How Does Hester Prynne Live In Guilt

Living in Guilt Charity Ryan

Throughout The Scarlet Letter, Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale is tormented by his sin, leading to his inevitable death. Hester Prynne must live with the retributions of her adultery every day of her life, Pearl being a constant reminder. Even Chillingworth disintegrates under the power of his own sin, that of revenge. It seems Hawthorne is trying to make a point in his novel; that it is impossible to escape the consequences of your actions (especially in Puritan New England)! In the beginning of this book we meet Hester Prynne, a beautiful young mother making her way from prison through a crowd of displeased Puritans. She finds herself displayed like a circus animal, amongst a silent and unforgiving crowd, on a scaffold commonly used for executions. She has a brilliantly embroidered Scarlet Letter “A” attached to her bosom, a curious punishment for the sin of adultery. The crowd, with the exception of that one young maiden, seems to think she deserved much more than a simple letter attached to her clothes. Death is the proper punishment for a scandal of this proportion! The Scarlet
Letter proves to be more sinister than you might think. It repels society from her. She becomes a hermit, living out monotonous days sewing in her cottage with her equally lonely child, Pearl. Everywhere she goes, she is avoided or surrounded by curious bystanders. She becomes the subject of many preachers’ sermons; the living example of what you shouldn’t become in Puritan society. Even her tiny pearl is the physical embodiment of her dreaded letter, a daily reminder of the sin she cannot seem to escape. Though Hester is a good woman; loving, caring, God fearing and humble, she doesn’t find forgiveness for many years. The handsome Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale is a walking disaster. He preaches his life changing sermons with a majestic aura. Dimmesdale is the towns living, breathing, angel, bringing everyone he meets into the presence of God. He is seemingly perfect, though suffering indescribably on the inside. Being that he is the father of Hester’s little Pearl, he feels as if he is a walking hypocrite. Every single day, the sin he cannot seem to confess eats him up. It tears him down, as he lifts his community up. His fellow Puritans seem to think of him as a martyr. They believe his sickness must be caused by his profound devotion to the Lord, though it is truly caused by the guilt he cannot elude. Not to mention the hair raising Mr. Chillingworth always making it worse. Alas, poor Mr. Dimmesdale doesn’t make it through. He becomes weaker and weaker, until at last he conjures up the courage he needs to confess to his town the sin he committed. A few moments later he collapsed and died, leaving Hester heartbroken and Pearl fatherless. At last we come to the sinister Mr.
Chillingworth. He is Hester’s former husband, a wonderful physician. He chooses to keep his identity a secret upon arriving back to town after being in Indian captivity for two years. After finding out about Hester’s child, he vows to get revenge from whomever it belongs to. Chillingworth goes from being a kind, smart, and gentle old man to an evil, plotting, vengeful ball of fury. He sets his eyes upon the Reverend Mr. Dimmesdale, and immediately recognizes him as Pearls father. He arranges to be Dimmesdale’s roommate, and from that moment on makes his life a living hell. The reverend slowly diminishes under Chillingworth’s evil power, as Chillingworth grows stronger by the day. When Dimmesdale finally confessed his sin and died, Chillingworth lost all his power. He crumbled, and died soon
after. What is the moral of this story? Don’t sin in Puritan New England! Or perhaps Hawthorne was delving a little deeper. Though Hester led a lonely life, people came to accept her in her community. They began to like her and look up to her as she got older. Those who tried to cover up their sins (Dimmesdale and Chillingworth) suffered and died. Maybe Hawthorne is trying to let us know that it’s far better to confess than to live in anguish, smothering yourself with your own guilt. After all, in the end, it all comes out anyway.