Shame In The Scarlet Letter

Shame Versus Guilt Shame and guilt are often associated with one another in reference to the punishment of a person. In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel, The Scarlet Letter, the effects of different forms of punishment are compared through the two main characters, Hester Prynne and Arthur Dimmesdale. In order to juxtapose the outcomes of public punishment and self-imposed punishment, Hawthorne contrasts two similar ideas: shame and guilt. In the story, Hester and Arthur commit a grave sin in the Puritan society: adultery. Arthur battled to conceal his reality from society while witnessing Hester’s public humiliation and punishment. The shame he bestowed upon himself caused him to physically and emotionally punish his own body and mind, eventually

The “light and graceful foliage” of Hester had been “withered up by this red-hot brand” (Hawthorne 142). Hawthorne was stating that the once beautiful and elegant personality was being suffocated with the guilt inflicted by the scarlet letter along with the reputation attached to it. Still, even after several years following the stripping of Hester’s life, the only resemblance of Mrs. Prynne remaining was “a bare and harsh outline” (Hawthorne 142). This outline was just a small portion of the true Hester Prynne; nevertheless, she was very polite, respectful, and charitable. Hawthorne also made the fact that she was lonely clear, stating that the woman she had become “might have been repulsive, had she possessed friends or companions to be repelled by it.” (Hawthorne 142). No one dared to interact with Hester Prynne, for they may also then be judged. This only enhanced her guilt, causing Hester to be deprived of her passionate and loving personality: the main thing that set Hester apart from others. Despite her withering vitality, she eventually accepts her punishment. Yet, Hester never surrenders to the townspeople’s judgments. She helps the sick and feeds the poor, even when they might scold her. Prynne experiences the guilt while, at the same time, does not judge herself, though, her social institutions cause her reputation to be