Betrayals of The Scarlet Letter
In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel, The Scarlet Letter, betrayal was a massive theme reoccuring within the main characters. The most obvious betrayal of all was Hester Prynne betraying her husband, Roger Chillingworth. Chillingworth, on the other hand, was a physician who had betrayed Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale. Although Arthur Dimmesdale was in fact a minister, he was not as innocent as he seemed. He, too, deceived not only Hester and Pearl, but himself as well by going against his calling as a minister. While each main character betrayed another in a different way, their response to the consequences reveals the motivation behind their deceit.
The first betrayal in the novel is committed by Hester Prynne. In The …show more content…
Throughout the book, he managed to betray Hester, Pearl, and the whole Puritan community. Not only did he betray all of the characters mentioned, but he also betrayed himself and his calling in the process. Dimmesdale betrayed Hester Prynne by not owning up to his actions and suffering the consequences. Hester almost lost her daughter, if Dimmesdale would not have convinced Mr. Wilson to let her keep Pearl. He betrayed Pearl because she grew up without a fatherly figure in her life. When she was asked who made her, she said that she was plucked off of a rose bush by her mother (Pg. 115). The whole Puritan community was betrayed by Dimmesdale by him not being honest and confessing his sin like a minister should. He said in the …show more content…
The main characters had become accustomed to betraying one another, and it was a recurring theme throughout the book. The characters all had different reasons behind their deceits, but in the end, everyone essentially got what they had deserved. Hester betrayed her husband for the sake of her own good and nature, Chillingworth betrayed Dimmesdale to seek revenge and betrayed Hester for selfish reasons, and Dimmesdale betrayed himself and the community because he thought it was the best thing to do. Hester, Dimmesdale, and Chillingworth all formed a circle of betrayal, causing different reactions to the situations, which gave The Scarlet Letter its
In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel, The Scarlet Letter, betrayal was a massive theme reoccuring within the main characters. The most obvious betrayal of all was Hester Prynne betraying her husband, Roger Chillingworth. Chillingworth, on the other hand, was a physician who had betrayed Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale. Although Arthur Dimmesdale was in fact a minister, he was not as innocent as he seemed. He, too, deceived not only Hester and Pearl, but himself as well by going against his calling as a minister. While each main character betrayed another in a different way, their response to the consequences reveals the motivation behind their deceit.
The first betrayal in the novel is committed by Hester Prynne. In The …show more content…
Throughout the book, he managed to betray Hester, Pearl, and the whole Puritan community. Not only did he betray all of the characters mentioned, but he also betrayed himself and his calling in the process. Dimmesdale betrayed Hester Prynne by not owning up to his actions and suffering the consequences. Hester almost lost her daughter, if Dimmesdale would not have convinced Mr. Wilson to let her keep Pearl. He betrayed Pearl because she grew up without a fatherly figure in her life. When she was asked who made her, she said that she was plucked off of a rose bush by her mother (Pg. 115). The whole Puritan community was betrayed by Dimmesdale by him not being honest and confessing his sin like a minister should. He said in the …show more content…
The main characters had become accustomed to betraying one another, and it was a recurring theme throughout the book. The characters all had different reasons behind their deceits, but in the end, everyone essentially got what they had deserved. Hester betrayed her husband for the sake of her own good and nature, Chillingworth betrayed Dimmesdale to seek revenge and betrayed Hester for selfish reasons, and Dimmesdale betrayed himself and the community because he thought it was the best thing to do. Hester, Dimmesdale, and Chillingworth all formed a circle of betrayal, causing different reactions to the situations, which gave The Scarlet Letter its