Scarlet Letter Charactor Analysis

Hester Prynne was a beautiful, young, tall woman with shiny dark hair, piercing black eyes, and a beautiful complexion. She was living in Amsterdam with her husband, Roger Chillingworth, until he sent her to America alone while he cleared up business matters. In America, Hester had a love affair with Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale and realized she was pregnant with his baby. Nobody realized who the father was, so the Reverend couldn’t be punished. However, Hester was forced to wear a large scarlet A(representing Adultery) on her dress. It was a well-known symbol, so everybody knew she had committed adultery and were astonished. This was because adultery was a sin explained in the Seventh Commandment. Hester felt ashamed. After she completed community service, she truly learned her lesson and her citizens accepted her once again. She was also permitted back into Boston after her daughter married and the father of the baby died. She then became a reverend figure whom people confided in and received sympathy from.

Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale was young, very pale, and his body was fragile. He had large, caring eyes and a sweet, youthful personality women adored. He was shy and mainly kept to himself. Reverend Dimmesdale was deeply loved by his congregation because of his emotional way of speaking. Being a well-educated, trustworthy, highly admired pastor, no one suspected him to be the father of Hester’s baby. Finally, his conscience fell into play and he admitted to his sin. Immediately after confessing, he passed away.

Roger Chillingworth was Hester’s husband. He was small and thin with dim eyes, a wrinkled face, and deformed shoulders(one was higher than the other). To me, he made an awkward couple with Hester, considering she was considered gorgeous. After he cleared his business matters in Amsterdam, he attempted to join his wife, Hester Prynne, in America. However, he was captured by Indians. By the time he reached his wife, 2 years since he last saw her, she was already up on the scaffold. He visited her in prison and pleaded for her not to reveal the fact he was her husband. He’d be ashamed to marry a disgrace people looked down on. However, he too should have been ashamed. He also committed sins. The first was marrying Hester. Although she had no desire to become hitched to him, he ignored that fact. The love was unrequited. The other sin was when he judged Reverend Dimmesdale and spent hours scheming up plots to make him lose his sanity, while he pretended to be his loyal friend.