In the 1600s the strange, but strict, puritan society was at its peak. The religion itself drove people mad: making them believe in the “black man”, creating witch trials, and so forth. Somehow through all the darkness and immorality, Hawthorne combines his Romanticism Era with the puritan culture. His twisted truth on the Scarlet Letter motivates each character to make decisions based on lust, religion, or revenge. Almost all the choices lead to grief and a non sympathetic view towards others. Experiencing this misery gives a slight taste of empathy, but a person never knows how another person honestly feels. Empathy can not truly be gained even if a person encounters a deep grief in their life. This “theory” is even elaborated within a
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Hawthorne says that"...there came a glare of red light out of his eyes; as if the old man's soul were on fire, and kept on smoldering duskily within his breast, until, by some casual puff of passion, it was blown into a momentary flame...Chillingworth was a striking evidence of man's faculty of transforming himself into a devil, if he will only, for a reasonable space of time, undertake a devil's office"(226). Throughout the novel Reverend Dimmesdale becomes weak, but in some sick way Chillingworth feeds off of Arthur's guilt. Roger "violate[s] the sanctity of the human heart"(105) when he continues to seek vengeance. Although when viewed as a puritan cityfolk, Chillingworth seems like an innocent physician helping out the defenceless Dimmesdale; but when given a second glance Roger is “... a leech sucking the life from his patient” (111). Towards the end Hester begs Chillingworth to leave Arthur alone, but even to his wife he doesn’t show a simple sign of sympathy. Some would say because Chillingworth was betrayed by his wife and chose to live a life of isolation that he can be empathetic towards others; but Hawthorne tends to think
Hawthorne says that"...there came a glare of red light out of his eyes; as if the old man's soul were on fire, and kept on smoldering duskily within his breast, until, by some casual puff of passion, it was blown into a momentary flame...Chillingworth was a striking evidence of man's faculty of transforming himself into a devil, if he will only, for a reasonable space of time, undertake a devil's office"(226). Throughout the novel Reverend Dimmesdale becomes weak, but in some sick way Chillingworth feeds off of Arthur's guilt. Roger "violate[s] the sanctity of the human heart"(105) when he continues to seek vengeance. Although when viewed as a puritan cityfolk, Chillingworth seems like an innocent physician helping out the defenceless Dimmesdale; but when given a second glance Roger is “... a leech sucking the life from his patient” (111). Towards the end Hester begs Chillingworth to leave Arthur alone, but even to his wife he doesn’t show a simple sign of sympathy. Some would say because Chillingworth was betrayed by his wife and chose to live a life of isolation that he can be empathetic towards others; but Hawthorne tends to think