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Scarlet Letter Revenge Quotes

Decent Essays

Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel, The Scarlet Letter, is set in Puritan times, following the lives of Hester Prynne, Arthur Dimmesdale, and Roger Chillingworth after Hester’s crime of adultery. While Hester Prynne successfully processes her emotions and refuses to cave in on herself, the men in the novel resort to revenge. When one devotes themselves to vengeance, they become consumed by it. Reverend Dimmesdale and Roger Chillingworth both spend the novel taking revenge on themselves and someone else, respectively, leading to their decline of life and character.
Hester Prynne, arguably, suffered the brunt of the negativity in the novel. She is known as an adulteress and has to bear the brunt of that punishment alone, because the man would not step forward. She raises Pearl alone in a cottage on the outskirts of town, as “every gesture, every word and even the silence of those with whom she came in contact, implied, and often expressed, that she was banished” and has to fight for her right to keep Pearl (48). She …show more content…

Hurt, betrayal, guilt, and anger are all negative emotions that fuel revenge. While Hester stepped above the rays of revenge, the men of the novel were not so lucky. Chillingworth, blinded by his hurt and unknowing what to do, channelled all his energy into his vengeance on Dimmesdale. This not only changed him from a gentle scholar into the devil’s assistant, but lead to his death shortly after the Reverend's. Dimmesdale, the product of Chillingworth’s revenge and his own, fared far worse physically and mentally than Hester and Chillingworth combined. While Chillingworth’s revenge was mental, Dimmesdale inflicted punishment on himself to deal with his guilt. This sapped his life, but allowed him to connect better as a minister with his parishioners. Revenge led to the demoralization and death of both male characters, while Hester’s inner strength and independence allowed her to avoid such conclusions almost

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