Hypocrisy In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter

The Scarlet Letter is suffused with hypocrisy. Almost every one of the characters in the book represent an element of hypocrisy. Reverend Dimmsdale, Chillingworth and, most of all, the Puritan society, all exhibit duplicity. Reverend Dimmsdale demonstrated hypocrisy by not telling the full truth of the sins that he had committed. Chillingworth proved himself to be a hypocrite because although he was a doctor he inflicted harm upon Chillingworth rather than healing and only cared about revenge. Most of all the Puritans showed themselves to be hypocrites because they acted as if they never sinned. They judge Hester extremely harsh for her sin and yet were still willing to associate with her for the sake of vanity. Everything in The Scarlet Letter

Chillingworth was a completely evil character in the book, some sources have even said that he represented the devil. Perhaps he did, but nevertheless, he was a hypocrite. Chillingworth was a doctor. Being a doctor and a scholar, he was expected to be the type of guy who would heal people and care for people. Although he was expected to care for people because he took on the identity of a doctor, the truth was that he tried to harm. Chillingworth's only goal throughout the whole book is to get revenge. He is terribly angry at Hester for her sin and vows to find the adulterer and kill him. Hester recognizes Chillingworth's hypocritical ways. She says, "Thy acts are like mercy... but thy words interpret thee as a terror!" Chillingworth shows himself to be a hypocrite because even though he says that he is a healer and lowly scholar, he does everything he can to torture Dimmsdale. Rather than being a healer to Dimmsdale, he strove to destroy him in mind, soul and body. Chillingworth's desire to get revenge is so deeply rooted. "Hadst thou sought the whole earth over," said he, looking darkly at the clergyman, "there was no one place so secret,—no high place nor lowly place, where thou couldst have escaped me,—save on this very scaffold!" Chillingworth tells Dimmsdale that the only place he could escape Chillingworth's revenge is in death. Meanwhile, the only reason Dimmsdale wants revenge so desperately is because he wants his wife back, supposedly

These people said that they were a puritan society, yet none of their actions showed this. The people in the town judged Hester extremely harshly for what she had done. When Hester was up for trial some people even wanted her killed. Instead of being killed though she was forced to live with the shame of having an "A" for "adulteress" on her chest at all times. When some of the women from the town heard of Hester's sentence they gossiped and said, "I'll tell ye a piece of my mind. It would be greatly for the public behoof, if we women, being of mature age and church-members in good repute, should have the handling of such malefactresses as this Hester Prynne. What think ye, gossips? If the hussy stood up for judgement before us five... would she have come off with such a sentence as the worshipful magistrates have awarded? Marry, I trow not!" These women openly admit that if they were the ones to judge Hester she would have come off with a much harsher punishment. Yet even though these women act as if they hate Hester and wish for her death, this isn't complete truth. Hester was very good at needlework and could make beautiful garments that nobody else in the society could replicate. Even though the women acted as thought they hated Hester they loved her seamstress work and often had her make them garments. The funny thing is, they were a puritan society.