How Does Hester Prynne Live In Guilt
Living in Guilt Charity Ryan
Throughout The Scarlet Letter, Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale is tormented by his sin, leading to his inevitable death. Hester Prynne must live with the retributions of her adultery every day of her life, Pearl being a constant reminder. Even Chillingworth disintegrates under the power of his own sin, that of revenge. It seems Hawthorne is trying to make a point in his novel; that it is impossible to escape the consequences of your actions (especially in Puritan New England)! In the beginning of this book we meet Hester Prynne, a beautiful young mother making her way from prison through a crowd of displeased Puritans. She finds herself displayed like a circus animal, amongst a silent and unforgiving crowd, on a scaffold commonly used for executions. She has a brilliantly embroidered Scarlet Letter “A” attached to her bosom, a curious punishment for the sin of adultery. The crowd, with the exception of that one young maiden, seems to think she deserved much more than a simple letter attached to her clothes. Death is the proper punishment for a scandal of this proportion! The Scarlet …show more content…
Chillingworth. He is Hester’s former husband, a wonderful physician. He chooses to keep his identity a secret upon arriving back to town after being in Indian captivity for two years. After finding out about Hester’s child, he vows to get revenge from whomever it belongs to. Chillingworth goes from being a kind, smart, and gentle old man to an evil, plotting, vengeful ball of fury. He sets his eyes upon the Reverend Mr. Dimmesdale, and immediately recognizes him as Pearls father. He arranges to be Dimmesdale’s roommate, and from that moment on makes his life a living hell. The reverend slowly diminishes under Chillingworth’s evil power, as Chillingworth grows stronger by the day. When Dimmesdale finally confessed his sin and died, Chillingworth lost all his power. He crumbled, and died soon
Throughout The Scarlet Letter, Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale is tormented by his sin, leading to his inevitable death. Hester Prynne must live with the retributions of her adultery every day of her life, Pearl being a constant reminder. Even Chillingworth disintegrates under the power of his own sin, that of revenge. It seems Hawthorne is trying to make a point in his novel; that it is impossible to escape the consequences of your actions (especially in Puritan New England)! In the beginning of this book we meet Hester Prynne, a beautiful young mother making her way from prison through a crowd of displeased Puritans. She finds herself displayed like a circus animal, amongst a silent and unforgiving crowd, on a scaffold commonly used for executions. She has a brilliantly embroidered Scarlet Letter “A” attached to her bosom, a curious punishment for the sin of adultery. The crowd, with the exception of that one young maiden, seems to think she deserved much more than a simple letter attached to her clothes. Death is the proper punishment for a scandal of this proportion! The Scarlet …show more content…
Chillingworth. He is Hester’s former husband, a wonderful physician. He chooses to keep his identity a secret upon arriving back to town after being in Indian captivity for two years. After finding out about Hester’s child, he vows to get revenge from whomever it belongs to. Chillingworth goes from being a kind, smart, and gentle old man to an evil, plotting, vengeful ball of fury. He sets his eyes upon the Reverend Mr. Dimmesdale, and immediately recognizes him as Pearls father. He arranges to be Dimmesdale’s roommate, and from that moment on makes his life a living hell. The reverend slowly diminishes under Chillingworth’s evil power, as Chillingworth grows stronger by the day. When Dimmesdale finally confessed his sin and died, Chillingworth lost all his power. He crumbled, and died soon