Essay about Scarlet Letter

Submitted By linhfoshizzle
Words: 1515
Pages: 7

Sinners in the Hands of Hawthorne For all human beings, the sins committed are a daily part our life and everyone is bound to commit the sins that they make in order to learn and live life. As a result, in this generation learning about yourself and life in general helps to establish a foundation in which one can obtain knowledge for future references. However, compared to life in the past, the sins that were committed seem to hold so much harm and were viewed different as they are today. The Scarlet Letter, a novel written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, was set in the mid 1600's in Boston, talks about how the sins that were committed by each characters is redeemed by themselves. However, in reality each character is really fighting with their inner strengths in order to accomplish their life values. In order to do so, Hawthorne describes these characters' relationship with each other versus their conscience and self-struggle. Although The Scarlet Letter was written about Hester Prynne, she is not the innate character. Hawthorne wrote the book so the reader would examine the forces that shape Hester and the transformation that affects those forces. Hester Prynne is a fictional character created by Hawthorne who had committed adultery with the neighborhood Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale, which would be found out by Hester's husband Roger Chillingworth. As a result Hester Prynne was punished by the townspeople by wearing scarlet letter 'A' on her bosom. "As he [Chillingworth] spoke, he laid his long forefinger on the scarlet letter, which for with seemed to scorch into Hester’s breast, as if it had been red-hot" (76). In doing so, it is reminding Hester symbolically that she had committed a sin and her guilt is scorching inside her. And as a result of her sin of adultery, she has to deal with a living sin which is her daughter Pearl. "'This child is yours-- she[Pearl] is none of mine[Chillingworth],-- neither will she be recognize my voice or aspect as a fathers'" (75). As Hawthorne makes out, everything has its concequences and in this case, because of Hester's crime, she is paying the price of it daily when she tries to redeem herself. As a result "[e]very gesture, every word, and even the silence of those with whom she[Hester] came in contact, implied, and often expressed, that she[Hester] was banished" (87). Although, Hester is constantly being abused by society because of her action, she still keeps her head up high and protects what she values most. Eventually, it is her actions that make her realize her sin and lead her on to the right path of redemption. Further on in the novel, Hester is more active in society and "many people refused to interpret the scarlet A by its original signification. They[townspeople] said that it means Able"( 168). However, Hester still refuses to take off the "A" because she believes that only a divine providence will remove it from her chest when it is time to do so. "'The past is gone! Wherefore should we linger upon it now? See! With this symbol, I undo it all, and make it as it had never been!'" (211). Hester is still carrying on her sins, yet she chooses to forgive herself as she slowly transforms into a new person. "The stigma gone, Hester heaved a long, deep sigh, which the burden of shame and anguish departed from her spirit" (211). In fact, she is relieved that her shame is lifted from her soul. In that moment "the embroidered letter, glittering like a lost jewel, which some ill-fated wanderer might pick up" (211). The scarlet letter was removed and light shone on Hester, which is symbolic because it shows that like Pearl, she can be favored by God. As a result, this is God giving her a sign that, although she has committed such a sin, she can also be forgiven. Hester's daughter Pearl addresses Roger Chillingworth as Black Man, is a devious man for upholding his revenge on Dimmesdale, because he thinks it is what Dimmesdale had deserved all along. Throughout the novel, it is also shown