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The Scarlet Letter, a novel by Nathaniel Hawthorn takes place in Boston of 1640 of Puritan community. It shows a dark, gray, violently moral society found as a kind of Puritan Utopia. The main characters in the story are Hester Prynne, Arthur Dimmesdale, and Roger Chillingworth. This novel illustrates the effects of sin on the heart and minds, how a persons downfall may be caused by the destructive human emotions of hidden guilt and revenge. In The Scarlet Letter, hidden sin destroys Dimmesdale, obsession of revenge causes downfall of Chillingworth, and exposed guilt and sin turns Hester into stronger woman than she was before. Arthur Dimmesdale faces the destruction by having hidden sin, which annihilates him day by day till his death.
At first, Dimmesdale refuses to admit his crime of adultery; he gives moving speech to town people about how it could be best for her to reveal the fathers name, though he implies the father in third person when its himself. He said if thou feels it to be for thy souls peace, and that thy earthly punishment will there by be made more effectual to salvation, I charged thee to speak out the name of thy fellow sinners and fellow suffer. (73), when she stands on a scaffold as part of her punishment. However, as the time passes by, he becomes his own worst enemy. Dimmesdale believes that he will never be seen the same in the eyes of God and that no amount of repentance can ever return him to Gods good grace. For that reason, when Hester says his good deed will count for something in Gods view, he exclaims, There is no substance in it! It is cold and dead and can do nothing for me! (202) Dimmesdale is far to intent on his earthly image to willingly reveal his sin.
This inability to confess causes him great anguish and self-hatred that he lashes himself with a whip leaving the letter A on his chest. Still not being able to commit his crime to public eats away at every fiber of Dimmesdale's being. On Election Day, he stands on the scaffold with Hester and Pearl, the daughter between them, to finally denounce his sin of adultery with Hester. He admits his wrongdoing, and then he dies in Hester's arms, freed from the debilitating burden of his secret. Dimmesdale kept his sin inside till he is entirely destroyed and couldnt heal himself. In addition to Arthur Dimmesdale, another character of the story is Roger Chillingworth.
He confronts downfall by setting his goal to seek revenge on Dimmesdale, which turns him into evil. Chillingworth responds to Hester's betrayal by sacrificing everything he has. First, he gives up his independence. Chillingworth soon becomes obsessed with his new mission in life that once he targeted Arthur Dimmesdale as a possible partner, he dedicates all of his time becoming his confidant in order to destroy Dimmesdale's sanity. The obsession turns him from a peaceful scholar into a fiend. He gives up his true identity as Roger Prynne to truly corrupt Dimmesdale and to be by his side everyday.
Second he pays enormous price for his vengeance, his own life. After spending so much time dwelling on his revenge, he forgets that he still has a chance to lead his life of his own. So accordingly, after Dimmesdale's death, he dies less than a year later, because Chillingworth has nothing left to live for. In this novel, Chillingworth shows the readers how revenge can be much more deadly than a hidden sin.
Finally, Hester Prynne admits her sin, which benefits her to grow into much stronger woman than she was before. Hester Prynne has to wear the scarlet letter A on her bosom as her punishment, which at first symbolized shame and embarrassment. However, as time passes by Hester realizes every different view of the letter A, she does not use it as a dark symbol of lies and adultery, but rather a beautifully embroidered piece of art. Hester does not lose self-respect, but gains a meaning in her life. She carries the letter boldly upon her bosom making her a stronger and more independent woman.
Hester inverts all the odds into goods by having courage, pride and effort with makes the meaning able out of the scarlet letter A. Hester knew what was done in past was wrong and that the letter A was the right punishment she gets, therefore she was able to wear the scarlet letter with sense of pride. By admitting her crime of adultery and opening her sin to the public helped her to grow into a much stronger and beautiful woman. In The Scarlet Letter, author clearly states the lesson as Be true! Be true! Be true!
Show freely to the world, if not your worst, yet some trait were by the worst may be inferred! (Forward, 9) Hawthorn gives good examples to support his main idea. First, by not admitting the crime, Dimmesdale suffers from hidden guilt until the day of his death. Second, being obsessed to seek revenge on Dimmesdale turns Chillingworth into a fiend, which also ruined him. Third, unlike Dimmesdale or Chillingworth, Hester faces her challenge of opening her sin to the public, which helped her to grow more, and into a well-respected woman. Those examples indicates that being true to world will do goods, but carrying hidden sin will eventually destroy him or herself.
Free research essays on topics related to: arthur dimmesdale, wear the scarlet letter, hidden sin, roger chillingworth, hester prynne
Research essay sample on Wear The Scarlet Letter Hester Prynne
