Scarlet Letter Guilt Essay
analytical Essay
1824 words
Guilt is powerful thing. A person’s whole life can be destroyed seconds after being exposed to the strength of guilt. Even though admitting a sin can seem more difficult than not, that confession can often make a world of difference in the long run. In The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Hester Prynne, and Reverend Dimmesdale, have two very different ways of dealing with guilt. These differences in action are what change the courses of their lives. The actions taken by one character are successful, though the actions of the other put his life in ruins. Hester confesses her sin in public, while Dimmesdale does not. This simple choice made causes a drastic change in each of their lives. When comparing the lives of Hester and Dimmesdale, …show more content…
In this essay, the author
- Compares the lives of nathaniel hawthorne, hester prynne and reverend dimmesdale in the scarlet letter.
- Analyzes how hawthorne compares hester and dimmesdale with their journeys through the shame-filled emotions.
- Analyzes how dimmesdale doesn't admit his sin, which slowly ruins his life. he climbs the scaffold and invites hester and pearl to the stage with him.
- Analyzes how hester and dimmesdale's guilt controls their actions and ability to make their own decisions.
- Analyzes how hester is the complete opposite of dimmesdale. she is thrilled to finally be leaving this town, and feels no remorse or ounce of regret.
- Analyzes how hester prynne and dimmesdale are two undeniably different human beings. the difference in hiding sin and turning to guilt shows how much it can take over a life.
- Analyzes how hawthorne shows how guilt eats away at a person's life in great detail by comparing hester prynne and reverend dimmesdale.
Hester, although not happy for her act of wickedness, can come to terms with the fact that her life will never be the same. Although difficult to do this at the time, revealing her crime to the public allowed for her to live out the rest of her life with more happiness than she would have without committing a crime. Hester is described as having “a burning blush,” showing her embarrassment and guilt. But, as the story goes on, she is always said to have held her head high. The guilt, once spent, didn’t affect her physically. She now knows people will forever see her as the woman with the Scarlet Letter- but that understanding is what keeps the guilt from infecting her life. On the other hand, Dimmesdale doesn’t admit his sin, which slowly ruins his life. The closest Dimmesdale ever comes to admitting his sin, is in the middle of the night- only in the presence of Hester and Pearl. He climbs the scaffold, and upon seeing Hester and Pearl, invite them to the stage with him. He hold …show more content…
Hester faced the music, admitting her sin almost instantly in front of the whole town. On the other hand, Dimmesdale hides, wanting to conceal his biggest secret from everyone. This difference in hiding sin and turning to guilt shows how much it can take over a life and leave a person with nothing once released. This difference comes into the spotlight in the last chapters of Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter. As the book is coming to a close, Dimmesdale appears to be ready to finally take responsibility for his actions. After the Election Day Sermon, Dimmesdale approaches the stage, after gained the attention of the crowd, he announces that he is the father of Pearl, the result of adultery. Upon confession, Dimmesdale pulls back his shirt to reveal something on his chest. Doing this causes him to fall on the stage, and this ultimately lead to his death. “With a convulsive motion, he tore away the ministerial band from before his chest. It was revealed! … Then, down he sank upon the scaffold!” (250/4 - 251/1) By the time Dimmesdale was admitting his crime, the whole of his body was taken over by the secret. It was a part of his being, his soul. When he told the town of the adultery, it was like he was releasing a part of his soul. He let a huge part of himself escape, which caused his death. The guilt took him over, and
Related
- analytical
- argumentative
- In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, Mr. Dimmesdale’s greatest fear is that the townspeople will find out about his sin of adultery with Hester Prynne. Mr. Dimmesdale fears that his soul could not take the shame of such a disclosure, as he is an important moral figure in society. However, in not confessing his sin to the public, he suffers through the guilt of his sin, a pain which is exacerbated by the tortures of Roger Chillingworth. Though he consistently chooses guilt over shame, Mr. Dimmesdale goes through a much more painful experience than Hester, who endured the public shame of the scarlet letter. Mr. Dimmesdale’s guilt is much more damaging to his soul than any shame that he might have endured.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how mr. dimmesdale's self-mutilated letter was a symbol of the guilt that he endured.
- Analyzes how mr. dimmesdale suffers through his guilt alone, while hester's shame is completely public. he is accepted as a part of the community.
- Analyzes how mr. dimmesdale's greatest fear is that the townspeople will discover about his sin of adultery with hester prynne.
- Analyzes how mr. dimmesdale's guilt is not merely over the sin of adultery committed by him and hester.
1043 wordsRead More - Sin of Adultery in Hawthorne's The Scarlett Letteranalytical essayThe Scarlet Letter, a novel written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, shows the adverse consequences caused by adultery between Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale and Hester Prynne. Dimmesdale and Hester committed the supreme sin of the Puritan society they belong. They must both deal with the effects of the scarlet letter. Pearl, the daughter of the two lovers, continuously punishes Hester for what she has done. Dimmesdale can only see Hester and Pearl when others will not find out or see. Hester finds a way to support herself and daughter, and at the same time, puts a mark on the possessions of some who are a part of society. The sin of adultery created repercussions that were shared and individually experienced by Reverend Dimmesdale and Hester Prynne.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how the scarlet letter shows the adverse consequences caused by adultery between reverend arthur dimmesdale and hester prynne.
- Analyzes how the scarlet letter is worn by hester as a repercussion of her adulterous sin to make known her crime of passion throughout the story.
- Analyzes how hester decides to live alone as a repercussion of the sin she committed. she turns to needlework to help support herself and daughter, pearl.
- Analyzes how pearl is a constant repercussion of the adultery hester took part in.
- Analyzes how dimmesdale longs to see hester and pearl, but as a repercussion of his sin, he can not publicly interact with them.
- Analyzes how a strange, sad man is he, with his hand always over his heart, in the dark nighttime.
- Analyzes how dimmesdale, despite his feelings for hester and pearl, acts like a stranger to them for the fear of the town finding out the truth.
- Analyzes how dimmesdale keeps his part in the twisted affair a secret. by keeping this secret, guilt and pain consume him, and he cannot take the excruciating downward pull of sin.
- Analyzes how hester's scarlet letter is only the shadow of what he bears on his breast.
- Analyzes how hester and dimmesdale's one sin, adultery, defined their existence, and how the sin empowered him and killed him.
1104 wordsRead More - Guilt and Shame in Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letteranalytical essayGuilt 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.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how hester prynne, arthur dimmesdale, and rodger chillingworth are connected by their sins and shame.
- Analyzes how hester prynne suffers public humiliation and shame for her adulterous actions when she becomes pregnant without her husband.
- Analyzes how hester's scarlet letter reminds her daily of her guilt, and her illegitimate child pearl. she doesn't hide pearl, but she shows her child off to the world.
- Analyzes how hester is publicly punished and shamed for their shared sin, but arthur keeps his involvement a secret. instead of confessing to the community, he lets his shameful deed eat away at his heart, soul, and body.
- Analyzes how dimmesdale's inward guilt destroys the reverend, making him a feeble, sick, old man. hester and arthur aren't the only people in the scarlet letter guilty of wicked sin.
- Analyzes how roger chillingworth hides his disgrace of having a disloyal wife and finds pleasure in tormenting the poor arthur dimmesdale. hester promises not to tell anyone that he is her real husband.
- Opines that chillingworth is a cruel and twisted man, responsible for the daily, mental torture of rev. arthur dimmesdale.
- Analyzes how chillingworth eats away at the reverend's very being, always searching arthur’s mind for a hint at his suspected, adulterous transgression.
- Analyzes how hester, dimmesdale, and chillingworth are all sinners, but they each handle their guilt in different ways. there is no true redemption, because there's no savior in the scarlet letter.
1108 wordsRead More - Throughout The Scarlet Letter Hester lives with disgrace and is always mocked by the towns people. There are many instances of characters not being true to themselves. If you are not true to you’re self the guilt can lead to total breakdown. Reverend Dimmesdale suffers for not being true to himself. The governor chooses Reverend Dimmesdale to be the judge of Hester. This shows that the people think he is righteous so he feels he has no choice but to hide for the sake of the people and what they believe in. Then instead of admitting his sin of adultery to the public, he keeps his secret to himself, knowing it will burn inside of him until he reveals it to the public and to pearl especially. The only thing worse in the Puritans society than committing a terrible sin is not admiting to it. Hester admits to her sin but Dimmesdale does not. Hester faces her sin and does not hide from the consequences. Nathaniel Hawthorne states, "Be true! Be true! Be true! Show freely to the world, if not your worst, yet some trait whereby the worst may be inferred!” Hester is an example of how being true to one's self can make you stronger unlike chilling worth and dimmesdale who are dishonest.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how the scarlet letter by nathaniel hawthorne may be viewed through many different lenses, but hester prynne, arthur dimmesdale and roger chillingworth project moral values in a powerful description of good and evil.
- Analyzes how hester lives with disgrace and is always mocked by the townspeople. reverend dimmesdale suffers for not being true to himself.
- Analyzes how dimmesdale was too cowardly to stand on the scaffold during the day and to acknowledge his part in the sin like hester did every single day.
- Narrates how after being captured by the indians, he finds hester on the scaffold, with her child pearl.
- Opines that the father wants to keep it a secret until he can find out who his father is.
- Describes the sin he committed. he had spent last seven years of his life torturing.
- Analyzes how hawthorne points out how hiding one's sin can lead to a personal downfall. reverend dimmsdale hides his sin from the public and becomes consumed with guilt.
- Explains that hester brought warmth to him but chillingworth has a symbol in his name. chill means cold hearted and that he's an evil man.
- Analyzes how hester's husband does all of this because he has nothing else to live for but revenge and secrecy.
- Analyzes how chillingworth does very little with the rest of his life, and dies a year after the death of the reverend.
839 wordsRead More - The Symbolic Nature of the Scarlett Letteranalytical essay...he final scaffold scene, when Hester and Dimmesdale acknowledge publicly their sin—freeing them spiritually from their punishment, Hester and Pearl leave the colony for many years. Hester returns on her own accord and takes up again the scarlet letter. In doing so, Hester gains authority over her own life and the letter becomes more a symbol that equated her with a “destined prophetess” than a sinner: “The scarlet letter ceased to be a stigma which attracted the world’s scorn and bitterness, and became a type of something to be sorrowed over, and looked upon with awe, yet with reverence too”(Hawthorne,1523).
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how nathaniel hawthorne's the scarlet letter introduces themes that recur in several settings and serve as metaphors for the underlying conflicts.
- Analyzes how hawthorne uses words like "sad colored" and "gray, steeple crowned hats" to describe the town's clothing. the prison stands for sin and an authority that does not condone the deviance from the puritanical severity of law.
- Analyzes how hester prynne, a self-ordained sister of mercy, is introduced as an adulterer by the scarlet letter 'a' placed strategically for all to see and serves solely for humiliation.
- Analyzes how hester's daughter, pearl, is the living symbol of the scarlet letter and has unique traits that make her sometimes appear as a demon.
- Analyzes how the two conflicting groups of symbols show a great deal of hypocrisy among the puritans.
- Analyzes how hawthorne uses the images of roads and paths in the story to illustrate the limited freedom one has in a puritanical society.
- Analyzes how hawthorne's use of "imperfect" sky and sun depicts the weakness of sunshine.
- Analyzes how chillingsworth, the absent husband of hester prynne, is referred to as both the devil and a leech throughout his attendance in the story.
- Analyzes how hawthorne's scarlet letter is tragically, yet realistically romantic because it delves deep into the human heart and explores the character’s dedication to religion.
2409 wordsRead More - Character Development in The Scarlet Letteranalytical essayThat man who Hester loves so deeply, Mr. Dimmesdale also undergoes major changes due the sin he bears. In the beginning of the book we see this man’s weakness and unwillingness to confess sin even as he begs Hester the person he committed his sin with to come forth with her other parties name (p56). As The Scarlet Letter progresses we see Dimmesdale become weaker physically and his religious speeches become even stronger so that his congregation begins to revere him. For a large part of the novel Dimmesdale has been on a downward spiral in terms of mental and physical health thanks to a so-called friend who was issued to take care of Mr. Dimmesdale, then because of a talk with Hester he is revitalized and given the power to do something, which he could not for seven long years. At the end of the novel Dimmesdale is finally able to recognize his family in public and confess his sin before all releasing the sin he held so long hidden in his heart (p218, 219).
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how nathaniel hawthorne's the scarlet letter uses character development to show how a person can change for better or worse.
- Analyzes how hester begins to develop a stronger and more rebellious attitude, which can be seen by the way she decorates the 'a' that represents the grave sin of adultery.
- Analyzes how mr. dimmesdale undergoes major changes due to his sin. he becomes weaker physically and his religious speeches become even stronger so that his congregation begins to revere him.
- Analyzes how mr. chillingworth is a good person but devious because he changes his name. he becomes close to reverend dimmesdale and is issued to take care of him due to his sick state.
- Analyzes how hawthorne makes hester, dimmesdale, and chillingworth real to the reader through their development giving you a better sense of his characters.
572 wordsRead More - The Scarlet Letteranalytical essayThe Scarlet Letter, written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, portrays the adversities faced by Hester Prynne and Reverend Dimmesdale, and their struggles to overcome their sins of adultery. Hawthorne depicts the celestial Dimmesdale as a troubled minister with an uneasy conscience who struggles to cope with his wrongdoings. Dimmesdale is torn between whether to publically confess his wrongdoing with Hester and let the merciless Puritans decide his fate, or keep his secret hidden and let the guilt derived from his actions, along with the devil in Roger Chillingworth, destroy him both mentally and physically. Being divided between his love for Hester and his Puritan ideals, Dimmesdale’s advancement towards making amends for his sin of adultery is manifested in the three scaffold scenes throughout the novel.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how nathaniel hawthorne's the scarlet letter portrays the adversities faced by hester prynne and reverend dimmesdale and their struggles to overcome their sins of adultery.
- Analyzes how the scaffold scene depicts hester's public humiliation of her sin and dimmesdale’s lack of courage and troubled soul.
- Analyzes how dimmesdale, portrayed as the sufferer in the second scaffold scene, holds an extended vigil on the scaffold at night to try to free himself from the sin that has caused him a lot of distress and suffering.
- Analyzes how dimmesdale, who is still in a conflicted state, has not been able to openly reveal his sin, but has taken the first steps towards making amends for his wrongdoing.
- Analyzes how dimmesdale, who humbly regrets his actions, relieves himself from the guilt obtained through his transgression, and from roger chillingworth’s torment, while liberating pearl from her burden.
- Analyzes how the scaffold symbolizes dimmesdale's progression towards making amends for his actions, and obtaining salvation.
1368 wordsRead More - The Distinguishing between Hester and Dimmesdale in Nathanielargumentative essayHester and Dimmesdale both bear a scarlet letter but the way they handle it is different. Hester’s scarlet letter is a piece of clothing, the “SCARLET LETTER, so fantastically embroidered and illuminated upon her bosom” (Hawthorn 51). Dimmesdale on the other hand, has a scarlet letter carved in his chest. This is revealed when Dimmesdale was giving his revelation, in which “he tore away the ministerial band from before his breast. It was revealed!” (Hawthorn 232). Since the Scarlet Letter on Hester is visible to the public, she was criticized and looked down on. “This women has brought same upon us all, and ought to die” (Hawthorn 49) is said by a female in the market place talking about Hester. She becomes a stronger person through living this hard life. Dimmesdale instead has to live “a life of cowardly and selfish meanness, that added tenfold disgrace and ignominy to his original crime” (Loring 185). He becomes weaker and weaker by time, “neither growing wiser nor stronger, but, day after day, paler and paler, more and more abject” (Loring 186). Their courage is also weak.
In this essay, the author
- Compares the courage of hester and dimmesdale, who are afraid of the public and what they would think of them.
- Compares hester and dimmesdale in the scarlet letter. they suffer with the guilt of the sin of adultery that they committed.
- Analyzes how hester's view of the afterlife is one in which both she and dimmesdale will live with each other. their lives are good examples of what could happen between human relationships.
- Cites hawthorne, nathaniel, loring, george bailey, and gross, semour, et al., in the scarlet letter.
737 wordsRead More - Essay On The Scarlet Letter Hester's Fraudanalytical essayIn addition to being accountable for her own sin, Hester realizes that she’s responsible for Dimmesdale’s and Chillingworth’s sins. This alters Hester into a person who takes the blame because she does not want others to get hurt. Sacvan Bercovitch gave a talk in 1996 in Salem, Massachusetts, called “The Scarlet Letter: A Twice-Told Tale.” In this talk, he clarifies to readers that the main reason this sin taxes Hester, Dimmesdale, and Chillingworth is due to the weight that the Puritan community places on it: “The sin in The Scarlet Letter is concealment: the deliberate masking of who one is in order to deny one's actual state of connectedness. Hester goes so far as to consider herself above the law, but the fact is that she's the very image of social interdependence.” Since Dimmesdale is the town minister, a lot of respect is directed toward him, so if he confessed his sin, he would be ridiculed and punished. On the other hand, Hester, because of her status as a woman who has gone against the laws of society, is chastised for her act of love due to a stagnant marriage. Both characters want to seek pleasure and avoid pain, yet it seems inevitable to achieve
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how hester developed a type of personality that helped her overcome the sin put upon her by the scarlet letter. she realized she was responsible for dimmesdale and chillingworth's sins.
- Analyzes how dimmesdale, the town minister, is ridiculed and punished, while hester is chastised for her act of love due to a stagnant marriage.
- Analyzes how hester's superego depicted a person who took on hatred and overcame the ire and demeaning glares of people in the town.
- Analyzes how nathaniel hawthorne's "the minister’s black veil" depicts hester prynne as a scapegoat and someone to make an example of.
- Analyzes how nathaniel hawthorne's the scarlet letter discovers the tension between the profoundly rooted puritanism and the celebration of individual independence.
1335 wordsRead More - The Scarlet Letter - Lies and Guilt People live with lies every day. Everyone from the President of the United States to the poorest beggar in New York City has told a lie. White lies, gray lies, and plain old dirty fat lies are strewn forth every day like water from a fountain. The only true difference between them is the amount of guilt they place on the liar. If they feel guilt, then they suffer greatly throughout their lives, from lots of small indiscretions or just one large one.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how people live with lies every day, from the president of the united states to the poorest beggar in new york city.
- Analyzes how hester pryne chose a path of denial because she knew that adultery was sin against god. the scarlet letter explicitly declares the impossibility of redemption for the sinner.
- Analyzes how hester pryne gained freedom from her guilt, but dimmsdale's failure to confess his crime slowly destroyed his life.
- Analyzes how dimmsdale gained prestige and fame due to his sermons on honesty and the fate of those who did not come clean with god.
- Analyzes how hawthorne's depiction of the twistings of a guilty conscience is finely observed and vividly rendered.
1273 wordsRead More