Guilt is a very powerful force that can overwhelm even the strongest of men. Sometimes the guilt that one feels when no one else is aware of what he or she has done can be worse than the punishment that person might receive if he or she owned up. This happens to be the case in The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne. In this novel Arthur Dimmesdale and Hester Prynn commit one of the worst sins possible according to puritan law when Arthur commits adultery with, the married, Hester Prynn. Their sin not only affects their own lives, but the lives of Hester’s child, Pearl, and husband Roger Chillingworth.
Jordan is so eager to find out the truth, that Grace’s relationship with him produces the story he wants to hear. Grace knows that there is no concrete evidence against her as there was against McDermott; otherwise she would have been sentenced to death as he was. Instead, it is McDermott’s word against Grace’s: McDermott says that the murders were Grace’s idea, and Grace says that she had nothing to do with the murders. At some points in the book Grace seems like the innocent victim that she claims to be, and at other points the reader can see glimpses of her more manipulative side. During her sessions with Doctor Jordan, her responses are all too rehearsed, and it gives readers a sense of unreliability about her story: “But I don’t say this.
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.
"(376) The grandmother is talking about how the misfit is a good person, yet she knows nothing about the man except the fact he is a criminal and a murderer. The Misfit’s morals are completely different from the grandmothers. The Misfit will always stand by what he believes regardless of the situation. The Misfit believes that the outcome of anything is what he creates. When the Misfit says "Yes'm," smiling slightly as if he were pleased in spite of himself to be known, "but it would have been better for all of you, lady, if you hadn't of reckernized me."
Madi Seigler Mrs. Beitz AP Language 20 October 2011 The Greater Sin The novel The Scarlet Letter tells of Hester Prynne’s sin and how it affects her and the town she lives in. She has committed adultery which is a capital sin in her Puritan town; however someone else had to take part in that sin. But no man ever confesses, so he remains a mystery to the town. All except for Roger Chillingworth, who is Hester’s husband. He is able to figure out that it is the preacher in the town, Arthur Dimmesdale.
While the differences between John Proctor and Hester Prynne are countless, there are still several striking similarities between the two. One major similarity between the John and Hester is that they both committed adultery. They were lured in by temptation and committed a sin that was against the views of their societies. They both also had to except what they had done and take responsibility for their actions. Proctor tried to protect his wife from this and Hester tried to protect Dimsdale’s name; unfortunately they were both punished for it.
On the other hand, she was her torture, too. Pearl made her live, even the little elf punished her at the same time. Pearl was the scarlet letter in Hester’s heart. 2 To her father Dimmesdale, Pearl is a mirror that reflects his cowardice. Dimmesdale’s sin was not adultery but not having the courage to admit that he had adulterated.
But, he was said to be a servant of the “Black Man.” He watched Hester stand on the scaffold holding their child, with a scarlet letter embroidered on her clothing for all to see, alone. He was too cowardly to stand up and say “Yes, that’s my child, and I am just as guilty as she is.” In the eyes of a Puritan, the devil is the only thing that could keep you from confessing your sins. Evil doesn’t always come with age, but in these circumstances it seems to be unavoidable. Dimmesdale finally comes to the
This is demonstrated in the text “Those who had before known her, and had expected to behold her dimmed and obscured by a disastrous cloud, were astonished, and even startled, to perceive how her beauty shone out, and made a halo of the misfortune and ignomity in which she was enveloped” (40). The letter might be a sign of sin to Hester and the Puritan village, but Pearl sees it as something else entirely. The scarlet letter is both a part and a connection to her mother, for they both are the physical manifestations of Hester’s wrongdoing. After Hester takes of the letter, Pearl refuses to come to her. She refuses to recognize her mother, only coming to her after the “A” has returned to her mother’s bosom.
Such helpfulness was found in her,—so much power to do, and power to sympathize,—that many people refused to interpret the scarlet A by its original signification.” (144) This causes the scarlet letter to now represent “Able” and proves that Hester didn’t try to commit her sin or hurt others around her. Arthur Dimmesdale, a very religious man who is looked up to by many in the puritan society. He also committed the sin of adultery with Hester Prynne, except he didn’t suffer the same public humiliation as her. Instead he suffered in private, physically and mentally. We learn that his sin causes him to get weaker and weaker due to his guilt as he continues his life in the novel.