preview

Scarlet Letter Conflict

Decent Essays

Throughout the novel, there are many conflicts that are all based around the symbolic meaning of the scarlet letter. All of the main characters are involved with these conflicts, and in the end they all seem to resolve or accept their problems. The main conflict within the novel is based on the actions of Hester Prynne. At the beginning, Hester Prynne is told that she must wear the scarlet letter upon her bosom and never take it off. Hester had committed a sin, which many come to believe is adultery, and the judges attempt to make example out of her in order to prevent this issue from occurring again. As Hester would walk through town, many people would look at her and talk about her because of the scarlet A that she had to wear. It seems …show more content…

Dimmesdale thought that if he hid the truth then nothing would come of his actions, but he dealt with more severe consequences than Hester. Throughout the novel, Dimmesdale experienced a great deal of health problems that only gradually got worse as time went on. There was a change in Dimmesdale after Chillingworth became suspicious about what Authur was hiding. Eventually, Chillingworth figures it out and Dimmesdale begins to realize that he must find a way to tell the people what he had done. At the very end of the novel, Dimmesdale stands on the scaffold and tells the people what he did, and right after that he took his last breath. Dimmesdale saw the scarlet letter as a reminder of his sin, which made him an unfit minister and he knew that he was in the …show more content…

Chillingworth was the husband of Hester Prynne, but he had told Hester that he did not want the people to know so she promised him that she wouldn’t tell anyone. The issue with Chillingworth is that he wanted to find the man who was involved with Hester, and he also had to trust that Hester would not tell their secret. Things changed for Chillingworth once he found out that Dimmesdale was the guy who was involved with Hester. Chillingworth wanted revenge and so he started to act more evil, and little Pearl even referred to him as the “Black man”. The scarlet letter did not make Chillingworth very happy because it reminded him that his wife didn’t truly loved him; this is why I believe he turned

Get Access