The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne is overflowing with important character relationships. These pairings and triads only become significant when power imbalance is considered, which allows the reader to predict future conflicts and recurring themes throughout the story. Relationships are directly linked to conflict, which is the most important part of any novel. There are perhaps a dozen crucial triads in the first eight chapters of The Scarlet Letter, but one stands out among the rest. The paramount triad in The Scarlet Letter is undoubtedly the relationship between Hester Prynne, Roger Chillingworth, and Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale.
The first four chapters of The Scarlet Letter introduce this paramount triad. Chapter …show more content…
Chapter five is assigned to Hester, as it explains how Hester chose to stay in Boston, the scene of her crime, in order to punish herself. She chooses needlework as a career, and Hawthorne emphasizes her elegant skill when the Puritan Community continues to purchase her work despite the sinful source. In contrary, chapter six is devoted to Hester’s child, Pearl. Pearl is described as “a lovely and immortal flower”, with “wild, bright, deeply black eyes”, even though she is a dreadfully uncontrollable child which leads the townspeople to believe she is a demon of sorts. Moreover, chapter seven describes Hester and Pearl’s trip to Governor Bellingham’s mansion. Hester becomes furious when some children fling mud at her and Pearl, and in turn terrifies the children with an abrupt scream. Similarly, chapter eight is a tense situation as a result of the entire triad inhabiting the same room. Dimmesdale, Chillingworth, Bellingham, and Wilson enter the mansion only to find Hester and Pearl. Under those circumstances, Dimmesdale is seen again as a godly person when he is described “to look not a little like that of John the Baptist in a charger”. On the other hand, Roger gained trust over the years and became an active member in the Puritan Community due to his medicinal skills. Hester reveals her purpose at the mansion is to prevent the unrightful taking of her child,