Essay
Sin and Punishments
In the Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, there are three main sinners. They are Hester Prynne, Arthur Dimmesdale, and Roger Chillingworth. These three people all commit terrible sins including revenge, adultery, and murder. Of these sinners, Roger Chillingworth is the guiltiest of them all, and this is because he never felt remorse for the terrible things he did throughout the novel. Chillingworth sins were aimed to bring pain and suffering to others where as Hester's and Dimmesdale's sin was a sin of passion, and was never meant to hurt anyone.
All throughout the novel Hawthorne discusses the idea of sin and redemption. Hester is shown to be the least sinful of the three people because she is redeemed by the fact that she must wear the scarlet letter for the rest of her life if she is to remain in the Puritan town because she committed the sin of adultery. Dimmesdale is more sinful than Hester because it takes him so long to confess his sin to the town. Dimmesdale is cowardly because he is afraid of the townspeople and of what they may do to him for his sin. He is also naïve because he fears the town more than he fears God even though he is a minister in Puritan times. Although Dimmesdale is a coward for not confessing his sin until he is close to the end he still shows remorse by lashing himself for his sin of adultery, and by helping Hester and Pearl by aiding Hester in persuading the Governor to let her keep Pearl. In addition, both Hester and Dimmesdale have the constant reminder of their sin because of Pearl who forces the issue upon them by always asking questions like what the scarlet letter stands for and if Dimmesdale will ever stand on the scaffold with her and her mother during the day in front of the town. Dimmesdale believes he has a reason to hide his sin; if he were to confess his sin the town may lose all hope of good, and may have became overrun by sin and evil.
Chillingworth, however, comes into the town and from
In the Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, there are three main sinners. They are Hester Prynne, Arthur Dimmesdale, and Roger Chillingworth. These three people all commit terrible sins including revenge, adultery, and murder. Of these sinners, Roger Chillingworth is the guiltiest of them all, and this is because he never felt remorse for the terrible things he did throughout the novel. Chillingworth sins were aimed to bring pain and suffering to others where as Hester's and Dimmesdale's sin was a sin of passion, and was never meant to hurt anyone.
All throughout the novel Hawthorne discusses the idea of sin and redemption. Hester is shown to be the least sinful of the three people because she is redeemed by the fact that she must wear the scarlet letter for the rest of her life if she is to remain in the Puritan town because she committed the sin of adultery. Dimmesdale is more sinful than Hester because it takes him so long to confess his sin to the town. Dimmesdale is cowardly because he is afraid of the townspeople and of what they may do to him for his sin. He is also naïve because he fears the town more than he fears God even though he is a minister in Puritan times. Although Dimmesdale is a coward for not confessing his sin until he is close to the end he still shows remorse by lashing himself for his sin of adultery, and by helping Hester and Pearl by aiding Hester in persuading the Governor to let her keep Pearl. In addition, both Hester and Dimmesdale have the constant reminder of their sin because of Pearl who forces the issue upon them by always asking questions like what the scarlet letter stands for and if Dimmesdale will ever stand on the scaffold with her and her mother during the day in front of the town. Dimmesdale believes he has a reason to hide his sin; if he were to confess his sin the town may lose all hope of good, and may have became overrun by sin and evil.
Chillingworth, however, comes into the town and from