The element of secret sins is a recurring component found in many of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s works, such as Young Goodman Brown and The Minister’s Black Veil. No where else, however, does it have as prominent of a role as it does in The Scarlet Letter, taking many different forms amongst many different characters. The Scarlet Letter showcases the unstable relationship between the adulteress Hester Prynne, her husband Roger Chillingworth, and her accomplice in sin, Minister Dimmesdale. In this fascinating tale woven with secret sins and hypocrisy, Hawthorne addresses the varying degrees of sin of the three major characters and discusses the Puritan’s perspective of sin as well as his own.
While sin is a prevalent theme across the entirety of The …show more content…
This redemption is seen in how Hester changes in the midst of her sin while everyone else in the story remains stagnant despite their sins. As punishment for her adultery, Hester is publicly shamed at the scaffolds and henceforth denounced in every aspect of her life by her fellow Puritans. Despite this oppression, Hester grows as a Puritan citizen and even begins to gain a degree of respect by the other citizens. “They said it meant Able; so strong was Hester Prynne, with a woman’s strength” (Hawthorne, 539). Sadly, no one else in the story reaps the benefits of the redemption of sin, most of them becoming worse as through the duration of the story. Chillingworth devotes his entire existence to destroying Dimmesdale to the point of revenge being his sole purpose for living. Though Dimmesdale becomes a much better preacher, he does so at the cost of deteriorating into an ailing, beaten, and broken man due to the guilt he faces for his sins. Even the Puritan society fails to realize that good can come from sin because of the people’s blindness from their …show more content…
As is the case in many of his other works, the concept of secret sin is a major theme in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter. Not only does Hawthorne give three varying degrees of sin – committing adultery, the seeking of revenge, and the hiding of sin – but also he shows a more impactful sin of hypocrisy in the Puritan culture. Though much of his writings take place in the Puritan age and addresses the Puritan community, the aspects of hypocrisy and secret sin are just as significant then as they are now. In today’s day and age, it is so easy for a Christian to become hypocritical in his or her judgment of somebody else, all the while forgetting the single fact Hawthorne worked so desperately to get across: that sin is in everyone and keeping it a secret rather than exposing it prevents learning and
While sin is a prevalent theme across the entirety of The …show more content…
This redemption is seen in how Hester changes in the midst of her sin while everyone else in the story remains stagnant despite their sins. As punishment for her adultery, Hester is publicly shamed at the scaffolds and henceforth denounced in every aspect of her life by her fellow Puritans. Despite this oppression, Hester grows as a Puritan citizen and even begins to gain a degree of respect by the other citizens. “They said it meant Able; so strong was Hester Prynne, with a woman’s strength” (Hawthorne, 539). Sadly, no one else in the story reaps the benefits of the redemption of sin, most of them becoming worse as through the duration of the story. Chillingworth devotes his entire existence to destroying Dimmesdale to the point of revenge being his sole purpose for living. Though Dimmesdale becomes a much better preacher, he does so at the cost of deteriorating into an ailing, beaten, and broken man due to the guilt he faces for his sins. Even the Puritan society fails to realize that good can come from sin because of the people’s blindness from their …show more content…
As is the case in many of his other works, the concept of secret sin is a major theme in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter. Not only does Hawthorne give three varying degrees of sin – committing adultery, the seeking of revenge, and the hiding of sin – but also he shows a more impactful sin of hypocrisy in the Puritan culture. Though much of his writings take place in the Puritan age and addresses the Puritan community, the aspects of hypocrisy and secret sin are just as significant then as they are now. In today’s day and age, it is so easy for a Christian to become hypocritical in his or her judgment of somebody else, all the while forgetting the single fact Hawthorne worked so desperately to get across: that sin is in everyone and keeping it a secret rather than exposing it prevents learning and