Is Shame Harmful Or Helpful?

Is Shame Harmful or Helpful? Everybody feels the harsh sting of shame at some point in their lives, perhaps after cheating on someone, going against social standards, or breaking the law. In The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, the main characters, Hester Prynne and Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale, feel shame for the reasons mentioned above after they commit adultery. Set in mid-seventeenth century Boston in a devout Puritan area, the book describes Hester’s public conviction, which causes her to be estranged from society. However, none of the residents know that Dimmesdale is the other person involved in the crime, leading him on a downward spiral of guilt and self-inflicted punishment. This story describes the physical, emotional,

Dimmesdale is internally affected by shame because nobody else is aware of his secret, which eats at him every waking moment of his life. One example of this is the unhealthy extent he goes to when fasting, and the physical toll this takes on his body. Although many Puritans fast, Dimmesdale takes it to a new level when using it as self-punishment for his actions, and “it was his custom…to fast…but rigorously, and until his knees trembled beneath him, as an act of penance,” (132). Also, Dimmesdale would frequently perform vigils, which Hawthorne describes as “constant introspection wherewith he tortured, but could not purify, himself,” (132). After committing adultery with Hester, Dimmesdale takes it upon himself to decide the punishment, since nobody else is aware of his crime, which causes him to abuse himself to great extents. Hence, Dimmesdale’s shame is not a fit consequence that teaches him a lesson, rather it physically damages and even tortures him, almost resulting in his death. Another effect of the shame that impacts Dimmesdale is the toll it takes on his mental state. He no longer feels fit to lead his congregation, saying he should have “thrown off these garments of mock holiness,” revealing that he thinks he is not worthy of the pious position (173). Additionally, he soon

They may hold this belief if they think that the public embarrassment and guilt can assist in deterring a second or continuing offense or stop others from carrying out a similar evil. On the contrary, the shame actually tears away the person’s identity and connection to society, as in Hester’s case, or it can even drive the offender to insanity, as shown by Dimmesdale. An example of how shame can both isolate people from society and cause them to go insane is highlighted in a modern case involving Jay Cheshire, a young man falsely accused of sexual assault. Cheshire eventually committed suicide after being unable to cope with the police investigations or the societal humiliation he faced, showing how his guilt and shame were very harmful to his personal wellbeing. These instances, both in The Scarlet Letter and today’s world, display the damaging effects guilt and embarrassment can have on a person while discounting the argument that it positively affects those it is inflicted