Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter is a novel telling the story of two individuals, in a Puritan community, who have has an affair resulting in the woman having a baby as evidence. Due to the child, the woman (Hester Prynne) is quickly discovered, but the man’s identity (Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale) isn’t revealed immediately. Hester, as punishment, must wear a token of shame on her garments and must deal with the embarrassment of her actions. While Arthur is not publicly shamed in the manner that Hester was, he must deal with the internal shame and guilt for over seven years, one that burdens him more than Hester’s public humiliation.
From this novel, readers learn that hiding one’s guilt is not a method to avoid consequence, but only
From this novel, readers learn that hiding one’s guilt is not a method to avoid consequence, but only