Preview

Sin and Forgiveness in the Scarlet Letter

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
954 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Sin and Forgiveness in the Scarlet Letter
Sin and Forgiveness in The Scarlet Letter Hawthorne uses the theme of sin and forgiveness throughout The Scarlet Letter to portray the protagonists and antagonists of the story. Hawthorne uses comparative techniques through dark versus light, and nature versus civilization. With both of these he is giving underlying comparisons of sin and forgiveness. Hawthorne uses comparisons to show the reader that by having the inability to forgive, he/she is committing the sin of pride and is no better than the sinner who trespassed against him/her. In The Scarlet Letter, sin determines a character’s mistakes. Forgiveness is what defines the characters, as they choose to either forgive or hold a grudge. For example, Chillingworth’s pride inhibits him from forgiving Dimmesdale, and he chooses to keep a grudge against him instead. Chillingworth’s choice of seeking revenge against Dimmesdale makes him an evil, corrupt man who is full of hatred. Hawthorne shows us here how by not being able to forgive, we might as well be committing a sin ourselves. For instance, “He [Chillingworth] could play upon him [Dimmesdale] as he chose. Would he arouse him with a throb of agony?” (134). Chillingworth chooses to devote his time to manipulating Dimmesdale’s health in an unhealthy way. In doing so Chillingworth becomes a sinister old man who commits sins that are worse than those committed by Dimmesdale. For example, “But what distinguished the physician’s ecstasy from Satan’s was the trait of wonder in it.” (132). Here Hawthorne compares Chillingworth to Satan, and in doing so wants the reader to envision Chillingworth as the character who possesses the most evil intentions. By holding a grudge against Dimmesdale, Chillingworth becomes the one who has the most sin in his heart. Dimmesdale’s pride is not only the reason he continues to sin, but it is also the reason he cannot forgive Hester. For example, Dimmesdale hypocritically does not confess his sin for seven years after

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Literary Merit

    • 335 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Another theme in The Scarlet Letter is guilt. Reverend Dimmesdale feels guilty for not confessing his sin to the Puritan Community. He eventually transforms physically and mentally, which makes him become sick and weak. Hawthorne reveals that guilt can cause humans to transform themselves into different people. This is significant because he teaches a lesson that one shouldn’t keep their sins a secret because it can cause damage to one’s soul.…

    • 335 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    He is a good man, but he is fearful of ruining his image by letting out his guilty secret. “Be not silent from any mistaken pity and tenderness for him; for believe me, Hester, though he were to step down from a high place, and stand there beside thee, on thy pedestal of shame, yet better were it so, than to hide a guilty heart through life. What can thy silence do for him except it tempt him-yea, compel him, as it were- to add hypocrisy to sin?” (Hawthorne 47) This quote was a demand from Dimmesdale to Hester while she is on the scaffold being integrated to speak the guilty name of the one who accompanied her with the sin. Although, he is pleading to Hester to give the name of her fellow sinner, in reality he doesn’t really want her to reveal his identity. Remaining silent about the sin committed with Prynne and then giving the consequences for the silencer shows another form of hypocrisy from Dimmensdale. The people of the puritan society also play a hypocritical…

    • 986 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Both the Bible and Nathaniel Hawthorne's novel The Scarlet Letter, redemption from sin is a prominent theme. Hawthorne and the Bible recognize that sin is inevitable - humans, as a part of life, sin. However, it is accepting and growing from these sins that allow peace of mind. The experience of Arthur Dimmesdale parallels that of the Bible's story of King David and Bathsheba and demonstrates that sin is a natural, unavoidable part of human life, but having committed a sin without confession leads to a life of internal turmoil and guilt.…

    • 929 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    During the treatment Chillingworth sees some wound or trouble in Dimmesdale's soul that is contributing to his declining health. One morning Chillingworth pushes aside Dimmesdale's shirt and reads the secret upon his heart. "Had a man seen old Roger Chillingworth, at that moment of his ectasty, he would have no need to ask how Satan comforts himself, when a precious human soul is lost to heaven, and won into his kingdom"(95). This is the climax point, where these two men become enemies and the secret unfolds. Chillingworth is described as a leech, because he is sucking the life out of Dimmesdale. "He dug into the poor clergyman's heart, like a miner searching for gold; or, rather, like a sexton delving a grave, possibly in quest of a jewel that had been buried on the dead man's bosom, but likely to find nothing save morality and corruption"(88). Chillingworth remains quiet about what he has found out. He sees Pearl, Hester, and Dimmesdale together at the scaffold where Hester made her statement at the beginning of the book. Dimmesdale express much hate towards Chillingworth for all of the tormenting. Hester tries to go talk to her husband to stop the tormenting, but Chillingworth refuses to stop. The truth must unfold. Election Day comes and Dimmesdale must make a speech. He can no longer keep the sin…

    • 795 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Before he accepts his flaws, he “ transfers his own responsibility to...Hester” (James 18). This makes Dimmsdale drag around a sack of shallow character mixed in with heavy guilt, causing him to have a despondent attitude. Hester feels she is “responsible to this unhappy man” for the injury she causes him (Hawthorne 153). Dimmesdale commits the same crime as Hester and his despondency is a result of his guilt, which he denies. To take the pressure off of Dimmesdale, like Hawthorne does with his guilty ancestors, Hester takes…

    • 808 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the story, The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, sacrifice runs through almost every character. One specific person who portrays this kind of trait towards the end of the book is DImmesdale. He sacrifices the sin he created with Hester and his placement with everyone else when he finally exposes the “A” for all to see. Dimmesdale is fond of Hester, but he could never share the sin he committed. No one can find out. People who are selfish never realize the impact they make on other’s lives.…

    • 445 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    He chose to keep the secret and be consumed in guilt for seven years, than man up and tell the truth. When asked to try to get the name of Pearl’s father out of Hester, Dimmesdale begs her by speaking,“I charge thee to speak out the name of thy fellow-sinner and fellow-sufferer! Be not silent from any mistaken pity and tenderness for him; for, believe me, Hester, though he were to step down from a high place, and stand there beside thee, on thy pedestal of shame, yet better were it so, than to hide a guilty heart through life”(93). Dimmesdale is such a hypocrite. He is telling her that she should not be standing at the scaffold alone, that her “fellow-sinner” should be as well because it takes two to commit adultery. He is the other part of the adulterous act, and he is telling her not to keep this a secret when he is doing the same. Keeping his secret soon led him to become a bit paranoid. Later in the novel it states, “ And thus, while standing on the scaffold, in this vain show of expiation, Mr. Dimmesdale was overcome with a great horror of mind, as if the universe were gazing at the scarlet token on his naked breast, right over his heart”(134). Like in the previous quote he is “hiding his guilty heart.”And he does this in the literal way as well, he often holds his hand over his heart. As if by doing so he is protecting himself from people finding out about his…

    • 979 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Nathaniel Hawthorne’s morally diverse novel The Scarlet Letter provides a darkening perspective on the effects of sin, hypocrisy, and anguish portrayed in the human behavior of the villain. Fundamentally, “there are no secrets that time does not reveal”; therefore, Hawthorne enhances his purpose with the utilization of many antagonists whom portray this, but neither associating more importantly than Roger Chillingworth’s character. (Steen)…

    • 681 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote the Scarlet Letter, in the purpose of providing not only a general and a literal message, but also a metaphorical message to the public. Hawthorne was trying to show the audience that there is as much evil in those who consider themselves free of sin and in those who consider themselves to be actual sinners. Hawthorne mainly focused around one sinful act: an act of adultery. He elucidated how this specific sin affected the characters and the whole story throughout the book, by showing how the characters handled themselves when dealing with the situation. He exemplified this through the three major characters: Arthur Dimmesdale, Roger Chillingworth and Hester Prynne. All three characters are involved in the sinful…

    • 278 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Scarlet Letter Puritan

    • 1167 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Hawthorne also has Puritan ancestors’ who are deep into Puritanism (176). Many of Hawthorne’s writings are expressions of Puritan ideal with human nature. Hawthorne uses these ideals to clearly portray his feelings toward Puritanism (176). Puritanism seeks to purify or reform the Catholic Church. Puritans believe in righteousness, majesty, and sovereignty of God (176). Hawthorne is supposed to follow all of these beliefs, but he claims it is not his religion. The influence of Puritanism is seen in Hawthorne’s writings involving his deep sweet interest in sin (176). Hawthorne is also interested in the hypocrisy of puritan beliefs can sometimes happen among certain people (176). Nathaniel Hawthorne may come from a Puritan family, but he does not believe in the Puritan beliefs. Hawthorne expresses deep suspicion for the harsh religious rules of Puritanism (176). Hawthorne’s ideal of the “evil of human soul” is seen frequently in the three main characters of The Scarlet Letter. However, the purpose is not to expose adultery but too discuss the dark side of Puritanism meaning the persecutions, harshness, and absolute certainty. Hester, Chillingworth, and Dimmesdale have all the same experiences that they commit sin and accept the punishments of it…

    • 1167 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    While all of the townspeople look down upon Hester for committing adultery, Dimmesdale is never brought to justice for his sin. While Dimmesdale continued working in the church, Hester had to spend time in jail and be publicly shamed on the scaffold.They all look down on her, mock her, and insult her. Even the poor insult her like in chapter 13 the narrator tells the reader “ She never battled with the public, but submitted uncomplainingly to its worst usage; she made no claim upon it, in requital for what she suffered; she did not weigh upon its sympathies.” The narrator is telling the reader about Hester’s character and how wonderful she is as a person. Somehow though she still faces constant judgment of her character, which is mistakenly believed to be evil by the townspeople. Yet everybody looks up to Arthur Dimmesdale for all of his good…

    • 981 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Nathaniel Hawthorne is one of the most iconic writers of dark Romanticism. His works became so classical due to his use of symbolism, time period in which he wrote, and the meaningful themes expressed in his writing. In his most recognizable novel, The Scarlet Letter, the most pronounced theme is that everyone carries sin with them and no sin goes unpunished. The uses of symbolism allow the reader to develop a deeper understanding of historical context and this theme.…

    • 1437 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Love is an intense bond of affection between two people, it brightens the world around two lovers, inspiring hope and happiness. However, in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, love becomes the foundation of sin. The relationship of two forbidden lovers darkens their lives, casting overbearing shadows of shame, penance, and sacrifice.…

    • 103 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The beautifully composed novel The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne demonstrates the effects of sin through the actions of his characters and circumstances they must bear daily. While living in a world with many complexities the temptation of sin lurks everywhere. Most sins, the offences against one’s morals, are ordinarily committed to seek pleasure. Similar to that of Hester Prynne along with Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale’s sin: “…this had been a sin of passion, not of principle nor even purpose.” (Hawthorne 184) The rest of the novel continues to narrate the consequences of this “sin of passion” upon the characters.…

    • 428 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    When someone commits a wrongdoing and feels remorse or responsibility, no matter the intensity, they are experiencing guilt. This feeling is something the characters in The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne struggle with for the duration of the novel. Hester Prynne and Arthur Dimmesdale are haunted by the shame they feel originating from one passionate act in their past. These two characters are affected quite differently by this feeling of guilt which is conveyed through strong diction, motifs, and imagery.…

    • 80 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays