Falling From Grace Since the beginning of time people have enjoyed reading books in which the “hero” falls from grace and struggles with the consequences. This is very much the case in the novel The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne in which the reader learns about the journey of Hester Prynne, the women caught in adultery and sentenced to wear the shameful “A” on her chest. This journey, which includes Mr. Dimmesdale, the man Hester was involved with, Pearl, the daughter of Hester, and Chillingworth, the man who was married to Hester brings the reader into the exploration of the many themes apparent in the novel. In The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne uses the characters in the story to help develop the themes of identity in society, the nature of evil, and secrecy versus exposure of sin. To begin, the theme of identity in society is developed through the characters of Hester, Mr. Dimmesdale, and Pearl.
Because she lived in such a God driven and puritan town, the judicial system of the settlement had decided for her to acknowledge her sin by embroidering a vibrant scarlet letter “A” onto her dress to symbolize adultery. She was often ostracized from the rest of the town since she was forced to wear the crimson “A” everywhere she went. As well as the letter to remind her of the wrong she had done, the affair had left her with a fatherless daughter named Pearl. Later in the novel we discover the father is the Reverend of the town, the admirable Arthur Dimmesdale. Through pain, remorse and agony the novel reveals that it is better to tell a harmless lie then to confess a hurtful truth.
Nathaniel Hawthorne uses several literary elements while writing “The Scarlet Letter” to carefully craft the novel; such as biblical allusions, symbolism, and personification to portray the flaws of human nature. Biblical allusions are referred to throughout the novel to provide reader with an understanding of the nature of sin. He uses Dimmesdale as the main focus point towards this literary element during his death. Hawthorne also uses symbolism and it is present when the Black Man is mentioned, comparing human nature and the evil that can sometimes overcome it. Finally, personification helps bring out another theme, in which light and darkness show through nature in the book.
(personification) | "...his voice, though still rich and sweet, had a certain melancholy prophecy of decay in it." (pg106) | This is an example of metaphor because Hawthorne is comparing Mr. Dimmesdale's voice to a prophecy and gives it a depressing tone. (metaphor) | "...while their hearts are all speckled and spotted with iniquity of which they cannot rid themselves." (pg116) | Here "hearts" symbolizes the consciousness of not only sinners in general, but that of Dimmesdale's conscious which we know has been marred or at least should have been marred by the adultery he committed with Hester. (metaphor) | "... was admirably adapted to Pearl's beauty, and made her the very brightest little jet of flame that ever danced upon the earth."
Hawthorne uses the imaginative and symbolic form of the romance to veil the impression of the serious themes in his novel. The young woman Hester Prynne is the main character in The Scarlet Letter. She is accused of adultery, and because she does not confess who the father of her illegitimate child is, she gets sentenced to wearing a scarlet letter on her breast as a sign and reminder for her and the Puritan community she lives in. Expelled from the community, she lives on the edge of the village as an outcast and has to find her own way. Other important characters in the novel are Hester´s daughter Pearl, Arthur Dimmesdale, and Roger Chillingworth.
Pearl: the Constant Reminder In the 1650's the strict Puritan community, in Boston Massachusetts punished those who sinned. In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, the main character, Hester, is punished and looked down upon for committing adultery. When Hester has her baby, Pearl, The Puritans see her as having a bit of evil in her. Pearl, who is a constant reminder to Hester about the sin she had committed, is a significant symbol in this novel. In the beginning of the novel, Pearl always reminds Hester of her sin, even though she does not mean to do so purposely.
Nathaniel Hawthorne has a very impressive way of using his mastery of irony to portray the truth of the characters in his remarkable novels. The Scarlet Letter, a novel taken place in sixteenth century about a young woman named Hester Prynne who wears an “A” on her chest as punishment for her adulterous actions with the minister of the town, Arthur Dimmesdale. Hawthorne uses the names of characters or their abilities to stand out from their true qualities. Puritans consider the town is what people have built up and the forest is the true goals and standards of the people. In the Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne conveys several different types of irony – not just in the characters but in the symbolism and true meanings as well.
The Scarlet Letter written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, writes about the psychological effects of hidden sin and guilt. In this novel he writes about three characters who display hidden guilt and numerous sins. A young beautiful woman, Hester, committed the sin of adultery. From that sin, she bore a child with Arthur Dimmesdale. Dimmesdale as the Reverend of the Puritan society broke his sacred promise with the Lord and church.
This is proven when Hester remarks to herself, "Oh Father in heaven - if thou art still my father - what is this being which I have brought into the world" (Hawthorne 89).Thirdly, Pearl represents the sins of both Hester and Dimmesdale. Proven when, Hester realizes what Pearl represents when she does not hold Pearl up in front of the "A”; she carries the child around because it is a direct reflection of her sin. Hester is, "wisely judging that one token of her shame would but poorly serve to hide another" (Hawthorne 48). Pearl in many ways is the scarlet letter. First, the scarlet letter amuses Pearl, and also controls her behavior.
Shame In the romantic novel, The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne seems to suggest through the character of Arthur Dimmesdale that guilt can be both good and bad. I agree with Nathaniel Hawthorne on this topic. Some examples of guilt of being bad in the story are when Dimmesdale inflicts painful punishments upon himself. Dimmesdale’s guilt ate him away and he eventually died from it. But some other examples of guilt being good is that it made Arthur Dimmesdale became a better minister.