Scarlet Letter Essay
Sydney Loyed AP Lit Due: 10/20/08 The Scarlet Letter Essay
Hester Prynne, a young woman sent to the new Puritan world by her husband, commits adultery with an English minister, which leads to the birth of their love child, Pearl Prynne. While Hester is forced to accept complete blame for lechery and survive the punishment of her society, Arthur Dimmesdale, the biological father of Pearl, keeps the secret of his sin to himself and is compelled to sustain personal burdens that wear on him internally. Pearl, the product of two people’s lack of obedience towards the community’s rules, is a constant reminder to both Hester and Dimmesdale of their wrongdoings and deviant behavior. Both Hester Prynne and Arthur Dimmesdale suffer a sense of responsibility for their actions, however, their punishments are handled in different manners, one through public humiliation, and the other through secret guilt and shame. As for public humiliation, Hester Prynne is the person who must endure all of the tortures which society inflicts on her as punishment for her confession for committing adultery. On the other hand, however, Arthur Dimmesdale continues to suffer, quietly experiencing personal burdens and pain that he must keep quiet to conceal his identity as Hester’s lover and Pearl’s father. Hester Prynne and Arthur Dimmesdale undergo very different ways of dealing with the guilt from their crime, but Pearl Prynne is one of the main causes of Hester and Dimmesdale being unable to move past their sin. Pearl, among other things, is a constant reminder to the Bostonian community of Hester’s sinful behavior, while she is also a steady symbol to Arthur Dimmesdale of the secret shame that he is hiding inside himself, while he lets Hester take the blame alone. Nathaniel Hawthorne uses character throughout the novel, The Scarlet
Hester Prynne, a young woman sent to the new Puritan world by her husband, commits adultery with an English minister, which leads to the birth of their love child, Pearl Prynne. While Hester is forced to accept complete blame for lechery and survive the punishment of her society, Arthur Dimmesdale, the biological father of Pearl, keeps the secret of his sin to himself and is compelled to sustain personal burdens that wear on him internally. Pearl, the product of two people’s lack of obedience towards the community’s rules, is a constant reminder to both Hester and Dimmesdale of their wrongdoings and deviant behavior. Both Hester Prynne and Arthur Dimmesdale suffer a sense of responsibility for their actions, however, their punishments are handled in different manners, one through public humiliation, and the other through secret guilt and shame. As for public humiliation, Hester Prynne is the person who must endure all of the tortures which society inflicts on her as punishment for her confession for committing adultery. On the other hand, however, Arthur Dimmesdale continues to suffer, quietly experiencing personal burdens and pain that he must keep quiet to conceal his identity as Hester’s lover and Pearl’s father. Hester Prynne and Arthur Dimmesdale undergo very different ways of dealing with the guilt from their crime, but Pearl Prynne is one of the main causes of Hester and Dimmesdale being unable to move past their sin. Pearl, among other things, is a constant reminder to the Bostonian community of Hester’s sinful behavior, while she is also a steady symbol to Arthur Dimmesdale of the secret shame that he is hiding inside himself, while he lets Hester take the blame alone. Nathaniel Hawthorne uses character throughout the novel, The Scarlet
Bibliography: Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Scarlet Letter. Dover Publications, Inc.; New York, 1994.