The Nature of Confession
Knox Engler
AM Lit
10-1-13
The Nature of Confession
The Scarlet Letter is a complex novel that addresses issues of love, revenge, Puritanical hierarchy, adultery and several others. It would appear that the book could have been written merely for the purpose of ethical discussion. The most prominent matter that is addressed among all of them however, is confession. There are countless passages that directly allude to characters in the novel struggling with the secrets they have chosen to keep or confess. Through several different instances, the novel is constantly posing two questions, is it better to withhold secrets and live without public shame, or to confess your sins and face dire consequences? Secondly, what must a person consider in deciding whether to confess or not? The novel truly leaves it up to the reader to decide but based on the occurrences throughout the book, the answer, at least to the first question, seems clear. Dimmesdale, a preacher, chose to withhold his secret until he could no longer bare it. Unfortunately, by this time, it was too late and the weight of his guilt in committing adultery combined with the torment he endured by way of Chillingworth collapsed on him all at once. The Scarlet Letter, through its dramatic plot line, argues time and time again that confession is the only path in eradicating sin. In essence, Dimmesdale’s fear of truth and consequence led to a death that he may not have deserved. To understand why certain characters in the Scarlet Letter are so reluctant in revealing their secrets, it is important to understand exactly what the differences between a present day legal system and an early American colonial one are. The Scarlet Letter is based in Massachusetts in the 1640’s. During this time period, Massachusetts and much of New England were religiously Puritan. Puritans were in favor of sustaining the Church of England unlike Pilgrims who wanted to separate from the church completely.
AM Lit
10-1-13
The Nature of Confession
The Scarlet Letter is a complex novel that addresses issues of love, revenge, Puritanical hierarchy, adultery and several others. It would appear that the book could have been written merely for the purpose of ethical discussion. The most prominent matter that is addressed among all of them however, is confession. There are countless passages that directly allude to characters in the novel struggling with the secrets they have chosen to keep or confess. Through several different instances, the novel is constantly posing two questions, is it better to withhold secrets and live without public shame, or to confess your sins and face dire consequences? Secondly, what must a person consider in deciding whether to confess or not? The novel truly leaves it up to the reader to decide but based on the occurrences throughout the book, the answer, at least to the first question, seems clear. Dimmesdale, a preacher, chose to withhold his secret until he could no longer bare it. Unfortunately, by this time, it was too late and the weight of his guilt in committing adultery combined with the torment he endured by way of Chillingworth collapsed on him all at once. The Scarlet Letter, through its dramatic plot line, argues time and time again that confession is the only path in eradicating sin. In essence, Dimmesdale’s fear of truth and consequence led to a death that he may not have deserved. To understand why certain characters in the Scarlet Letter are so reluctant in revealing their secrets, it is important to understand exactly what the differences between a present day legal system and an early American colonial one are. The Scarlet Letter is based in Massachusetts in the 1640’s. During this time period, Massachusetts and much of New England were religiously Puritan. Puritans were in favor of sustaining the Church of England unlike Pilgrims who wanted to separate from the church completely.