The Scarlet Letter

In The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, is set in Puritan New England during the 17th century. The scene in which the Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale joins Hester and Pearl on the platform to showcase his sin is one which exemplifies Dimmesdale’s acceptance of his actions. Up until this point in the novel, Dimmesdale had hidden the fact that he had engaged in a sexual affair with Hester, a married woman. During the scene, Dimmesdale, distraught with guilt after seven years of living in secret shame, joins Hester in public to show his actions publicly. He then, being riddled with sickness, dies in contentment. Having finally accepted his actions, Dimmesdale can die without the torturous guilt of living a lie. Dimmesdale’s confession and ensuing downfall show that accepting the consequences of one’s own actions is the only way to truly achieve fulfillment and satisfaction in life, where as hiding one’s actions results in inner torture.

In another instance, Dimmesdale joins Hester and Pearl on the platform during the night, and screams out in agony. Dimmesdale hides his sin in the cloak of night, as opposed to publicly accepting it. Hawthorne shows that when Dimmesdale accepts his actions, he is content, yet when he denies them, he is ravaged by guilt, which is shown when he cries out into the night. Dimmesdale can not achieve fulfillment without accepting the consequences of his previous actions.

Hester Prynne, who is the only main character to accept the consequences of her actions, is the only character to achieve happiness. Her ascension in the minds of the townspeople shows this. Although her scarlet “A” is supposed to stand for adultery, the townspeople eventually come to think of it as standing for “able” and eventually for “angel.” She has accepted her actions and resumed her life, living it as best she can, and she is, in a way, rewarded for her acceptance of her actions. Additionally, unlike Dimmesdale and Chillingworth, Hester leaves her life as a happy person, not someone who is secretly tortured. This is reflected in the representation of her “A”.

Chillingworth, Hester’s husband, vows revenge on the man who has allowed her to live in shame, while he escapes with no visible punishment. While visiting Hester in jail, Chillingworth agrees not to kill Dimmesdale if she will not reveal his identity, which lets him secretly torture Dimmesdale for the rest of her life.