Scarlet Letter Essay Who would you define as the worst sinner in The Scarlet Letter? The Scarlet Letter is about a young woman named Hester Prynne who came over from Europe with her husband who was supposed to follow after her. Hester Prynne had been waiting for her husband to come over but it had become prolonged. So Hester Prynne ended up committing adultery with the minister of New England named Arthur Dimmesdale. This story is about committing a sin against the Puritan culture that is all about holiness and living right before God.
The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, and The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger, both are books relating to the alienation of an individual wanting to fit into society. In the Scarlet Letter, the protagonists, Hester Prynne and Reverend Dimmesdale have committed adultery which is a sin unacceptable in the Puritan Society. Hester is married to Chillingworth, the strange doctor who is out for revenge. Pearl is born to Hester, as an outcome of their sin however Hester does not reveal who the father is.
Nathaniel Hawthorne goes into depth about sins that most people don’t want to hear about. During the time period of The Scarlet Letter, adultery was extremely frowned upon, and was punishable by death. Dimmesdale kept the guilt and the pain of what he had done bundled up inside; Hester`s sin was brought to light she stood on a scaffold alone as people watched; Chillingworth was letting his anger and hatred control his very being. Hester along with her baby had nothing else to do, but stand and watch as her lover stood by. As she was tried for the very thing he should be tried for.
This event proves that Dunstan is the type of a person who would rather follow his own mind and heart then go along with the mob mentality. Ramsay sees Mrs. Dempster as his accidental creation, and he must “hate her or love her” (pg 167). This sense of possession shows up when Mrs. Dempster becomes his charge, and he pays for her care and visits her on a weekly basis. At this point Dunstan thinks of her as a part of himself: “a part of my own soul that was condemned to live in hell” (pg 176). He blames himself for having broken her spirits and is assured that he is the cause of her “saintful” suffering.
Thesis Women were subject to discrimination due to man-kinds biased belief that men were above all women. Evidence Elizabeth Sprigs was an indentured servant who faced oppression. In a letter written to her father, she describes how she is treated by men, specifically her master. She is fed little to nothing and is beaten countless times. She describes the how women have been tied to lifeless bodies and given birth.
Despite Dimmesdale’s physical deterioration, Hawthorne develops Dimmesdale as morally strong to assert that atonement of one’s sin leads to morality. Arthur Dimmesdale is one of the three main characters involved in the central conflict of the novel. He performed the sin of adultery while Chillingworth was away, and Pearl is his true daughter. Yet, unlike his fellow adulterer Hester, the town does not know of his crime. Watching every day as the people say things to Hester like “At the very least they should put a hot iron on Hester’s head” and “[Hester] ought to die”(88) drives Dimmesdale mad.
Research on the symbolism of the “A” in The Scarlet Letter Steven Bolzenius Senior Composition, seventh Hour 14 October 2013 The Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, the scarlet letter “A” that Hester Prynne is forced to wear is a sign of her sin and charity. Nathaniel Hawthorne used this letter to represent the good and evil that every human posses. The Scarlet Letter was interpreted differently for each character. Hester chose to wear the scarlet letter with dignity and grace despite the shame and disgrace that surround her wearing the letter. Hester Prynne used the letter as an example of hypocrisy that made up the puritan church at the time.
Momentarily afterwards, Chillingworth, Hester’s husband, is seen in the crowd, and introduced. After the public display of Hester, Chillingworth and Hester make a deal, in which her crime of adultery would be forgiven by Chillingworth if she would keep his identity a secret, since he rabidly seeks revenge toward the father of the baby. The rest of the story tells of the interactions between the three. In the end, Dimmesdale dies after confessing his sin, Chillingworth dies in a short period of time after Dimmesdale, and Hester lives on alone helping out the less fortunate of the town. Although Hester made the decision of committing adultery, the reason she lives on is her dealing with the scarlet letter that she is given to exhibit to the town.
The Scarlet Letter "The Scarlet Letter" by Nathaniel Hawthorne is a somewhat short novel. It is about a women named Hester Prynne who has done an act of adultery. She is forced to wear a letter A on her chest symbolizing adultery. This all happens when she thinks her husband Roger Chillingworth died at seas so she sees another man. The mans name is Arthur Dimmesdale whom she conceives a child with named Pearl.
The Friar tries to dissuade Giovanni from commencing the relationship despite there being little effect from his words. Annabella is harshly reprimanded by the Friar, so much so that she sees sense to confess to her sins. Despite her confession however, she is still punished grotesquely towards the end of the play. Giovanni does not confess; instead he sees his actions as necessary to deal with the problem that he is the main cause of. The final line “Who could not say, ‘Tis pity she’s a whore?” can be seen as directed towards her and so she is blamed for everything that has occurred.