The Consequences Of Hester Prynne In The Scarlett Letter By Nathaniel Hawthorne
Hester Prynne committed a serious sin, adultery, which resulted in many different consequences. It not only had public consequences, but personal ones too. Many people would mock her or make fun of her, assuming she was a bad person. Also, she had the scarlet “A” on her chest that made it clear to everyone the sin she had committed. One woman even said, “‘This women has brought shame upon us all, and ought to die. Is there not law for it? Truly there is, both in the Scripture and the statute-book…’” (Hawthorne 36). However, over time she began to help people more and more and the meaning of the “A” no longer meant adulterer, but it meant able. Hester’s sin began to be forgotten and not as highly focused on as it once was. Hawthorne wrote, “...helpfulness
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As a result of keeping his sin a secret, it was consuming him and his health was declining. Hawthorne said, “...Mr. Dimmesdale had evidently begun to fail. By those best acquainted with his habits, the paleness of the young minister’s cheek was accounted for by his too earnest devotion to study…” (82). Dimmesdale often held his chest and complained of having pains there, signifying that his heart was most likely hurting because of having a guilty conscience, which was also why he was doing other tasks to make up for his wrong doing. He admitted to many people that he was a greater sinner than them, but they didn’t believe him. Dimmesdale stood on the scaffold with Hester and Pearl saying, “‘ye, that have loved me!ㅡye, that have deemed me holy!ㅡbehold me here, the one sinner of the world!... I stand upon the spot where, seven years since, I should have stood; here, with this women…’” (174). When the reverend finally told the public of his sin in the marketplace, he collapsed on the ground and died. This was a major consequence of holding back his sin and when he finally admitted it, he was unable to be redeemed like Hester. This teaches us that honesty is the best policy and may result in less serious consequences if you just admit your faults to begin
As a result of keeping his sin a secret, it was consuming him and his health was declining. Hawthorne said, “...Mr. Dimmesdale had evidently begun to fail. By those best acquainted with his habits, the paleness of the young minister’s cheek was accounted for by his too earnest devotion to study…” (82). Dimmesdale often held his chest and complained of having pains there, signifying that his heart was most likely hurting because of having a guilty conscience, which was also why he was doing other tasks to make up for his wrong doing. He admitted to many people that he was a greater sinner than them, but they didn’t believe him. Dimmesdale stood on the scaffold with Hester and Pearl saying, “‘ye, that have loved me!ㅡye, that have deemed me holy!ㅡbehold me here, the one sinner of the world!... I stand upon the spot where, seven years since, I should have stood; here, with this women…’” (174). When the reverend finally told the public of his sin in the marketplace, he collapsed on the ground and died. This was a major consequence of holding back his sin and when he finally admitted it, he was unable to be redeemed like Hester. This teaches us that honesty is the best policy and may result in less serious consequences if you just admit your faults to begin