same with John Proctor in The Crucible by Arthur Miller. He had to suffer a sin of his own, due to the affair between him and Abigail Williams. Therefore he has to face…
The scarlet letter brings with it the punishing mockery and humiliation from her fellow Puritans, so continuing to bear this mark requires a great amount of strength. Hawthorne wrote Hester’s character to seem beautiful yet powerful in that she believes her own sinful ways cannot be redeemed or reconciled without proper punishment. Until Hester believes that she has renounced her sinful ways and learned from her mistakes, she will not allow herself or anyone in the town to remove the letter. During her discourse with Roger Chillingworth regarding the removal of the scarlet letter, Hester responds, “It lies not in the pleasure of the magistrates to take off this badge...Were I worthy to be quit of it, it would fall away of its own nature, or be transformed into something that should speak a different purport” (153). Hester believes that it is not in her own power or the power of the town to remove the scarlet letter from her bosom. Although the letter can be physically removed, it cannot be removed by God until Hester becomes worthy of its removal. Hester also discusses the removal of the scarlet letter when she faces public humiliation for her crimes near the beginning of her story. Near the end of the novel, when Hester returns from Europe to Boston without Pearl, Hester still continues to wear the letter. Hawthorne describes this event when he writes, “But her hesitation was only for an instant, though long enough to display a scarlet letter on her breast. And Hester Prynne had returned, and taken up her long-forsaken shame” (233) Although Hester has already completed her punishment of bearing the shame of the scarlet letter, she still continues to wear the letter after returning. This not only characterizes Hester as a determined woman, but also shows how the scarlet letter has become a part…
The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne shows significant and essential details of the Puritan society in the 17th century. The essence of chapter 10 ending is related to the theme of hypocrisy as it describes Roger Chillingworth’s evil attitude toward Arthur Dimmesdale, who is in love with Hester Prynne.…
Hester Prynne's scarlet letter is a symbol of the beauty in being true to one’s self. Her “A” is a badge she must to wear to shame her for her sin. One would think that removing the badge would come as a blessing to Hester. However, in chapter 14, Chillingworth tells Hester, “It was debated whether or not with safety to common weal, yonder scarlet letter might be taken off your bosom,” to which Hester calmly replies, “It lies not in the pleasure of magistrates to take off this badge…” (122; Ch 14). Hester wants to decide her own identity rather than allow others to choose it for her. Removing the letter would show that the letter was a symbol of shame to her and would exemplify society's power over her. Hester is shameful of her scarlet letter but would never let society know. Because the wears the…