Scarlet Letter Individual Identity Analysis

The concept of one’s identity has been analyzed through various fields of study and in relation to many works of art throughout time. How an individual sees the world and themselves is generally based upon particular influences that have created the individual identity. Much of this identity is credited to the influences of the environment which include culture, religion, political, familial, and legal characteristics of the time period. There are also arguments that give biology a large portion of the credit for one’s identity. However, for the purpose of this paper and analysis, this author will focus on the external influences that determine how one forms an individual identity within the world. Nathaniel Hawthorne used religious, political, and cultural influences to develop the conformations and characterizations of the various …show more content…
According to Hunt (2009), the theocratic notions prevent the separation of the self from the faith. This prevented Dimmesdale from allowing his moral and intellectual self from his minister duties within the Puritan faith (pg. 31). This prevented Dimmesdale from the basic duty of stepping up as a father. He was unable to admit his sexual account with Hester as this would undo the pursuit of perfection that is essential within the Puritan faith. This created a conflict in Dimmesdale as a minister of the faith who was unable to live his own life consistent with the Puritan faith. In order to remain within the culture, until the time just before his death, Dimmesdale conformed to the Puritan life and kept his secret which define how he viewed himself. At the end of the novel, when Dimmesdale admitted his sin and accepted his fate, he was then able to identify himself as someone that he could personally live with, just before he