Sin In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter

A reader may label Dimmesdale the purest of the sinners. Adultery, in the Christian world, is the one of the greatest sins a man can commit, second only to premeditated murder. In a Puritan society, it must be close to the same. Dimmesdale tries to purge himself of this evil sin by scourging and self-denial. However, he shies away from public confession, rationalizing the good he can instill in other men and women with his sermons. We find this illogical reasoning on page He endures Chillingworth's revenge and hatred while trying to preach what he doesn't practice. At his weakest point, Hester tempts him to cave in to the sin and do it all over again. Out of desperation to flee from the torture, he crumbles

Hester Prynne's guilt is the result of her committing adultery, which has a significant effect on her life. Hester is publicly seen with the scarlet letter when she first emerges out of the cold

Guilt, shame, and penitence are just a few of the emotions that are often associated with a great act of sin. Mr. Arthur Dimmesdale, a highly respected minister of a 17th century Puritan community, is true example of this as he was somehow affected by all of these emotions after committing adultery. Due to the seven years of torturous internal struggle that finally resulted in his untimely death, Mr. Dimmesdale is the character who suffered the most throughout Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter. Mr. Dimmesdale’s ever present guilt and boundless penance cause him an ongoing mental struggle of remorse and his conscience as well as deep physical pain from deprivation and self inflicted wounds. The external influence of the members of

Reverend Dimmesdale was a renowned, prideful man stricken with sin and extreme guilt.  From the time Hester and Dimmesdale made love, he was grievous of his sin but he also felt a great love towards her.  Dimmesdale's stubborn pride troubled him greatly, and although he tried many times, he could not confess his sin to his religious followers.  Dimmesdale felt guilt so strongly that he scourged himself on his breast and patterned an “A” into his own flesh, yet he could not confess his sin until his grief grew so great it caused him to perish.  Reverend Dimmesdale's sin was greater than Hester's because he let his pride conflict with his repentance, and let his life be ruined by his anguish.

In The Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne’s act of adultery with Arthur Dimmesdale (Hawthorne 231) ultimately leads to negative and positive impacts on her life, including being isolated from everyone in town, being mocked and gossiped about, being more mature, and being more compassionate. One of the negative

In The Scarlet Letter Hester Prynne is more than a literary figure in a classic novel, she is known by some people to be one of the earliest American Hero’s. In The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne Hester commits adultery and has a child that she must care for all alone. She is forced to wear a powerful, attention grabbing “Scarlet A” on her chest while she must try to make a living to support her and her child, Pearl. Even though she must face all the harsh judgment and stares she does not allow her sin to stop her from living a successful life. She looks past the Letter as a symbol of sin and turns it into a sign of approval. Hester

Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale, a main character in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel The Scarlet Letter, proves to be a sinner against man, against God and most importantly against himself because he has committed adultery with Hester Prynne, resulting in an illegitimate child, Pearl. His sinning against himself, for which he ultimately paid the

In D. H. Lawrence’s essay “On The Scarlet Letter,” Lawrence analyzes Nathaniel Hawthorne’s portrayal of the adulteress Hester Prynne. He argues that Hester’s character is not worthy of the praise she receives in The Scarlet Letter because of the severity of the sin she commits in the novel. Instead of focusing on Hester’s character after the sin, he bases his argument on the sin itself. Lawrence uses terse syntax, an accusatory tone, and biblical allusions to depict Hester as the sinner of the story.

Nathaniel Hawthorne's bold novel, The Scarlet Letter, revolves around sin and punishment.  The main characters of the novel sharply contrast each other in the way they react to the sin that has been committed

In some highly regarded works of fiction, the passage from one state to another – in growth, in belief, in understanding, in knowledge – is a terrifying process. In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, this terrifying process of transformation and consumption by guilt can be seen in Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale. Throughout the entirety of this novel, we get to see Reverend Dimmesdale’s transformation from a healthy, active, and energetically young clergy man to a sickly pale shell of his former self through Hawthorne’s use of the timeless theme of sin and his onion-layered character development.

As the story progresses, Hester Prynne’s radiant beauty fades as her association and attachment to the scarlet letter and her sin grow. The reader is able to see the negative result of sin and the stress or anxiety it brings with it through Hester’s physical change. Hawthorne writes that “her rich and luxuriant hair had either been cut off, or was so completely hidden by a cap”. In addition, contrasting the rich gown she wore prior to the public ignominy, after many years of ridicule, Hester’s dress had a “studied austerity” about it (112). “Her own dress was of the coarsest materials and the most sombre hue…” (57).

Hester’s sin ruined her image which results to her isolation from the society. In a moment, however, wisely judging that one token of her shame would but poorly serve to hide another, she took the baby on her arm and with a burning blush, and yet a haughty smile and glance that would not be abashed on the breast of her gown, in fire red cloth surrounded with an elaborate embroidery and gold thread appeared the letter “A” (Hawthorne, 50). As the crowd watches Hester, was punished to wear the scarlet letter which led her to isolation from the society.

What is sin? A question asked by many, but few may answer. The Scarlet Letter, a book written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, attempts to answer such questions by using light and dark references. While comparing Hester’s daughter, Pearl, to sin itself or comparing Chillingworth to the Devil, this book follows Puritan ways and ideologies. Hawthorne uses such tactics by using allusions to God and the Devil.

In “The Scarlet Letter,” Hawthorne presents the consequences of sin as an important aspect in the lives of Hester Prynne, Roger Chillingsworth, and Arthur Dimmesdale. The sin committed, adultery, between Hester Prynne and Arthur Dimmesdale had resulted in the birth of their innocent little girl, Pearl. This sin ruined the three main characters’ lives completely in different ways. With the sin committed, there were different ways the characters reacted to it: embracing the sin, concealing the sin, and becoming obsessed and consumed with it. With each reaction to the sin there were also different actions of redemption.

Reading ' 'The Scarlet Letter ' ' again, I imagine Hester Prynne as she steps out of the Boston jail. She carries her out-of-wedlock baby in her arms but does not hide the ' 'A ' ' she wears on her breast. Her crime, though it will never be named in the book by more than an initial, is placed on exhibition. Yet she has converted the letter into her own statement by fantastic flourishes of gold embroidery. She is a mystery beyond the reach not only of her fellow Bostonians but also of the reader. To the end of her story she will be someone whose final meaning is as obscure as her reasons for blazoning the letter so that it looks like a badge of honor while it reinforces her condemnation.