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Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel, The Scarlet Letter, depicts the effects of an adulterous affair committed by a Puritan woman in seventeenth-century Boston, Massachusetts and the punishment she must endure. Hester Prynne, the heroine in the novel, assumes the role of the adulteress as she bears a child in the absence of her husband Roger Chillingworth. Chillingworth, a man whose spite drives him to a mad pursuit of vengeance, seeks the deliberate destruction of the man he believes to have wronged him and avenges himself by preying on the accused man’s vitality. Chillingworth ultimately discovers the culprit is Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale and devotes his life to tormenting him psychologically, feeding on his frail mental state. Hawthorne presents
Hester Prynne is a character who gave up everything, even love, for her child. Hester Prynne sacrificed her peace, her beauty, her entire being for her child and this shows her determination and profound understanding of the world. Nathaniel Hawthorne’s piece, “The Scarlet Letter” shows the other side of the sinner’s story and not as a villain, but a victim.
“And be the stern and sad truth spoken, that the breach which guilt has once made into the human soul is never, in this mortal state, repaired” (158). Arthur Dimmesdale confesses his sin, but it makes such a big impact on him that he will always be reminded of it. The sin leaves a “breach,” or a hole, in him which cannot be fixed. Living in a Puritan community also makes it that much harder for Dimmesdale to keep his secret. Since the religion is completely strict and absolutely prohibits sins like adultery, he has no choice but to feel guilt and regret. The Scarlet Letter, written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, is a novel of gothic romanticism. It was written in the 1800s, but takes place in the 17th century. Hester Prynne lives in Boston, Massachusetts and commits adultery with Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale. She is punished by the town and has to wear a beautifully embroidered scarlet “A” on all of her clothes, which stands for “Adulterer.” The Reverend keeps his secret for many years while Hester’s husband, Roger Chillngworth, comes back to town and seeks revenge. Reverend Dimmesdale confesses his sin and ends up dying. The character Arthur Dimmesdale in The Scarlet Letter is a dynamic character because in the beginning of the novel he is a healthy and intelligent minister, but towards the end, he becomes very guilty and emaciated.
The Scarlet Letter starts off by throwing Hester Prynne into drama after being convicted for adultery in a Puritan area. Traveling from Europe to America causes complications in her travel which also then separates her from her husband, Roger Chillingworth for about three years. Due to the separation, Hester has an affair with an unknown lover resulting in having a child. Ironically, her lover, Arthur Dimmesdale, is a Reverend belonging to their church who also is part of the superiors punishing the adulterer. No matter how many punishments are administered to Hester, her reactions are not changed. Through various punishments, Hester Prynne embraces her sin by embroidering a scarlet letter “A” onto her breast. However, she is also traumatized deep within from everything she’s been through. Nathaniel Hawthorne depicts this story of sin by using rhetorical devices such as allusion, alliteration and symbolism.
Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter is a study of the effects of sin on the hearts and minds of the main characters, Hester Prynne, Arthur Dimmesdale, Roger Chillingworth. Hester, Dimmesdale, and Chillingworth. Sin strengthens Hester, humanizes Dimmesdale, and turns Chillingworth into a demon.
The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne represents a man of the name Roger Chillingworth who has suffered and subdued every pain a man can handle. His life starts out as a simple man married to a young women who goes by Hester Prynne, They are planning to move to the “New World” while as Hester Prynne ventures to the new world, Roger Chillingworth is wrapping things up back home. Hester awaits Roger’s arrival for two years and now is pronounced dead at sea. Hester is now faced with the guilt of adultery the ultimate sin and her lover Arthur Dimmesdale the minister of the church. Roger is then discovered alive and well being as he was captured by the native americans, and this is where Roger Chillingworth discoveries Hester Prynne with a strange infant in her arms.She was on a scaffold being presented with the sins she committed. As Roger heard the unbearable truth of her sins his heart was broken and seeked revenge for the father.
The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, is set in a 1600’s, religious town in Massachusetts. Due to the strict religious code of this town, Reverend Dimmesdale, the well-respected priest in the town, can not find the courage to reveal his adultery to the townspeople. Roger Chillingworth is angry about Hester and Dimmesdale’s affair and seeks to take revenge on the Reverend. Although they suffer the effects of different sins, they both struggle to find absolution for their sins. Hawthorne's diction and internal conflict show that no matter the negative effects of one sins one can still find redemption in oneself and the world around them.
Guilt and shame haunt all three of the main characters in The Scarlet Letter, but how they each handle their sin will change their lives forever. Hester Prynne’s guilt is publicly exploited. She has to live with her shame for the rest of her life by wearing a scarlet letter on the breast of her gown. Arthur Dimmesdale, on the other hand, is just as guilty of adultery as Hester, but he allows his guilt to remain a secret. Instead of telling the people of his vile sin, the Reverend allows it to eat away at his rotting soul. The shame of what he has done slowly kills him. The last sinner in this guilty trio is Rodger Chillingworth. This evil man not only hides his true identity as Hester’s husband, but also mentally torments Arthur Dimmesdale. The vile physician offers his ‘help’ to the sickly Reverend, but he gives the exact opposite. Chillingworth inflicts daily, mental tortures upon Arthur Dimmesdale for seven long years, and he enjoys it. Hester, Dimmesdale, and Chillingworth are all connected by their sins and shame, but what they do in regards to those sins is what sets them apart from each other.
The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne is a story based in the Puritan town of Boston about a young woman named Hester Prynne who committed adultery and was discovered by the Puritan government and religious authorities because she became pregnant and had a baby. Her punishment was 3 hours on the platform of the pillory at the market place, where no small amount of people watched her. She was also doomed to where a mark of her sin on her bosom, a scarlet letter A, for the rest of her life, which was certainly the greater of the two punishments. The man whom she committed adultery with, Mr. Arthur Dimmesdale, is a learned and highly renowned pastor. Everyone in the town loves him dearly and looks at him as a saint. Hester Prynne’s (ex) husband, returns from England where he stayed during Hester Prynne’s time of infidelity, and discovers what Hester did in his absence, after which he calls himself Roger Chillingsworth (his real name is never mentioned in the novel) and makes Hester swear never to reveal his true identity to anyone. Roger Chillingsworth later discovers Arthur Dimmesdale was the one whom Hester Prynne slept with in his absence, and then proceeds to take his revenge upon the frail mental state of the poor, tortured clergyman. Roger Chillingsworth became a truly evil and formidable enemy later. He became obsessed in seeking out justice against the man who wronged him, but in doing so he completely debased himself and dealt injustice against Arthur Dimmesdale.
in the reader’s hands, and I believe they deserve forgiveness. There's quite a few signs that point to why they do, including that Hawthorne himself wrote the story because he wanted his own forgiveness for the inherited guilt he received from his family. He battles his guilt, so I believe Hester and Dimmesdale do too. Hester and Dimmesdale both have their reasons on why I think they are deserving of God’s forgiveness.
In The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, the theme of sin is addressed to a great extent. Hester Prynne commits adultery with another man while her husband is away, which is a great “sin” in her Puritan community. The child that she bears with Arthur Dimmesdale and the scarlet letter “A” are the constant reminders of her sin. However, as the story unfolds, the meaning of the child and the letter begins to changes as Hester acknowledges her sin and seeks for redemption from her sins. Dimmesdale, on the other hand, conceals his sin, which causes him to feel great agony due to the guilt he experiences because of the concealment. Through the use of the contrasting characters Dimmesdale and Hester, Hawthorne reveals that if an individual acknowledges their sin, it leads to liberation from the guilt associated with it and acts as a catalyst for improvement in character, whereas those who conceal their sins become consumed by their guilt.
Throughout the novel, Hawthorne uses plant imagery to symbolize both the negative and positive character traits and to set the mood of the novel. The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne takes place during the age of Puritanism in Boston where a young and attractive Puritan woman, Hester, commits adultery with the Reverend Mr. Dimmesdale. Chillingworth, Hester’s husband, who had been captured by Indians, comes to town, but only Hester knows his true identity. Chillingworth vows to figure out who Hester’s lover is and he succeeds.
In the novel The Scarlet Letter written Hawthorne there are 4 main characters, Hester Prynne, Pearl Prynne, Roger Chillingworth, and Arthur Dimmesdale. They each have to come face to face with being able to someone or themselves. Some were able to forgive, like Pearl Prynne while others were unable like Roger Chillingworth. Each had different outcomes.
Revenge is the act of retaliating in order to get even with someone for the wrongs they have done. In the novel “The Scarlet Letter,” the author, Nathaniel Hawthorne, uses Roger Chillingworth to reap revenge on Arthur Dimmesdale for his affair with his wife, Hester Prynne. Chillingworth becomes so devoted to revenge that is all his life revolves around. Chillingworth then devotes the rest of his life to taking revenge on Dimmesdale.
Nathaniel Hawthorne’s, The Scarlet Letter, focuses on the effects of a secret, ungodly affair between the beautiful Hester Prynne and Arthur Dimmesdale who is a
In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, there are many moral and social themes develped throughout the novel. Each theme is very important to the overall effect of the novel. In essence, The Scarlet Letter is a story of sin, punishment and the importance of truth. One theme which plays a big role in The Scarlet Letter is that of sin and its effects. Throughout the novel there were many sins committed by various characters. The effects of these sins are different in each character and every character was punished in a unique way. Two characters were perfect examples of this theme in the novel. Hester Prynne and The Reverend Dimmesdale best demonstrated the theme of the effects of sin.