The Scarlet Letter

In his criticism of The Scarlet Letter, Harry Levin discusses the severity of the sins that are committed by Hester Prynne, Reverend Dimmesdale, and Roger Chilingworth. Although all three main characters have sinned in the novel, the ruthlessness of their sins is easily identifiable.

Harry Levin takes it upon himself to 'rank'; the three sinners in The Scarlet Letter based upon their sins, and the circumstances that surround them. The least severe sinner is Hester Prynne, followed by Reverend Dimmesdale, and the most severe sinner in Levin's mind is Roger Chilingworth. For Hester, Levin states that her affair with Dimmesdale is 'pardonable'; (Levin, 10) because the lull in her relationship with Chilingworth was natural, and there was nothing that she could do about it. Her partner in sin, Reverend Dimmesdale, is stated to be 'an unwilling hypocrite, who purges himself by means of open confession.'; (Levin, 11) He also has seemingly been forced into his role, but cannot publicly repent like Hester does by wearing a scarlet letter, or wearing a black veil. Levin continues by saying that 'by Hawthorne's standard'; the Reverend has been more sinful than she has. (Levin, 11) Although it is not discussed in the criticism, the point that Levin makes can be proven in the story when Mr. Dimmesdale is returning from the meeting with Hester in the woods. Dimmesdale is described as being so full of energy, that he decides that he wants to commit 4 sins. Although they are not very severe, the basic premise is that maybe he really is more evil than he appears. Finally, the crudest sinner in The Scarlet Letter is Roger Chilingworth. Levin describes him in his criticism as follows: 'Chilingworth, who's assumed name betrays his frigid nature, plays the role of the secret sharer, prying into his wife's illicit affair, spying upon her lover unawares, and pulling the strings of the psychological romance.'; (Levin, 11) Basically, this means that no matter how the reader perceives it, Chilingworth is definitely the most evil character in the story. Levin is also quick to say that although Dimmesdale and Hester can atone for their sins, Chilingworth cannot.

Harry Levin is correct in his criticisms of the sinners in the novel The Scarlet Letter. Hester Prynne is easily the least brutal sinner of all. In the novel, when Hester meets with Chilingworth in the jail, the reader sees that she did not commit her sin without reason.