The 1995 film version of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter completely strays from the plot of the book. It changes the ending of the novel to have the main characters, Hester and Dimmesdale, run off together to the Carolinas after casting off the scarlet letter that brands them. Although entertaining, this ending destroys what Hawthorne tries to convey about the relationship of Hester and Dimmesdale; the, ultimately, it cannot last due to Dimmesdale’s role in the church and the scarlet letter itself. Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale cannot leave the society that has confined and supported him. His life within the Puritan church is like a suit of armor. In order to survive, he needs “to feel the pressure of a faith about him, supporting,
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While the suit of armor holds Dimmesdale up, it shows Hester how “the scarlet letter [is] represented in exaggerated and gigantic proportions, so as to be greatly the most prominent feature of her appearance” (98). It shows how, even early on, the scarlet letter becomes a significant part of her identity. In addition, it also reveals how she is not part of Dimmesdale’s life by portraying her on the outside of the suit of armor, not inside of it with him. With her new role as a mother and caretaker, she cannot simply separate herself from the scarlet letter because Pearl is “the scarlet letter in another form” (95). If she casts off the letter, she not only loses a part of herself, but she also loses her daughter. However, the scarlet letter is not just a mark of disgrace, it begins to take on a new meaning as Hester accepts it as part of her life. The people of the town looked at it over time with a “kind of sacredness,” going so far as to refuse “to interpret the scarlet A by its original significance” but to say that the A stood for the word “able” (149-150). Consequently, if she discards the scarlet A in the conclusion by running away, she loses the power and respect she gains from it. In the novel, she casts it away where it lands on the “verge of the stream,” showing how she cannot completely get rid of this stigma that is part of her identity, but in the movie, she carelessly throws it away after escaping (189). Although, on the surface, the movie ending seems like the better option, Hester loses all the power and reverence she receives whilst wearing the scarlet
While the suit of armor holds Dimmesdale up, it shows Hester how “the scarlet letter [is] represented in exaggerated and gigantic proportions, so as to be greatly the most prominent feature of her appearance” (98). It shows how, even early on, the scarlet letter becomes a significant part of her identity. In addition, it also reveals how she is not part of Dimmesdale’s life by portraying her on the outside of the suit of armor, not inside of it with him. With her new role as a mother and caretaker, she cannot simply separate herself from the scarlet letter because Pearl is “the scarlet letter in another form” (95). If she casts off the letter, she not only loses a part of herself, but she also loses her daughter. However, the scarlet letter is not just a mark of disgrace, it begins to take on a new meaning as Hester accepts it as part of her life. The people of the town looked at it over time with a “kind of sacredness,” going so far as to refuse “to interpret the scarlet A by its original significance” but to say that the A stood for the word “able” (149-150). Consequently, if she discards the scarlet A in the conclusion by running away, she loses the power and respect she gains from it. In the novel, she casts it away where it lands on the “verge of the stream,” showing how she cannot completely get rid of this stigma that is part of her identity, but in the movie, she carelessly throws it away after escaping (189). Although, on the surface, the movie ending seems like the better option, Hester loses all the power and reverence she receives whilst wearing the scarlet