thesis statement scarlet letter

You are using an outdated browser. Please upgrade your browser to improve your experience.

• 168,891 literary resources
• 172 content providers
• 53,470 books

The Scarlet Letter Thesis Statements and Essay Topics

Below you will find four outstanding thesis statements / paper topics for “The Scarlet Letter” by Nathaniel Hawthorne that can be used as essay starters. All four incorporate at least one of the themes found in “The Scarlet Letter” and are broad enough so that it will be easy to find textual support, yet narrow enough to provide a focused clear thesis statement. These thesis statements offer a short summary of “The Scarlet Letter” in terms of different elements that could be important in an essay. You are, of course, free to add your own analysis and understanding of the plot or themes to them. Using the essay topics below in conjunction with the list of important  quotes from “The Scarlet Letter”  on our quotes page, you should have no trouble connecting with the text and writing an excellent essay.

Topic #1: Christian Values in the Scarlet Letter

Hester Prynne is scorned by almost everyone in the town when she is found to be pregnant by a man who is not her husband. She bravely bears her punishment and continues to live there. The citizens of the town are very harsh in both their judgment and treatment of her. They want to take Pearl away from her, but are waylaid by Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale. Because his identity as Hester’s lover is unknown, he is still considered to be a respectable member of the town. He is able to sway the stricter Reverend John Wilson. Yet if Reverend Wilson knew of Reverend Dimmesdale’s sin, he would react differently. Drawing on examples from the book, contrast the two reverend’s ‘Christian values’ set forth by the two reverends contrast.

Topic #2: The Role of the Men

In  Scarlet Letter , the minister is the unacknowledged father of Hester’s child. Hester allows herself to be shunned and punished by the townspeople, but never gives up his name. Hester bears the weight of their sins on the outside because she carries and gives birth to Pearl. The minister brands himself with the letter A on his chest, but does not come forward until several years later. Meanwhile, it eats at him over the years, eventually leading to his early death. In addition, Roger Chillingworth is Hester’s husband who shows up after the adultery has been committed. He is much older than Hester and is going by a different name. He only reveals his true identity to her, then seeks to bring about what destruction he can.  Explore the differences between the roles of husband and lover. Hester knows the ‘true’ identity of each man, yet she keeps it to herself for much of the book. How are Dimmesdale and Chillingworth different? How are the two men alike?

Thesis Statement #3: Symbolism

The Letter “A” that is pinned to Hester Prynne originally stands for adultery, but as Hester becomes more involved in the community, much of the town forgets Hester’s original crimes and claims that it stands for angel instead.  Even though Hester has improved her image with the town, she does not take off the letter until the near end of the novel, and never asks for forgiveness and an end to her ordeal.  The letter A has different connotations for different characters, and evolves through the novel.  Discuss how symbolism plays a role not only in a novel, but in life itself.

Topic #4: The Character of Pearl

Pearl is the person caught in the middle of her parents’ sins. She is shunned and mistreated because of what her mother did. She is also very perceptive of the relationship between Hester and Arthur. She spends her first few years enduring the treatment she receives from the townspeople. She struggles with her parents’ relationship. In the end, Hester takes Pearl to Europe. Pearl ends up marrying well and inheriting wealth upon Roger Chillingworth’s death. Examine how her character is shaped by her first few years—the maturity and understanding that she has of how the world works. Do the move to Europe and the inheritance from Roger Chillingworth somehow make up for her difficult childhood?

Themes and Analysis

The scarlet letter, by nathaniel hawthorne.

Nathaniel Hawthorne’s ‘The Scarlet Letter’ is stuffed with themes that border around aspects of religion and human morality such as sinning, confessing, and being penalized for such sin - much to the author’s intention of sending some strong moral lessons to his readership.

Article written by Victor Onuorah

Degree in Journalism from University of Nigeria, Nsukka.

Hawthorne’s move to go by such name as ‘ The Scarlet Letter ’ for the book’s title is symbolic in itself and already hints at the themes of penitence and punishment for the crime of adultery committed by two of the book’s major characters in Hester Prynne and the priest – Arthur Dimmesdale. There are some foundational themes as there are other subsets that still carry a vital message in them. The most important ones will be analyzed in this article.

Sin and Punishment

These are probably the two most obvious themes of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s ‘ The Scarlet Letter ’ and they are very clearly executed throughout the pages of the book – beginning from the first chapter. 

Hester Prynne, who is the heroine of the book, is one of the characters who bear such guilts of sin and punishment. The sin for which she is being punished is that of adultery – which she commits with a Christian preacher, Arthur Dimmesdale.

Being she lives in the era of a Christian-inspired puritan society, her punishment becomes one of massive social shaming and disgrace – whereby she has to wear a dress with a large inscription of the letter ‘A’ appearing on her chest in blood red color. 

Contrition and Penitence

Hester and Dimmesdale – two prominent characters harboring the most damnable sin of their era – appear to have had a contrite heart after the act, particularly with Hester, who is publicly announced and disgraced. 

Readers could feel the genuineness of Hester’s contrite heart, having been legally married to Roger Chillingworth, her long lost husband – even though she would never regret the love she feels for Dimmesdale and the product of such love being her child, Pearl. 

Gender and Status Inequality Before the Law

Nathaniel Hawthorne, through ‘ The Scarlet Letter ,’ may have tried to point out the sheer inequality of the purity society before the rule of law. Hawthorne’s time is critical of several aspects of Puritanism, and here questions why preacher Arthur Dimmesdale doesn’t get served the same amount of humiliation as Hester gets. 

Though an argument can be raised that the executors of the puritan laws don’t punish Dimmesdale because they do not know for sure if he committed the crime – especially with Hester refusing to give that information out. Still, one can easily sense that they don’t do enough to get the man who’s responsible. 

Two hypotheses here are one; their interest in not punishing men but the women in such crimes. Two, Dimmesdale’s religious status makes him a very important person, so the executors would be tricky with handling a case of such a class. 

Necromancy and witchcraft

There is a massive dose of talks and meetings about and with witches, and even the devil – who is referred to in the book as ‘ The Black Man .’ These subjects are part of what gives the book its dark, spooky ambiance characteristic of gothic fiction. 

Mistress Hibbins is a high-profile suspect whose behavior is, by a puritan society’s standards, termed diabolic and hellish. Hibbins goes about negatively influencing people – like Hester and Pearl – instilling strange, anti puritan mentality in them, conducting and attending meetings and conventions where they invoke and commune with ‘The Black Man’ or devil himself. 

Key Moments in The Scarlet Letter

• After losing his job with the Salem Custom House, a man puts together a piece of the manuscript that he had discovered littering in the attic of his former job. On the cover is an inscription, ‘Scarlet Letter A .’ 
• The story which he has assembled from it narratives the story of a young woman called Hester Prynne who lives in a 1600s puritan society. 
• She appears to have been imprisoned for a heinous crime and is processioned out and made to stand over a public platform wearing a dress with the scarlet letter ‘A’ written boldly on her breast, on which she also carries her baby. 
• The crime for which she is paraded is adultery, and under a typical puritan leadership, social shaming and scorning are the repercussions for such acts. 
• While she faces the worse moment of her life, a man stands a stone’s throw away in the crowd observing the whole event. His name is Roger Chillingworth, the long-lost husband of the woman being punished at the platform. 
• On the platform with Hester is a popular preacher of the town, rev. Arthur Dimmesdale publicly pressures her to say who’s responsible for her baby, but Hester wouldn’t tell and is thrust back into her cell.
• With a keen interest in the matter, Chillingworth lies that he is a doctor to get access to his wife, and when he gets past security into the cell, he threatens her not to let anyone know she is married to him and that if she does, he would search out the man responsible and hurt him very badly.
• Following her release, Hester moves away from town and tries to survive as a dressmaker with young Pearl. Chillingworth is still in town posing as a doctor as he tries to unearth the father of his wife’s baby. And by now, Dimmesdale, the popular town people’s preacher, has failing health and is being tended to by Chillingworth. 
• Pearl grows fond of the scarlet ‘A’ on her mother’s breast, but Hester wouldn’t tell her the truth about it. 
• With Chillingworth now spending so much time with Dimmesdale, he starts to notice an unusually strange correlation between Hester’s case and the preacher’s health history. 
• One faithful day during Dimmesdale’s medical examination, Chillingworth finds that his patient has a similar scarlet letter ‘A’ etched inside his chest. He is convinced Dimmesdale is Hester’s lover and father of the illegitimate child, Pearl. 
• With this knowledge, Chillingworth decides to exert revenge on Dimmesdale by giving him the wrong meds and treating him so much so that his health deteriorates further by the day. 
• For Dimmesdale, it seems that his inability to confess publicly is eating him up and causing him constant emotional trauma and heartache. And on several occasions, he doesn’t eat and chastises and whips himself for his mistake. 
• On a faithful day, just after twilight, troubled by his guilt, Dimmesdale climbs up the platform and is joined by Hester and her daughter shortly, while Chillingworth skulks by the shadows observing them before a shooting star shimmers through the night sky to reveal his presence. 
• What follows next is an exchange of emotions. Hester begs Chillingworth to stop torturing Dimmesdale, but he argues he’s lenient to him. 
• Hester then plans a rendezvous with Dimmesdale in the wilderness, where she exposes Chillingworth’s real identity and begs Dimmesdale to elope with her across the Atlantic to start afresh in a new, distant town. He agrees to go with her after he has delivered a scheduled sermon. 
• On the day of the sermon, Dimmesdale is moved by his preaching that he decides to confess publicly that he is Hester’s lover and the father to Pearl (both of who had joined him on the platform). Opening his chest, he exposes a scarlet cut he had been carrying in his chest and dies as soon as Pearl kisses him.
• Chillingworth’s revenge is taken from him, and he dies a few months later. Hester leaves town with her daughter – explores Europe and marries a wealthy home, and seldom writes her mother. 
• When Hester dies, she is laid to rest beside Dimmesdale, and the later ‘A’ is erected in their resting place.

Style and Tone 

Nathaniel Hawthorne’s writing style is typically one that deploys a lot of metaphors and symbolism to execute his works – with the end goal often having a ton of morals to impact on the reader.

Hawthorne’s works are mostly mysterious, somber, and morose in terms of their themes and storylines. ‘ The Scarlet Letter ’ is no different from his typical style and follows his trademark standard for novel writing. 

The tone in ‘ The Scarlet Letter ’ is mostly sad and contrite, but also critical and disenchantment about puritan cultures, their leaders, and their tendency for being highly hypocritical.

Figurative Languages

Hawthorne brings the pages of ‘The Scarlet Letter’ to life with his heavy use of figurative expressions. Among the figurative language used include metaphor – which seems to appear pervasively throughout the book.

The author also uses tools like irony and personification to highlight his critiques of the purity legacy and traditions. 

Analysis of Symbols in The Scarlet Letter 

This is perhaps the foremost symbolism in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s book and represents a variety of things. One such thing is that it serves as an identity for the transgressor or sinner of adultery – as is the case with the protagonist, Hester Prynne. 

Hester’s daughter’s character also has an allegorical attachment to its overall essence. Pearl is a direct repercussion of Hester’s son of adultery, but also a symbol of hope for a better life, in the latter part of the book.

Chillingworth

In the book’s reality, he is the husband of Hester, but in terms of the motif to which he represents, Chillingworth proves to be as his name appears; cold. He’s a cold and means man towards the people around him, and this is perhaps one of the reasons Hester could never find love with him. 

What is the main theme in ‘The Scarlet Letter’ by Nathaniel Hawthorne?

Sin and punishment are probably the two most discussed themes in ‘ The Scarlet Letter ,’ and these subjects are pervasive and heavily indulged in by the author throughout the book. 

What does the color red represent in ‘The Scarlet Letter’?

The color red represents sin, and in the book’s case, the sin of adultery – which Hester, the protagonist, is indicted of from the onset of the book. 

What narrative style is deployed by Nathaniel Hawthorne in ‘The Scarlet Letter’?

Nathaniel Hawthorne utilizes the third person narrative technique in his book, ‘ The Scarlet Letter, ’ as this allows the narrator to tell his story subjectively – but from a rounded, three-dimensional standpoint on the characters. 

Join Our Community for Free!

Exclusive to Members

Create Your Personal Profile

Engage in Forums

Join or Create Groups

Save your favorites, beta access.

About Victor Onuorah

Victor is as much a prolific writer as he is an avid reader. With a degree in Journalism, he goes around scouring literary storehouses and archives; picking up, dusting the dirt off, and leaving clean even the most crooked pieces of literature all with the skill of analysis.

About the Book

Discover literature and connect with others just like yourself!

Start the Conversation. Join the Chat.

There was a problem reporting this post.

Block Member?

Please confirm you want to block this member.

You will no longer be able to:

• See blocked member's posts
• Mention this member in posts
• Invite this member to groups

Please allow a few minutes for this process to complete.

The Scarlet Letter

Nathaniel hawthorne, ask litcharts ai: the answer to your questions.

The Puritans believed people were born sinners. Puritan preachers depicted each human life as suspended by a string over the fiery pit of hell. As a result, the Puritans maintained strict watch over themselves and their fellow townspeople, and sins such as adultery were punishable by death. Hester is spared execution only because the Puritans of Boston decided it would benefit the community to transform her into a "living sermon against sin." But just as Hester turns the physical scarlet letter that she is forced to wear into a beautifully embroidered object, through the force of her spirit she transforms the letter's symbolic meaning from shame to strength.

Hester's transformation of the scarlet letter's meaning raises one of The Scarlet Letter 's most important questions: What does it mean to sin, and who are the novel's real sinners? Hester's defiant response to her punishment and her attempts to rekindle her romance with Dimmesdale and flee with him to Europe shows that she never considered her affair with Dimmesdale to be a sin. The narrator supports Hester's innocence and instead points the finger at the novel's two real sinners: Dimmesdale and Chillingworth . Chillingworth's sin was tormenting Dimmesdale almost to the point of death; Dimmesdale's was abandoning Hester to lead a lonely life without the man she loved.

Sin ThemeTracker

Sin Quotes in The Scarlet Letter

The Theme of Exposed Sin in the Scarlet Letter

This essay will analyze the theme of exposed sin in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “The Scarlet Letter.” It will discuss how the novel explores the consequences of sin, guilt, and the societal need to expose and punish wrongdoing. The piece will examine the experiences of Hester Prynne and other key characters, and how their revealed sins affect their lives and the Puritan community. It will also consider Hawthorne’s critique of the hypocrisy in moral judgment and redemption. PapersOwl offers a variety of free essay examples on the topic of Nathaniel Hawthorne.

How it works

Discuss Nathaniel Hawthorne’s portrayal of the theme of exposed sin versus hidden sin in the novel as seen through the development of the main characters over the course of the story. For this essay, challenge yourself to develop a more sophisticated thesis statement that is a complex or a compound-complex sentence rather than the three-pronged format. Additionally, each body paragraph needs to contain three quotes. Be sure that the quotes DO NOT COME FROM THE SAME CHAPTER.

I. Introduction – Throughout all of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, Sin is a prominent factor in every life, not just the main characters such as Hester and Roger Chillingworth.

Exposed sin is compared to hidden sin, and the differences between the two show how the outcome of the result of spreading or hiding sin. Hook – Most would agree that being able to have a weight lifted off their shoulders from telling the truth would be encouraging. Others on the other hand may hid their secret out of fear or rejection and end up never have to admit their mistake to anyone, even ones who trusted them. Transition (may be phrase or entire sentence) from hook to summary of novel – The main characters in The Scarlet Letter struggle with exposed versus hidden sin and which has the best outcome. The characters the let out their sin and live with the truth out even if it changes how others look at them while on the contrary characters who hid their sin tend to suffer more internally than if they had just exposed their sin. BRIEF Summary should include title and author – The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne shines light on a woman named Hester who has committed adultery and has not given birth to a child.

Refusing to name the father, she lives her life alone as a sinner and is forced to wear the letter “A”. Hester’s husband comes to the town she is living in and makes it his life purpose to track the man who committed the sinful act with his wife. Transition (may be phrase or entire sentence) from summary to thesis – Although there are positives and negatives on whether to reveal sin, revealing sin is the only way to live a truthful life and show who you really are to the world. Thesis Statement – (compound) Complex sentence structure – Through The Scarlet Letter, the main characters are faced with exposed and hidden sin, and even though those who do not reveal their sin will be the only one who know the truth, they will live through life unhappy and unfulfilled while those who reveal their sin gain more purpose and happiness since they do not have to carry a large burden of guilt.

II. Body Paragraph # 1:

CHILLINGWORTH Topic Sentence – how does this sentence connect to your thesis statement? Chillingworth rotted his life away by making his goal in life to torture someone else and lived in iniquity, which in turn made his life sad and unmeaningful.

A. Quote #1 – “[Roger] hall seek [Dimmesdale], as [Roger] a sympathy that will make [Dimmesdale] conscious of him. [He] shall see him tremble. [He] shall feel [himself] shudder, suddenly and unawares. Sooner or later, [Dimmesdale] must needs be [Roger’s]!” (Hawthorn 64). a. how does the quote support your topic sentence? – shows how Roger’s only purpose now is to torture Dimmesdale and to emotionally destroy him, which is causing more sin.

B. Quote # 2 – “In a word, old Roger Chillingworth was striking evidence of man’s faculty of transforming himself into a devil. If he will only, for a reasonable space of time, undertake a devil’s office” (Hawthorne 140).

b. how does the quote support your topic sentence? – Shows how Roger is continuing to feed into his evil desires to torture another human being, and how he is focused on nothing else, starts to look as evil and he is being.

C. Quote # 3 – “‘Nothing was more remarkable than the change which took place, almost immediately after Mr. Dimmesdale’s death, in the appearance and demeanour of the old man known as Roger Chillingworth. All his strength and energy-all his vital and intellectual force-seemed at once to desert him; insomuch that he positively withered up, shrivelled away, and almost vanished from mortal sight….” (Hawthorn 212).

c. How does the quote support your topic sentence? – shows how because Roger lived such a sinful, secretive, and manipulative evil life, he ended up being weak and living an unfulfilling and unmeaningful life.

D. Concluding sentence – Roger Chillingworth ended up physically and psychologically weak from his time of torment, and ended up suffering from the life he lived torturing others. III. Body Paragraph # 2: HESTER Topic Sentence – how does this sentence connect to your thesis statement? – Because Hester was able to admit to herself and the people she lived with about her sins, she lead a truthful life and ended up learning about herself and being unshameful for who she was.

A. Quote #1 – “The very law that condemned [Hester]-a giant of stern features, but with vigor to support, as well as to annihilate, in his iron arm-help her up, though the terrible ordeal of her ignominy” (Hawthorne 66).

a. how does the quote support your topic sentence? – Although the letter brought her shame, she grew stronger mentally and because more wise about life around her and helped her overcome her sinful act.

B. Quote # 2 – “The tendency of her Fate and fortunes had been to set [Hester] free. The scarlet letter was her passport into regions where other women dared not tread. Shame, Despair, Solitude! These had been her teachers…they had made her strong” (Hawthorn 165). b. how does the quote support your topic sentence? – rom Hester’s scarlet letter, she was able to experience aspects of life and new discoveries that a normal woman condemned by society would not. She had more freedom that those who were socially accepted and got to live life the way she wanted.

C. Quote # 3 – “…the scarlet letter ceased to be a stigma which attracted the world’s scorn and bitterness, became a type of something to be sorrowed over, and looked upon with awe, yet with reverence too. And, as Hester Prynne had no selfish ends, nor lived in any measure for her own profit and enjoyment, people brought all their sorrows and perplexities, and besaught her counsel, as one who had herself gone through a mighty trouble” (Hawthorne 215).

c. How does the quote support your topic sentence? – Because of the scarlet letter, Hester was able to end up helped others with their problems and brought peace to others minds and was looked up to because she was so open and willing to tell people about what she had done. She did good for her society even though she was shamed upon because she wanted to help others.

D. Concluding sentence – Hester was open about her wrongdoings, and from that she didn’t have a burden on herself and was able to grow from how she was seen differently. From her suffering, she helped other people get through their problems. IV. Body Paragraph # 3: DIMMESDALE Topic Sentence – how does this sentence connect to your thesis statement? – Arthur Dimmesdale was loved by all his townspeople but lied about himself because he was cowardly and kept a secret that would lead to his suffering.

A. Quote #1 – “[Dimmesdale] had striven to put a cheat upon himself by making the avowal of a guilty conscience, but had gained only one other sin, and a self-acknowledged shame, without the momentary relief of being self-deceived…by the constitution of his nature, he loved the truth, and loathed the lie, as few men ever did. Therefore above all things else, he loathed his miserable self!” (Hawthorn 120).

a. how does the quote support your topic sentence? – Dimmesdale hated lying, yet lied for 7 years and felt awful about himself. He was miserable and unhappy showing why someone should reveal their sins.

B. Quote # 2 – “‘No, Hester, no!’ replied the clergyman. ‘There is no substance in it! It is cold and dead, and can do nothing got [Dimmesdale]! Of penance [he] had enough, of penitence there has been none!'” (159)

b. how does the quote support your topic sentence? – Dimmesdale is not showing he is sorry for his actions because he does not want to admit to the townspeople that he has sinned. Instead, he self punishes himself to try to feel better but ends up feeling worse and wishes that he didn’t feel like such a liar to the townspeople who trust him.

C. Quote # 3 – “[God] hath proved is mercy, most of all, in my afflictions. By giving me this burning torture to bear upon my breast…That final word came forth with the minister’s expiring breath. The multitude, silent till then, broke out in a strange, deep voice of awe and wonder, which could not as yet find utterance, save in this mutmut that rolled so heavily after the departed spirit” (210)

c. How does the quote support your topic sentence? – Dimmesdale ended up dying from his sins and self punishment because he kept lying to everyone who trusted him.

D. Concluding sentence – If Dimmesdale had told the truth and admitted and learned from his sins, he wouldn’t have ended up suffering and dying unhappy, instead he would have grown as a person and learned from his mistakes. V. Concluding paragraph – Roger Chillingworth and Arthur Dimmesdale both lead secretive lives that ended up being the main reason for their deaths, while Hester who was truthful ended up leading a life helping those around her. Revealing sin ends up being positive because it shows truthfulness and strength while hiding sin leads to unhappiness and eternal pain.

Cite this page

The theme of exposed sin in The Scarlet Letter. (2019, Feb 06). Retrieved from https://papersowl.com/examples/the-theme-of-exposed-sin-in-the-scarlet-letter/

"The theme of exposed sin in The Scarlet Letter." PapersOwl.com , 6 Feb 2019, https://papersowl.com/examples/the-theme-of-exposed-sin-in-the-scarlet-letter/

PapersOwl.com. (2019). The theme of exposed sin in The Scarlet Letter . [Online]. Available at: https://papersowl.com/examples/the-theme-of-exposed-sin-in-the-scarlet-letter/ [Accessed: 5 May. 2024]

"The theme of exposed sin in The Scarlet Letter." PapersOwl.com, Feb 06, 2019. Accessed May 5, 2024. https://papersowl.com/examples/the-theme-of-exposed-sin-in-the-scarlet-letter/

"The theme of exposed sin in The Scarlet Letter," PapersOwl.com , 06-Feb-2019. [Online]. Available: https://papersowl.com/examples/the-theme-of-exposed-sin-in-the-scarlet-letter/. [Accessed: 5-May-2024]

PapersOwl.com. (2019). The theme of exposed sin in The Scarlet Letter . [Online]. Available at: https://papersowl.com/examples/the-theme-of-exposed-sin-in-the-scarlet-letter/ [Accessed: 5-May-2024]

Don't let plagiarism ruin your grade

Hire a writer to get a unique paper crafted to your needs.

Our writers will help you fix any mistakes and get an A+!

Please check your inbox.

You can order an original essay written according to your instructions.

Trusted by over 1 million students worldwide

1. Tell Us Your Requirements

2. Pick your perfect writer

3. Get Your Paper and Pay

Hi! I'm Amy, your personal assistant!

Don't know where to start? Give me your paper requirements and I connect you to an academic expert.

short deadlines

100% Plagiarism-Free

Certified writers

A Study of Guilt and Repentance in “The Scarlet Letter” by Hawthorne Essay

Introduction.

The most famous of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novels relates to the fate of Hester Prynne. She is at the pillar of shame with an illegitimate daughter in her arms. Among the public humiliation, witnesses are Hester’s husband, Chillingworth, and her seducer, the priest Arthur Dimmesdale, the baby girl’s father (Gao 1729). The tragedy that bound these three people reveals the spiritual traits of the novel’s heroes, revealing the bravery and generosity of some and the cowardice and nothingness of others. Thus, it is essential to determine how the author used the symbol of the scarlet letter to highlight the sinful person and identify whether it is possible to atone for the guilt or conceal it.

The Intertwining of the Basic Feelings of the Protagonists

Confession of sin.

Hester gives birth to a child by an unknown lover, and her husband disowns her. The Puritan community embarrasses Hester by sentencing her to wear the scarlet letter A on her chest forever. The author used this color as a sign of shame to describe the woman’s action. At the same time, the fact that she constantly wore this symbol demonstrates her desire to atone for her sin. The Puritan community, with her husband, torments Hester to identify the child’s father, with hants “will be known! – he will be known! – he will be known!” (Hawthorne 71). Further, the deceived husband devotes himself to the vengeance of his wife, while Hester, enduring humiliation and exaltation over the years, voluntarily lives among persons who hate her. Hester’s impeccable behavior and selfless help to those in need lead to the fact that the townspeople gradually begin to treat her even with peculiar respect. Even the scarlet letter no longer appears as a symbol of sin but of inner strength.

Secret Guilt

While Arthur, a saint in the eyes of the congregation and the worst sinner in his own eyes, exhausts himself with hypocrisy. Priest Dimmesdale, guilty of violating the moral law and concealing his guilt, is not condemned, but “the heavy crimes and sufferings have intimately bred him with the whole sinful brotherhood of men” (Hawthorne 172). When Dimmesdale preaches a sermon in honor of Election Day, he feels his mind become muddled. The people gather in the market square to hear Dimmesdale preach, and Dimmesdale chooses to repent to the public. He stands at the pillar of shame, confesses his sin to the people, and removes the priest’s scarf (Hawthorne 285). Therefore, it can be argued that the woman atones for her sin and has a chance at a life without fear or guilt, while the man conceals it and consequently cannot escape it.

The Influence of Intentions and Their Consequences on Personalities

The intentions and actions of the characters.

It is essential to remark that Hester and Dimmesdale commit a grave sin, for which both pay the price in this life. Hester attempts to redeem himself, while Dimmesdale destroys himself from within (Gao 1726). Chillingworth plans for revenge but does not know the child’s father’s name because the woman is determined to preserve Dimmesdale’s reputation. Chillingworth is intent on revenge and tries to discover the father (Gao 1726). While Hester strives to cope with her blame by participating in hard work and admitting her sin, Dimmesdale is drowning in feelings of guilt lingering above him emotionally and physically.

Which Is Worse, Sin or Vengeance?

The three heroes lead lives of atonement, sin, and revenge, and when the truth is revealed for all to understand, then Dimmesdale is freed from his inner turmoil. Chillingworth loses the meaning of life when the priest admits his sin (Gao 1725). Therefore, Hester and Dimmesdale atone for sin and attempt to free themselves from it, while Chillingworth increasingly acquires negative emotions and the need for revenge consumes him.

Freedom from the Burden of Guilt

Guilt as one of the symbols of christianity.

The novel is filled with Christian virtue despite committing a grave sin. Hester’s refusal to name her daughter’s father protects him from public humiliation and burdens his conscience until he openly confesses. Even though Chillingworth had no part in Hester and Dimmesdale’s sin, Chillingworth feels a desire for revenge. This is not a Christian virtue, and it gradually destroys him (Luke 23.41). At the same time, Dimmesdale is freed from his guilt by a sincere confession before an audience and the praise of God, while Hester “will redeem herself for the rest of her life” (Hawthorne 44). Accordingly, they choose Christian methods to save their souls, while Chillingworth, on the contrary, only piles on the hatred.

The Consequences of Heroes’ Decisions

After Dimmesdale’s death, Chillingworth, who had lost the meaning of life, immediately becomes weak. Not a year later, he dies, and he bequeaths his entire vast fortune to little Pearl. After his death, Hester and her daughter Pearl disappear, and many years later, Hester returns and voluntarily wears the emblem of the sight again. A woman can live and atone for her guilt because “she had not known the weight, until she felt the freedom” (Hawthorne 250). Pearl is happily married but constantly remembers her mother, writing to her and sending her gifts (Hawthorne 321). Hester wants to live where she is a sinner to atone for her sin.

Therefore, sins cannot be hidden from God; the only method of forgiveness is to repent sincerely. However, concealing sin leads to a torment of conscience, which later results in a confession of guilt, but there may no longer be time for atonement. It is significant to note that the worst feeling in the novel is hatred and revenge, which only escalates and cannot be dispensed with without sincere forgiveness of the actions of others.

Works Cited

Gao, Haihong. “An Analysis of Symbolic Images in The Scarlet Letter.” Theory and Practice in Language Studies, vol. 8, no. 1, 2018, pp. 1725-1731.

Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Scarlet Letter: 1850 . Infomotions, Incorporated, 1850.

The Bible . Authorized King James Version, Cambridge UP, 2004.

• Chicago (A-D)
• Chicago (N-B)

IvyPanda. (2023, December 19). A Study of Guilt and Repentance in "The Scarlet Letter" by Hawthorne. https://ivypanda.com/essays/a-study-of-guilt-and-repentance-in-scarlet-letter-by-hawthorne/

"A Study of Guilt and Repentance in "The Scarlet Letter" by Hawthorne." IvyPanda , 19 Dec. 2023, ivypanda.com/essays/a-study-of-guilt-and-repentance-in-scarlet-letter-by-hawthorne/.

IvyPanda . (2023) 'A Study of Guilt and Repentance in "The Scarlet Letter" by Hawthorne'. 19 December.

IvyPanda . 2023. "A Study of Guilt and Repentance in "The Scarlet Letter" by Hawthorne." December 19, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/a-study-of-guilt-and-repentance-in-scarlet-letter-by-hawthorne/.

1. IvyPanda . "A Study of Guilt and Repentance in "The Scarlet Letter" by Hawthorne." December 19, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/a-study-of-guilt-and-repentance-in-scarlet-letter-by-hawthorne/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . "A Study of Guilt and Repentance in "The Scarlet Letter" by Hawthorne." December 19, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/a-study-of-guilt-and-repentance-in-scarlet-letter-by-hawthorne/.

• Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter: Resilience and Redemption
• Critical Analysis of The Scarlet Letter
• Revenge & Shame in Hawthorne's "The Scarlet Letter"
• Book Report on The Scarlet Letter
• Rev. Arthur Dimmesdale in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “The Scarlet Letter”
• US History in The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
• Nathaniel Hawthorne's "The Scarlet Letter" Novel
• Literature Aspects in “The Scarlet Letter” by Nathaniel Hawthorne
• The Scarlet Letter by Hawthorne
• The Scarlet Letter
• O. Henry’s “The Gift of the Magi” and Poe’s “The Tell-Tale Heart”
• Aspects of Tim O’Brien’s “Good Form”
• “The Birthmark” and “The Story of an Hour”: Theme, Tone, and Point of View
• Postmodernism in the "Yours" Short Story
• "Grapes of Wrath" by John Steinbeck: A Literary Analysis