The Scarlett Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne

In the story The Scarlet Letter, there are three main kinds of bondage, each with its own respective rout to freedom. Being imprisoned by the laws of society, held captive by the weight of guilt, and confined by the desire for revenge; these three types of bondage are clearly seen in three of the main characters in the story. Hester Prynne is imprisoned by the laws of society, while Mr. Dimmesdale is held captive by the weight of his guilt, and Roger Chillingworth is confined by his desire for revenge. To be free, Hester must accept her badge of humiliation as part of who she is and integrate it into her life, Mr. Dimmesdale must openly confess his sin, and Roger Chillingworth must forgive Mr. Dimmesdale.

Hester Prynne, an adulteress, is imprisoned by the laws of Puritan society and instead of running away, struggles to accept her badge of shame as a very real part of who she is. When she is first commanded to wear a scarlet letter A, she sees it as a curse. For the first few years she tries to ignore the ignominy under a mask of indifference. “Hester Prynne, meanwhile, kept her place upon the pedestal of shame, with glazed eyes, and an air or weary indifference,” Hawthorne writes. (page 48) Even so, she cannot hide from what her sin has produced. Every day her daughter Pearl reminds her of her sin. The only way to freedom is to avoid being defined by the society in which she finds herself. It is a gradual process but slowly, due to her compassion for the poor and sick, people start to view Hester's badge as meaning “Able” rather than “Adulteress”. Eventually her badge becomes a blessing as other women come to her for advice and counseling in that,

“people brought all their sorrows and perplexities, and besought her counsel, as...

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...pite being forgiven by Mr. Dimmesdale. Right before Mr. Dimmesdale dies, Roger Chillingworth exclaims, “Thou hast escaped me!” (page 175) Roger Chillingworth is held in bondage because of his refusal to forgive Mr. Dimmesdale.

Throughout The Scarlet Letter, these three types of bondage are clearly seen. Hester Prynne is imprisoned by the laws of society and is only set free when she defines herself rather than letting society define her. Mr. Dimmesdale, who is held captive by his guilt, is released when he openly confesses his sin. Roger Chillingworth is confined by his desire for revenge and would have been set free if he had forgiven Mr. Dimmesdale. These three kinds of bondage and their paths to freedom are clearly played out in The Scarlet Letter through the characters of Hester Prynne, Mr. Dimmesdale, and Roger Chillingworth.

Works Cited

The Scarlet Letter