Example research essay topic: Hester And Dimmesdale Hester Prynne - 1,452 words

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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.

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 dark prison. "It had the effect of a spell, taking her out of the ordinary relations with humanity and enclosing her in a sphere by herself" (49). The spell that is mentioned is the scarlet letter, "so fantastically embroidered and illuminated upon her bosom" (49). The scarlet letter is what isolates her from everyone else because it symbolizes sin. Hester is in her very own sphere, where her sin affects her livelihood and has completely cut her off from the world. Her entrance into the sphere marks the beginning of her guilt and it occurs when she is in the prison after her first exposure to the crowd.

The prison marks the beginning of a new life for Hester, a life full of guilt and seclusion. Her problem is that her shame is slowly surfacing while she faces the crowd realizing that she has been stripped of all her pride and everything that was important to her in the past. The lasting effect of Hester's sin is the shame that she now embodies due to her committing adultery. The shame that is associated with Hester's iniquity remains with her as an everlasting reminder of her sinful actions. Guilt is a consequence of sin that Hester has to endure throughout her life and her remorse starts to have a profound effect on her life and thinking. Hester's shame does become very influential in her life making her unable to express herself freely. "Hester Prynne might have repaid them all with a bitter and disdainful smile.

But under the leaden infliction which it was her doom to endure, she felt at moments as if she must needs to shriek" (52 - 53). Hester's guilt has surfaced fully because when she wants to simply express herself, she is prevented from doing so due to her guilty conscience. She wants to take revenge on everyone that has passed judgment on her by giving them a disdainful smile, but she is fearful that she might start feeling guilty for doing such a thing. It seems Hester can live without any consequences of sin if she is able to suppress her anger, but she is actually being slowly isolated from the world.

Living peacefully for Hester is slowly isolating her because she acts kind to others to avoid confrontations, which shows that she is afraid of the world and is actually trying to hide from it. Guilt is still the consequence that causes Hester to become isolated from the world around her, but there is another larger consequence which she is reminded of everyday. Hester's ultimate consequence of sin is her daughter Pearl. With Pearl, Hester has to assume full responsibility because she is raising a child of her own. Hester loves Pearl because she is her daughter, but she is also a symbol of Hester's sin. This is very difficult for Hester because she sees a child that she loves and then she sees the consequence of her sin. "Come along, Madam Hester, and show your scarlet letter in the market-place!" (50).

This shows that she is willing to go out into public and show her scarlet letter without shame even though she is still condemned. Hester also acts compassionately towards others and this allows her to live her life peacefully and raise Pearl. Even though Hester loves Pearl she can't escape the effects of sin because Pearl is the ultimate consequence, which is always there to remind her. "I can teach my little Pearl what I have learned from this!" (103). This shows that Hester is determined to raise Pearl and use herself as an example to teach Pearl so she would not make the same mistakes Hester did. The lasting effect of sin for Hester is Pearl, and she will always be a constant reminder of her committing adultery.

Although Hester and Reverend Dimmesdale both committed the same sin, Dimmesdale dealt with the mistake in a completely different way. The lasting effect of sin that the Reverend experiences is not due to external factors, but it originates and grows within himself. Dimmesdale has committed adultery with Hester Prynne and the consequence for his sin is the guilt that becomes a part of him. Reverend Dimmesdale's struggle to cope with his guilt causes him to do very traumatic things to himself. For example, the Reverend has become so enraged by his guilt that he gets violent and inflicts pain upon himself. "Mr.

Dimmesdale thus communed with himself, and struck his forehead with his hand" (217). The guilt that Dimmesdale experiences is unlike any other. The lasting effect of sin causes an internal conflict within himself and it makes him afraid of confessing his sin because he is embarrassed by his actions. The confession of sin is an important aspect of Reverend Dimmesdale's life. If Reverend Dimmesdale confessed to his sin then he would be free of his pain and would remain with his guilt. It is hard for the Reverend to confess his sin because he is a man of God and he is highly respected as a minister in his community. "Mr.

Dimmesdale had achieved a brilliant popularity in his sacred office" (135). Dimmesdale values his reputation over his well being throughout this time of suffering in his life. He valued his reputation so much because Puritan society is all about reputation. The Reverends objective is to deal with his guilt without confessing so he can avoid losing his reputation among the people who have respected him throughout the years. Dimmesdale decides on confessing his sins on the scaffold, but to avoid his reputation from being destroyed he approached the scaffold at night.

This shows that even though Dimmesdale confessed on the scaffold at night, no one was around to witness his confession. "No eye could see him, save that ever-wakeful one which had seen him in his closet wielding the bloody scourge. Why, then, had he come hither? Was it but the mockery of penitence?" (141). Confessing his sin at night does nothing for the Reverend because he didn't reveal his sin to the people. "It's done!" muttered the minister, covering his face with his hands" (142). The Reverend is glad that he has confessed and he believes all his pain has come to an end. "The minister looking upward to the zenith, beheld there the appearance of and immense letter -- the letter A" (149). This is a sign for Dimmesdale telling him to confess even though he already did on the scaffold.

This sign shows that his suffering is not over and he will have to live with the consequences until he confesses on the scaffold in front of the public. The lasting effect that sin has on Dimmesdale causes him to suffer throughout his life. The guilt makes Dimmesdale keep everything to himself instead of confessing in front of the public. His stubbornness to continue to value his reputation over what is right ends up costing him his life.

The lasting effect of sin for Hester and Dimmesdale is the guilt, which they are left with in the end. On the fateful day where the two committed adultery, they had no idea that this mistake would turn out to be like an ominous black cloud that they would never be able to escape from. When they chose to have Pearl, they unknowingly signed a contract that said they would have to suffer with their guilty conscience as a consequence for having Pearl. At the time, they did not think that they would feel much guilt, but when the word got out that Hester had a baby, everything changed. The mistake had been made and they would now be forced to live with it whether they liked it or not. In the end, Hester and Dimmesdale both sacrifice their peaceful lives to live with the guilt of giving birth to a child who should have never been born.

Works Cited Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Scarlet Letter. New York: Bantam, 1986.

Research essay sample on Hester And Dimmesdale Hester Prynne