Essay On Sin And Wrongdoing In Society In The Scarlet Letter '

Nathaniel Hawthorne distinctly and clearly addresses the societal judgment of sin and wrongdoing in society in his novel, The Scarlet Letter. Hawthorne’s statement about natural human instincts and attitudes towards those who have done wrong is that people tend to outcast those who are seemed as sinners despite them likely being a sinner themselves. Hawthorne reflects such a statement through the characterization and narratives revolving specifically around Hester and Dimmesdale. Hawthorne intentionally brought out the significance out of Hester’s status in what would be referred to as the first scaffold scene. Hawthorne deliberately chose to represent Hester’s condition as one with unexpected beauty despite the situation being a representation of Hester’s sin. However, Hawthorne also made sure that such unique properties were not to be …show more content…
Hawthorne’s representation and inclusion of Mistress Hibbins further reinforces such ideas as Mistress Hibbins is not only relatively open to her status as a witch but is the confirmed sister of the governor. Such corruption in the house of the government is just one representation that Hawthorne uses to illustrate the idea that sin lives in every person and does not discriminate, but it is the sinners who do so amongst themselves. Concluding his novel, Hawthorne quite literally states his message for the novel directly in the text whilst he discusses Dimmesdale’s death. However, more often than not, Hawthorne likewise portrays his message in the discrete differences contrasting between Hester and Dimmesdale throughout the novel. Hester and Dimmesdale take two unique approaches to the sins and wrongdoings they have shared in