Scarlet Letter essay

A detailed Summary of Scarlet Letter essay

Purity and evil is the duality that exists within human nature, but who is to judge the degrees of good and bad that are present within human actions? In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, the author, a rebellious Puritan, sets before the reader the consequences of sin, which later develop into a tragic love story. Hester, an adulterer, matures into what the town's people interpret as "Able" or "Angel". Dimmesdale, a highly respected minister, revealed to be the partner of Hester's adultery, is torn by his inner conflict of righteousness and humiliation. The elfish child, Pearl, a product of love and sin, is utilized as a symbol of truth that is inaccessible by man. These characters represent the perfection and the faults within human characteristics. As the story continues, Hawthorne's perspective on the Puritan society and the nature of man unfolds. The ambiguity of good and evil embodied within each character strongly reflects Hawthorne's philosophy of human nature and the iniquity of the Puritan society.

The ability that the scarlet letter bestows upon Hester is a reflection of Hawthorne's valuation of Puritanism, but the society's judgment upon Hester's sin is a representation of the corr

Arthur Dimmesdale's act of sin and his position as a highly respected minister reflect upon the hypocritical society of Puritans. A strong conscience exists within Dimmesdale, but his internal conflict between his weakness and his strive to reveal the truth result in the suffering within the heart and soul. The role of Dimmesdale as a minister is utilized by Hawthorne to show the evil and sin that is conducted by all man, even the minister, untouchable by the "black man". The weakness of Dimmesdale is shown through his inability to reveal the truth. The minister travels through the darkness of the night, to the scaffold where Hester and Pearl had stood seven years ago. Dimmesdale encounters Hester and Pearl and he invites them to join him. As the family unites on the scaffold, Pearl asks Dimmesdale if he would join her mother and her again tomorrow. Dimmesdale rejects with the fear of confessing to the public. Dimmesdale then the narrator states, "Nay; not so, my little Pearl," answered the minister; for, with the new energy...he now found himself." (Dimmesdale/Narrator P. 149-150). The weakness of Dimmesdale symbolizes a weakness within the church. The minister, whom the town places their faith on, is unable to confess his sins to be saved by the holiness of confession. The weak character that Hawthorne creates is the complete opposite to the characteristics of the strong and independent Hester. Hester, redeemed from her sin, is stronger and more able then Dimmesdale; yet Dimmesdale, the minister, whom the town respects and looks so highly upon, is the weak and the cowardliness hypocrite. The town's view of Minister Dimmesdale is Hawthorne's devise to show the Puritan's reluctance to understand truth. The society's faith upon a hypocritical minister represents their poor judgment. The next day, after Dimmesdale's secret confession with Hester and Pearl on the scaffold, he encounters the sexton who claims that he had found Dimmesdale's glove on the scaffold. The sexton immediately assumes that the devil was playing tricks and it did not cross his mind that the minister could have been at the scaffold last night. The sexton and the narrator states, ""It was found," said the sexton, "this morning, on the scaffold...and since Satan saw fit to steal it...grimly smiling." (Sexton/Narrator P.154-155). The public is blind from truth and believe only what they wish to believe. Hawthorne includes the reaction of society to show the distortion of truth through Puritan eyes. In part, Dimmesdale's reluctance to reveal the truth is due to the expectation of the town. He does not want to destroy the faith, which the town bestows upon him. The judgmental views of Puritans are clearly portrayed through their views of Dimmesdale as well as Hester and Pearl. The evilness of human nature can be revealed through Dimmesdale. His ambiguous character allows the author to incorporate good and evil within his actions and his perceptive towards himself and others. As the minister departed from his meeting in the woods with Hester and Pearl, he is overcome with dark thoughts. The narrator states, "At every step he was incited to do some strange, wild, wicked thing or other...opposed the impulse." (Narrator P. 213) - "The wretch minister! He had made a bargain...he knew was deadly sin." (Narrator P. 218). Hawthorne utilizes the sudden sprung of evil and wickedness to symbolize the darkness within man. Because Dimmesdale is a minister, these wick

Some common words found in the essay are:
Hawthorne Hester's, Hester Pearl, Dimmesdale Dimmesdale, Angel Dimmesdale, Pearl Hester, Pearl Pearl, Despair Solitude, Dimmesdale Hawthorne, Arthur Dimmesdale's, Pearl Hawthorne, human nature, puritan society, scarlet letter, hester pearl, reveal truth, hester dimmesdale, dimmesdale minister, narrator describes, human nature pearl, hawthorne's philosophy, philosophy human, philosophy human nature, human nature hawthorne, highly respected minister, scarlet letter exclusion,

Approximate Word count = 2321
Approximate Pages = 9 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English