Rhetorical Strategies In Nathaniel Hawthorne's 'The Scarlet Letter'

Damon Dixon
A.P. Lit 11
Mrs. Pepe
12/15/13

Rhetorical Essay

Common throughout religious stories we read today mainly focuses on how the author feels about their faith. However, in Hawthorne’s novel The Scarlet Letter it composed a both beautiful and tragic story while still creating a deep impact on the conflicting views of the society and nature in the Puritan society. Hawthorne uses his main characters in this novel to focus on three main rhetorical strategies; symbolism, hypocrisy and maliciousness. While using these strategies Hawthorne is able to create a story of a woman who was condemned and exposed of her sin in the Puritan Society.

The author begins his story by using different forms of nature to clarify
his illustration of the New England Prison. A black flower is used to symbolize the corruption that is present within the society. In chapter 1, when describing the prison the black flower is comparable to the current prison that is housing all the criminals due to corruption since the Puritans religion is to be free of corruption and sin. Also a rose-bush is used as another symbol of nature in the story. The prison was used to represent harsh justice and on the side of the dark prison was a rose bush. A reader could come to the conclusion that the rush bush would represents Gods grace for the prisoner leaving and for the ones coming forth. Hester Prynne is the first character in the novel that Hawthorne uses to display his first strategy of symbolism. Hester is a common women in society who can easily be judged by whatever she does just by the letter on her chest. For example, she committed the sin of adultery. The bible says man should not leave his wife and take up another one so as to remarry her cause this is one of the most serious sins. Since Hester was religious we can tie this sin in with her. Although, in the puritan society an adulteress was punished by walking around with a red letter A on their chest, to represent the sin of adultery and the color red to represent red hot iron of shame. Another example of symbolism would be Hester daughter Pearl. In the novel Hawthorne shows that Hester went to the governor’s mansion, because they threatened to take her daughter Pearl away from her stating that she was unfit. Then Reverend Dimmesdale says that Pearl serves as a reminder to Hester of her sin she committed. Being that reminder to her, Pearl serves as the walking letter that is placed on Hester’s chest.

Arthur Dimmesdale being the second party in the act of adultery is a minister in the society who, through his sermons and good nature, has won the hearts of his parishioners.
He is a good man, but he is fearful of ruining his image by letting out his guilty secret. “Be not silent from any mistaken pity and tenderness for him; for believe me, Hester, though he were to step down from a high place, and stand there beside thee, on thy pedestal of shame, yet better were it so, than to hide a guilty heart through life. What can thy silence do for him except it tempt him-yea, compel him, as it were- to add hypocrisy to sin?” (Hawthorne 47) This quote was a demand from Dimmesdale to Hester while she is on the scaffold being integrated to speak the guilty name of the one who accompanied her with the sin. Although, he is pleading to Hester to give the name of her fellow sinner, in reality he doesn’t really want her to reveal his identity. Remaining silent about the sin committed with Prynne and then giving the consequences for the silencer shows another form of hypocrisy from Dimmensdale. The people of the puritan society also play a hypocritical
role.

Why did Hester Prynne keep secrets that ended up hurting everyone?
Hester can atone for her sin of adultery, but every day that she keeps the secret of her lover, and the true identity of Rodger Chillingworth a secret she is committing a sin. If Hester would have “Take heeds how thou deniest to him---who, perchance, hath not the courage to grasp it for himself---the bitter, but wholesome, cup that is now presented to thy lips!”(Dimmesdale 47) things would have been infinitely better for everyone. Everyone Hester Prynne loves, she does in a hypocritical way. She loves Pearl enough to sacrifice to feed and clothe her, but she does not love Pearl enough to give her a father. Hester loves Dimmesdale, but she does not love him enough to expose his sin publicly, and she conceals her knowledge of Chillingworth. Either you love something whole-heartedly, or you don’t. Hawthorne might have portrayed Hester in a more favorable light then the other characters, but still she should have to wear a scarlet H in addition to her
A.

On Election Day, however, Dimmesdale finally does reveal his hidden sin, but he does so at his dying moment to absolve his soul not because he is a strong man. Were he a strong man, he would have come forward with his secret rather than allowing it to slowly destroy him. Dimmesdale has some good qualities but also some bad ones. He is a hypocrite and his weakness shows. Dimmesdale can preach a good sermon on sin, but he can’t deal with a very serious one himself. He even shows a little sense of envy toward Hester, saying, “Happy are you, Hester, that wear the scarlet letter openly upon your bosom! Mine burns in secret! Thou little knowest what a relief it is, after the torment of a seven years' cheat, to look into an eye that recognizes me for what I am!” He allows his weakness to get to him and at the end of the book we can feel sorry for him.