The characters in The Scarlet Letter all have different experiences dealing with sin, causing different outcomes. Hester Prynne starts off as a sinner, rejected by her community, who is accepted back into the society. Chillingworth, on the other hand, starts off as a respected member of the community, but eventually becomes described as the devil itself. Dimmesdale is the fellow perpetrator to Hester’s sin, but cannot repent due to his position in the Puritan society. In each of the cases, admission or denial of guilt and repentance lead to beneficial or harmful situations, respectively. Throughout the novel, The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne uses the characters, Chillingworth, Prynne, and Dimmesdale as parallels to demonstrate how guilt
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After the townspeople find out about the sin that Prynne commits, she does not shy away. Rather, she chooses to wear the scarlet letter, and work for the redemption of the people. She starts off making clothes, though people refused to buy wedding veils from her because this was “the ever relentless vigor with which society frowned upon her sin” (58). Still Prynne is left unfazed, and continues to make clothes, and help charity. All these acts of repentance and feelings of guilt start to better Hester Prynne’s mindset. These actions of atonement slowly change the perception society views her. Instead of seeing it as the sign of adultery, the Puritans see the letter pinned on her as standing for, “ Able; so strong was Hester Prynne” (106). After dealing with the shame and humiliation from the community, Hester Prynne grows as a person. This can also be seen when Pearl gives herself a replica of the scarlet letter as a sin for abusing nature. She dons the letter, but Prynne, unaware of what Pearl did, asks,” thee green letter, on thy childish bosom, has no purport. But dost thou know...what this letter means which thy mother is doomed to wear?” (116) Just the connotation alone is enough for one to see that the scarlet letter, the physical manifestation of Hester Prynne’s sin, eats away at Prynne. She has been doomed to wear the badge of shame. This conversation also allows readers to understand that there is a serious purpose for why Prynne is wearing the scarlet letter. Through this conversation, Prynne’s feelings about her sin is revealed. Overall, Prynne gets better and better over time by staying and atoning for her sin in the Puritan
After the townspeople find out about the sin that Prynne commits, she does not shy away. Rather, she chooses to wear the scarlet letter, and work for the redemption of the people. She starts off making clothes, though people refused to buy wedding veils from her because this was “the ever relentless vigor with which society frowned upon her sin” (58). Still Prynne is left unfazed, and continues to make clothes, and help charity. All these acts of repentance and feelings of guilt start to better Hester Prynne’s mindset. These actions of atonement slowly change the perception society views her. Instead of seeing it as the sign of adultery, the Puritans see the letter pinned on her as standing for, “ Able; so strong was Hester Prynne” (106). After dealing with the shame and humiliation from the community, Hester Prynne grows as a person. This can also be seen when Pearl gives herself a replica of the scarlet letter as a sin for abusing nature. She dons the letter, but Prynne, unaware of what Pearl did, asks,” thee green letter, on thy childish bosom, has no purport. But dost thou know...what this letter means which thy mother is doomed to wear?” (116) Just the connotation alone is enough for one to see that the scarlet letter, the physical manifestation of Hester Prynne’s sin, eats away at Prynne. She has been doomed to wear the badge of shame. This conversation also allows readers to understand that there is a serious purpose for why Prynne is wearing the scarlet letter. Through this conversation, Prynne’s feelings about her sin is revealed. Overall, Prynne gets better and better over time by staying and atoning for her sin in the Puritan