Arthur Dimmesdale is the pastor of this small puritan town, who has a secret affair with this girl named Hester Prynne. Hester gets pregnant and is publicly shamed in front of everyone in the town. Dimmesdale decides not to come out and tell everyone that he is her lover, by not doing this Dimmesdale causes himself great emotional pain. Most people just inferred that Dimmesdale would never do anything like this and didn't even think to question him. Unlike Ms. Prynne who confronts her guilt and shame early on in the story, Dimmesdale holds onto his guilt secretly until he finally goes through a process of, at first blaming Hester, then realizing that it wasn't all her fault, to having such strong guilt that he starts hurting himself, to doubting that he will ever get better, after which he comes out and shows everyone his scarlet letter, this…
In what way, according to the Reverend Dimmesdale. can Hester help her unknown lover atone for his sin? 8. How does the Reverend Wilson interpret the baby’s response to Dimmesdale’s entreaty?…
Hester Prynne’s sin in the Scarlet Letter, was adultery. She committed adultery with Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale. This sin in particular was one of the more frowned upon of the Puritan faith. In result of this sin, she became pregnant and gave birth to Pearl, who becomes the highlight of Hester’s life. Dimmesdale’s sin as recently explained was adultery as well. He as the priest was looked upon as the most honorable man in the community and was supposed to be considered sinless.…
The weird ethical hazard to Hester in her loneliness was that it gave her moreover small chance for demonstrative interaction with other people. Hawthorne forced the readers to ponder that how a woman committing adultery is a major offence in a hypocritical society. Hawthorne symbolized Hester as an agent and a rebel who violates laws as Tony Tanner offered a likely justification by saying that:…
In On the Scarlet Letter, D.H. Lawrence comments on Nathaniel Hawthorne’s controversial character, Hester Prynne. What makes Lawrence unique from other critics is that he criticizes Hester and Dimmesdale's’ sinful act, and he asserts negative opinions about the way Hester Prynne is conventionally perceived because of it. D.H. Lawrence presents a well written analysis that effectively castigates Hester Prynne’s characterization in the novel through biblical and literary allusions, harsh syntax, and a satirical tone.…
It is simple biology, plenty of women have sex without protection without conceiving a child. Pearl is included in the story for the simple fact that without her, no one would have known the Hester and Dimmesdale committed adultery unless they were caught in the act. Pearl forces both Hester and Dimmesdale to come to terms with what they have done. This happens when Pearl, Dimmesdale, and Hester are alone together on the scaffold as a family. This is shown through them holding hands and Dimmesdale acknowledging Pearl as his child through the words, “Not now, child, but at another time”. This shows that Dimmesdale believes him, Pearl, and Hester will at one point act as a family;…
The tragedy of adultery was a direct result of a twisted relationship. Although Hester did sin, she remained true to herself and wore the A as her duty. However, Dimmesdale, whom was the dad, preached and kept punishing her even though he committed the same sin. I agree with Carpenter and his views. Hester’s sin was not completely her fault. The author explains, “Because Hester Prynne was so perfectly loyal and loving that she would never abandon her lover, she was condemned by the Puritans” (Carpenter). I believe Hester never tried finding a way out of her punishment nor did she ever bring down Dimmesdale with her rather she dealt with the tragedy herself. This author spun a whole new perspective of the meanings of the different characters…
Feminism is the support for equal rights for both men and women, in the areas that include but are not limited to politics, economics, and social norms. In a more general sense, a feminist seeks a justified, balanced amount of opportunity for both sexes. The topic of feminism has been prevalent in more recent years, but not a few centuries ago. The romance novel The Scarlet Letter, written by Nathaniel Hawthorne in 1850, highlights a female protagonist named Hester Prynne who lived in the 17th century. She is portrayed as a strong feminist character throughout the novel by showing resilience, despite the lack of social equality during the Puritan times the novel takes place in. This novel displays acts of feminism as Hester Prynne lives her life with the stigma of adultery with the scarlet letter.…
In The Scarlet letter, Dimmesdale was blaming himself and feeling guilty in keeping his secret and making Hester take all the blame for both their sins.…
As she stood on the scaffold she held, Pearl, the child she bore because of her sin. Hester endured this horrible punishment, but where was her partner in all of this? Mr. Dimmesdale was standing beside the magistrates watching all of this silently, not wanting anyone to know that he was also a part of this crime. Yet, what if his name was spoken and revealed? Would his punishment have been this severe? At the end of the novel, when Dimmesdale reveals he also shares Hester’s sin many citizens afterward still did not believe that such a godly man would do this. In the novel it reads, “ ...spectators of the whole scene…denied that there was any mark whatever on his breast…Neither, by their report, had his dying words acknowledged… the slightest connection, on his part, with the guilt for which Hester Prynne had… worn the scarlet letter” (Hawthorne 285). They simply remained ignorant and refused to state that they saw the scarlet letter upon his breast. Many townspeople believed that his confession of the transgression was not a confession, but rather a passionate sermon on this subject. However, if Hester would have confessed it would have been easy to believe because women were seen as weak and the main culprits of adultery.…
“When you point a finger at someone else, then three fingers point back at you” (My Second Grade Teacher). In the Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne jeers at the absurd Puritan era and crime and punishment. But the renowned author touches on a more personal theme, an issue that everyone has come across: self evaluation. Even though Hester Prynne, a honest adulterer, and Arthur Dimmesdale, a untruthful priest, are first to sin it is still viewed that Robert Chillingworth, an abandoned husband seeking revenge, has “violated the sanctity of human heart” (Hawthorne 234). To compare the sin that was brought on by choice and sin initiated by another should not be evaluated.There is no argument that Chillingworth’s revenge on Dimmesdale is evil, he plotted against Dimmesdale soon as he confirmed he was Hester’s lover. But the aggravators of sin, Hester and Dimmesdale, must be held responsible for the effects of their actions. Unlike Hester, Dimmesdale refuses to confess to having premarital sex. Adulturing is sinful but the lies, acting, and observing others take the full…
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 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.…
“The Scarlet Letter” written by Nathaniel Hawthorne is based off the early colonial age of New England, where religion played a huge role in shaping society and life. Throughout the book, sin was a constant factor that plays a role in Reverend Dimmesdale’s life. Committing one of the unforgivable sins, adultery, with Hester, he lets his guilt control his life. However, it is better that Dimmesdale doesn’t confess his sin because it leads to Dimmesdale having greater influence over the community, and it helps him understand who he is in the process.…
Hester is forgiven because now she has to wear a letter A on her chest for seven years because of her decision making. She was not to tell anyone who Pearl's father was because she'd get killed if she did. Hester…