Hugh N. Maclean argues that the structure of The Scarlet Letter is purely based on three stories centralized around specific characters. All these stories are “unified by the central theme of God’s saving power and man’s futility.” Maclean suggests that the main plotlines in Hawthorne’s novel are those of Dimmesdale, Chillingworth and Pearl. His idea is that Dimmesdale and Hester get pressured by Chillingworth, and ultimately the results affect Pearl. The interconnections between these key characters drive the plot forwards, but some characters do not directly affect the fate of the others, instead “the manner in which the lives of these four figures turn on each other demonstrates the nature of the divine plan.” The divine plan is God’s will
