Essay on Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter

An early example of this is how she handles her service to others. Even while being harassed by the general public, Hester Prynne continues to make these sacrifices which are only rewarded with hatred and insults. Hester foregoes her own pleasures, except for the lavish “decoration of her infant,” and bestows the rest of her wealth “on wretches less miserable than herself” (Hawthorne 75). She even continues to aid the poor despite the fact that they “not unfrequently insulted the hand that fed them” (Hawthorne 75). Despite the fact that it was in Hester’s best interests not to aid those around her, she continued to do so. This evidences her sheer strength of character as the heroine of the novel. Hester’s loyalty is also magnified by her selfless nature, as her willingness to sacrifice lends itself well to remaining loyal to others. Hester also selflessly bears the burden of the entire community’s sin. Hester “perceives the ‘hidden sin in other hearts’ around her” and because her sin has been uncovered, “she alone bears the penalty for deviancy” (Taylor). A prime example of this is once again her refusal to reveal Dimmesdale as her child’s father. In resisting their efforts to uncover him, Hester states to the clergy: “I might endure his agony, as well as mine!” (Hawthorne 63). Here, her loyalty is greatly supplemented by her willingness to suffer in place

In The Scarlet Letter Hypocrisy is evident everywhere. The characters of Hester, Dimmesdale, Chillingworth, and the very society that the characters lived in, were steeped in hypocrisy. Hawthorne was not subtle in his portrayal of the terrible sin of hypocrisy; he made sure it was easy to see the sin at work , at the same time however, parallels can be drawn between the characters of The Scarlet Letter and of today’s society.

You’re free. Calmly sitting in a chair reading a book. One moment later, your tied up. Unable to move, unable to escape the ropes that tie you down. There is a tray of food in arms reach and you seem to be comfortably placed. You seek a way to get get out and run from whoever trapped you, yet part of you wants to stay. The pros and cons of the situation seem to be swirling around clouding your judgement. Equivalently, The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne portrays the same clouded judgement with Hester’s exile. Throughout the novel Hester’s exile has the reader to believe that she has experiences that both enlighten and alienate her as a character. Even though experience with exile may seem to lead us down only one path, the one of despair and solitude, Hester’s experience with exile taught her that solitude gives strength, proving a rift teaches us more about our character.

Without an honorable reputation a person is not worthy of respect from others in their society. In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel, The Scarlet Letter, the struggle to shake off the past is an underlying theme throughout the novel. Characters in this novel go through their lives struggling with trying to cope with the guilt and shame associated with actions that lost them their honorable reputation. Particularly, Hawthorne shows the lasting effect that sin and guilt has on two of the main characters in the book: Hester Prynne and Reverend Dimmesdale.

Over time the people begin to see her as one who can bring them comfort when they are in distress. People even refuse to see her as one who has sinned but as one who represents the strength of women. As a result of all she has done people begin to be unable to discern the difference between Hester wearing the scarlet letter to that of a nun who wears a cross (Hawthorne 153). Hester’s identity has changed from “adulterer” to “able”. People no longer see her as much as a symbol of sin but of charity, as she has continuously shown her generosity with others, “In such emergencies, Hester’s nature showed itself warm and rich; a well - spring of human tenderness, unfailing to every real demand, and inexhaustible by the largest” (Hawthorne 152). Due to her actions Hester begins to change her identity from one of infamy to one who represents charity.

Hawthorne, in lines 63 to 66, compares Dimmesdale to a poor pilgrim, ready to faint anytime soon, who sees a glimpse of “human affection and sympathy, a new life . . . in exchange for the heavy doom which he was now expiating.” The metaphor here perfectly summarizes what Dimmesdale felt when he saw Hester Prynne. He, the tormented pilgrim, desperately longs for a new life upon seeing Hester, the human affection and a true life. Another metaphor Hawthorne uses is seen in lines 67 to 77, associating Dimmesdale’s soul to a citadel with a ruined wall because of a “breach which guilt has once made into the human soul.” This extended metaphor of the effects of sin and the brokenness and vulnerability of Dimmesdale further expounds on how Dimmesdale’s fragile mental state could only further

Hypocrisy is a belief that is also strongly expressed in the novel. A character who accurately demonstrates this belief is Governor Richard Bellingham. In the beginning of the novel, he is introduced as a luxurious man with elegant embroidered clothes: “He wore a dark feather in his hat, a border of embroidery on his cloak, and a black velvet tunic beneath” (Hawthorne 60). This is ironic because the Puritans in Hester’s society were against embroidery and elaborate clothing. In fact, they were known to dress in mostly dull and drab colors and fabrics. This is seen in the beginning of the novel, when there is “A throng of bearded men in sad-colored garments, and gray, steeple-crowned hats” (Hawthorne 45) waiting to catch a glimpse of Hester as she leaves the jailhouse. This is also seen when they disprove of Hester’s embellishments on the dresses she makes for herself and for others: “So

Being the face of a religious community has a great responsibility, and Dimmesdale does not exactly live up to those high expectations of being a sinless child of God. Although Arthur Dimmesdale can show the brighter side of him at some points in the book, he still has hypocrisy as his greatest weakness. Chillingworth attempts to open hester's eyes, blind to his sin by arguing “his spirit lacked the strength that could have borne up, as thine has been, beneath a burden like thy scarlet letter” (Hawthorne 154). In other words, Reverend Dimmesdale can preach a good message on the consequences of sin, but can not deal with the consequences of his own sin. That's just another example of Dimmesdale's hypocrisy in a strict religious

Conflict is first observed through Hester’s ongoing difficulties with her fellow townspeople. Hester receives ridicule from on looking townspeople, as a gossiping woman states, ‘ “At the very least, they

Hester carries the social stigma of the scarlet letter and attempts to change its meaning, but is never able to understand and accept her own aberrations. At first, the scarlet letter separates her from the rest of society and isolates her as an adulteress. In

Dimmesdale is supposed to be a man of God, yet he sinned. He knows that he's a sinner, yet pretends to live a Holy life. He's living this charade that he's created for himself, but the readers sympathize with him because he tortures himself through his internal guilt. Essentially, Hawthorne is showing very human sides to these characters. We know that they are all flawed and most of them are doing terrible things.

Throughout the novel, Hawthorne displays through Hester his ideal of how one should atone for their sins. When the community shuns her for her transgressions, “Hester's nature shows itself warm and rich--a well-spring of human tenderness, unfailing to every real demand, and inexhaustible by the largest. Her breast, with its

Hester is used to justify the existence of sin, especially in women. She becomes “the general symbol [...] the preacher and the moralist might point [...] vivify and embody their images of women’s frailty and sinful passion.” (73). She is known only for her sin, and Dimmesdale enforces the Puritan view of sin through frequently mentioning her in his sermons about condemning sin. For the Puritans, having someone like Hester acts not only to reaffirm the existence of sin, but it serves as a warning to other Puritans.

In the Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne uses a resentful tone to describe the feeling of being a hypocrite. " Else, I should long ago have thrown off these garments of mock holiness, and have shown myself to mankind as they will see me at the judgment-seat. Happy are you, Hester, that wear the scarlet letter openly upon your bosom! Mine burns

We see in the characters of Dimmesdale and the rest of the clergymen the typical holier than thou attitude of those who hide behind it. They criticize Hester, threaten to take her child away, isolate her, and refuse to hear any of her arguments. They basically treat her inhumanely. Her punishment does not seem to end. Through this perspective, Hawthorne's view of humanity may seem