In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s exquisite book The Scarlet Letter one question surrounds the novel. Is exposed sin better than hidden sin or worse? Written in 1850 Hawthorne answers this question in The Scarlet Letter. Hester Prynne’s sin is exposed in the opening of the novel while characters like Arthur Dimmesdale and Roger Chillingworth have concealed their sin. Through the development of the characters Hester Prynne, Arthur Dimmesdale, and Roger Chillingworth and the events transpire in each of their lives, Nathaniel Hawthorne expresses that concealed sin has negative repercussions while exposed sin is superior at improving the mental and physical state of a sin stricken individual. Hester Prynne’s sin is exposed ever since the opening of the
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Hawthorne conveyed the message of concealed sin early on in The Scarlet Letter through the dialogue of Arthur Dimmesdale speaking to Hester Prynne upon the scaffold. “Be not silent from any mistaken pity and tenderness for him; for, believe me, Hester, though he were to step down from a high place, and stand there beside thee, on thy pedestal of shame, yet better were it so, than to hide a guilty heart through life."(Hawthorne 43). While Dimmesdale copes with his sin silently within himself, he urges Hester to reveal that he is the father of Pearl, for it will be better for him to live the life of exposed shame instead of the life with rotten guilt brewing inside of his soul. Furthermore, as Hester refuses to reveal who the father or Pearl is, time passes and Dimmesdale reaches extreme methods of paying penance for his actions. Gradually, Dimmesdale’s health and sanity slips him and inside the dwelling of Mr.Dimmesdale inside a “secret closet, under lock and key, there was a bloody scourge”(Hawthorne 99) used to whip his back as penance for his sin. Whilst Hester endures ridicule, Dimmesdale is lashing his back with a scourge among other methods of atonement. With all the torture Dimmesdale is experiencing, he feels his death is on the horizon. Chillingworth’s unrelenting force of guilt beading down his back …show more content…
He says that exposed sin will help the sinner cope and make amends with oneself over time. Whilst concealed sinners deal with guilt and will never be able to pay their penance and accept themselves as Arthur Dimmesdale had done until he exposed his sin. Hawthorne writes“Be true! Be true! Be true! Show freely to the world, if not your worst, yet some trait whereby the worst may be inferred”(Hawthorne 177) in his final chapter telling the reader to be true to everyone and expose your real self and not hide what is really going
Hawthorne conveyed the message of concealed sin early on in The Scarlet Letter through the dialogue of Arthur Dimmesdale speaking to Hester Prynne upon the scaffold. “Be not silent from any mistaken pity and tenderness for him; for, believe me, Hester, though he were to step down from a high place, and stand there beside thee, on thy pedestal of shame, yet better were it so, than to hide a guilty heart through life."(Hawthorne 43). While Dimmesdale copes with his sin silently within himself, he urges Hester to reveal that he is the father of Pearl, for it will be better for him to live the life of exposed shame instead of the life with rotten guilt brewing inside of his soul. Furthermore, as Hester refuses to reveal who the father or Pearl is, time passes and Dimmesdale reaches extreme methods of paying penance for his actions. Gradually, Dimmesdale’s health and sanity slips him and inside the dwelling of Mr.Dimmesdale inside a “secret closet, under lock and key, there was a bloody scourge”(Hawthorne 99) used to whip his back as penance for his sin. Whilst Hester endures ridicule, Dimmesdale is lashing his back with a scourge among other methods of atonement. With all the torture Dimmesdale is experiencing, he feels his death is on the horizon. Chillingworth’s unrelenting force of guilt beading down his back …show more content…
He says that exposed sin will help the sinner cope and make amends with oneself over time. Whilst concealed sinners deal with guilt and will never be able to pay their penance and accept themselves as Arthur Dimmesdale had done until he exposed his sin. Hawthorne writes“Be true! Be true! Be true! Show freely to the world, if not your worst, yet some trait whereby the worst may be inferred”(Hawthorne 177) in his final chapter telling the reader to be true to everyone and expose your real self and not hide what is really going