Dichotomies in the Scarlet Letter
There are many dichotomies that are found throughout the novel, The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Many of the characters in the story present strong dichotomies like Pearl, Roger, and Hester who show two totally different perspectives of themselves. A dichotomy is the division of something or someone into two parts; it can be good and be bad at the same time. For example spiders, no one likes spiders around their house, but they can be a use for trapping and killing unwanted flies around your home. It is contradicting, and dichotomies surround each and every one of us whether it’s the things we do or events that happen around us. Hester Prynne, the protagonist in the story, lives in a strict town during the Puritans era where the towns people are really strict. Boston is the place, and they cant laugh, dance, sing or do anything fun because it would be considered sinful in the Puritan society. Hester committed the biggest sin any one could do, and that was cheating on her husband by having an affair. This affair is where everything started, after realizing she was pregnant with her daughter named Pearl.
In the story, Hester as a young girl married a man named Roger Chillingworth, who was much older than she was. Roger had sent Hester to America while he settled his affairs in Europe. While he was gone Hester, being young and confused, had an affair with a minister named Dimmensdale and later gave birth to a baby girl named Pearl. After Roger had been captured by Native Americans, he arrived to Boston and found his wife Hester and Pearl displayed on the scaffold. His aggravation made him decide to stay for revenge, and disguise himself as a doctor and find out who Hester's secret lover, and daughters father was. Everyone in town looked at Hester as a sinful, guilty, and shameful human being. "It would be greatly for the public behoof, if we women, being of mature age and church-members in good repute, should have the handling of such male actresses as
In the story, Hester as a young girl married a man named Roger Chillingworth, who was much older than she was. Roger had sent Hester to America while he settled his affairs in Europe. While he was gone Hester, being young and confused, had an affair with a minister named Dimmensdale and later gave birth to a baby girl named Pearl. After Roger had been captured by Native Americans, he arrived to Boston and found his wife Hester and Pearl displayed on the scaffold. His aggravation made him decide to stay for revenge, and disguise himself as a doctor and find out who Hester's secret lover, and daughters father was. Everyone in town looked at Hester as a sinful, guilty, and shameful human being. "It would be greatly for the public behoof, if we women, being of mature age and church-members in good repute, should have the handling of such male actresses as