“A” Sign of Humiliation
“A” Sign of Humiliation
In the novel The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne shares the punishment of a sinful act committed during the puritan period and creates a storyline filled with love, revenge, inner struggle, forgiveness and the sin of adultery.
There are several major themes in Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter that provide conflict and thought-provoking moments in the story. From the beginning of the novel, sin vs. judgment is introduced, followed by revenge vs. forgiveness and hypocrisy vs. integrity.
During the Puritan period, public humiliation is the answer for committing the sin of adultery. Hester Prynne is brought before the town, placed on the pillory with her baby in her arms and an embroidered “A” upon her chest. This action is intended to punish her for her sin, isolate her from society, and hopefully bring forth her lover. Two out of three is as good as it gets.
Refusing to confess her adulteress partner, she bears the public shame alone. Just when Hester thinks it cannot get any worse, it does. Looking into the crowd she sees her “long lost” husband. Not only does she have to display her guilt in front of the townspeople, now her husband is watching her too.
Later in a private meeting with Hester, the reader can sense that the “good doctor” Chillingworth has something else on his mind as he asks her to keep their relationship a secret. That something is revenge instead of forgiveness. “Thou wilt not reveal his name? Not the less he is mine," (Hawthorne 70). Keeping a watchful eye on Hester he slowly works to figure out who the other sinner is and puts his revengeful plan in place.
At the same time, the highly respected Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale is living a lie. He has deserted Hester and his illegitimate daughter Pearl. His sin of passion is slowly eating away at his wellbeing. Slowly but surely, he is wasting away, because he is not man enough to accept responsibility for his sinful actions. He is living a life full of
In the novel The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne shares the punishment of a sinful act committed during the puritan period and creates a storyline filled with love, revenge, inner struggle, forgiveness and the sin of adultery.
There are several major themes in Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter that provide conflict and thought-provoking moments in the story. From the beginning of the novel, sin vs. judgment is introduced, followed by revenge vs. forgiveness and hypocrisy vs. integrity.
During the Puritan period, public humiliation is the answer for committing the sin of adultery. Hester Prynne is brought before the town, placed on the pillory with her baby in her arms and an embroidered “A” upon her chest. This action is intended to punish her for her sin, isolate her from society, and hopefully bring forth her lover. Two out of three is as good as it gets.
Refusing to confess her adulteress partner, she bears the public shame alone. Just when Hester thinks it cannot get any worse, it does. Looking into the crowd she sees her “long lost” husband. Not only does she have to display her guilt in front of the townspeople, now her husband is watching her too.
Later in a private meeting with Hester, the reader can sense that the “good doctor” Chillingworth has something else on his mind as he asks her to keep their relationship a secret. That something is revenge instead of forgiveness. “Thou wilt not reveal his name? Not the less he is mine," (Hawthorne 70). Keeping a watchful eye on Hester he slowly works to figure out who the other sinner is and puts his revengeful plan in place.
At the same time, the highly respected Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale is living a lie. He has deserted Hester and his illegitimate daughter Pearl. His sin of passion is slowly eating away at his wellbeing. Slowly but surely, he is wasting away, because he is not man enough to accept responsibility for his sinful actions. He is living a life full of
Cited: Evans, Robert C. " The Complexities of 'Old Roger ' Chillingworth: Sin and Redemption in Hawthorne 's The Scarlet Letter" Sin and Redemption. By Harold Bloom and Blake Hobby. New York: Bloom 's Literary Criticism, 2010. Print. Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Scarlet Letter. New York: Bantam, 1986. Print. McNamara, Anne M. "The Character of Flame: The Function of Pearl in The Scarlet Letter." On Hawthorne: The Best from American Literature. Durham U.a.: Duke U Pr., 1990. 65-81. Print. Stromberg, Maria. "Hawthorne 's Black Man: Image of Social Evil." Explicator 67.4 (2009): 274-76. Literary Reference Center. Web. 12 July 2014.