The Scarlet Letter, written by Nathaniel Hawthorne in 1850 takes a different view than most authors of the time who were excited with the present and looking toward the future; Hawthorne’s novel looks back to colonial Massachusetts where the dominating religious culture are puritans. It was well written and received many different views when it was written than it does now, and though Victorian and modern American views differ the basic underlying principles are remain evident. While many people end up squabbling about deeper meanings, the point of guilt and how it is dealt with differently stays the same; although it may seem that it’s the tangible punishment of man that redeems Hester and damns Dimmesdale, instead good and evil play a part, even if some transcendentalist views are evident.
When it’s first discovered that Hester is an adulterer and she won’t reveal with whom, many of the radical Puritans suggest that she be tortured until she reveal her paramour. This probably would have made things a little easier, especially for Dimmesdale, to break Hester’s spirit fast just seems a wholly efficient and human way to do things, but instead, she is given a red letter “A” on her breast that represents adultery. She is treated with much disrespect but just takes it; she feels that she has sinned and needs to repent. She wears the “A” for seven years even though the colonists probably wouldn’t have given her too much trouble if she took it off, they begin to respect her tenacity instead of mocking it.
“It lies not in the pleasure of the magistrates to take of this badge.” Calmly replied Hester. “Were I worthy to be quit of it, it would fall away of its own nature, or be transformed into something that should speak a different purport.”
The different characters act as acolytes of one of the different powers of good or evil. When Hester gets sick of wearing the letter and just wants to run away, Pearl makes her put it back on, Pearl represents a sort of “messenger” from God to make Hester never forget what she did, and to constantly repent.
But it was a remarkable attribute of this garb, and, indeed, of the child’s whole appearance, that it irresistibly and inevitably reminded the beholder of the token which Hester Prynne was doomed to wear upon her bosom. It was the scarlet letter in another form; the scarlet letter endowed with life! The mother herself—as if the red ignominy were so deeply scorched into her brain, that all the conceptions assumed its form—had carefully wrought out the similitude; lavishing many hours of morbid ingenuity, to create an analogy between the object of her affection, and the emblem of her guilt and torture. But, in truth, Pearl was the one, as well as the other; and only in consequence of that identity that Hester contrived so perfectly to represent the scarlet letter in her appearance.
Where as Dimmesdale has a similar relationship with Chillingworth, it’s foundation is hate, whereas
Pearl and Hester’s is revolved around love. If
Chillingworth wasn’t around
Dimmesdale probably would have moved on and been able to put his sin aside, or at least to no let it rip him apart, it’s much harder to feel guilty when there is no blame. However Chillingworth represents an acolyte of Satan, or even God. Perhaps since Dimmesdale never has the strength to admit to anyone, hardly even him self that he’s not perfect, instead of getting a caring reminder he instead gets Chillingworth who hates him. In the end, Dimmesdale confesses, and although we can’t be certain if it was enough to save him from damnation, at least he admitted it to himself. Hester has dealt with her sin since the beginning, and had to deal with raising a child when nobody respects her, Hester’s repentance was open and she died with dignity and respect, Dimmesdale let it burn inside of him, and even though he tried to punish himself, he was never brave enough to admit it until the very end and so he died weak, with no sympathy.
Considering all these points has been a bit of a revelation, it took considering both points to realize that really both types of penitence are necessary, to accept your sin, and to accept your punishment perhaps leads to the true path of redemption.
This node is part of the node your homework project, it was done in a few minutes and doesn't neccessarily reflect my views or beliefs.