In The Scarlet Letter we see how private turmoil is worse than public shame. Throughout the book we are shown the struggle of Hester as she deals with the consequences of her actions after she commits adultery and bears a child from the affair. She is forced to wear a scarlet letter “A” on her chest to symbol adultery and further outcast her from her community. She takes this punishment to heart and makes a extremely flashy letter “A” which she wears with no regret and for much longer than she is required too. This is shown when Hawthorne says, “In a moment, however, wisely judging that one token of her shame would but poorly serve to hide another, she took the baby on her arm, and, with a burning blush, looked around at her townspeople
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His psyche slowly deteriorates until he is no longer recognizable as the same person in the beginning of the novel. He tears himself apart because of the hypocrisy of the situation he is in. supposedly, he is leading this pure life as a man of god, but in reality he committed one of the worst sins he could. Because he is unable to disclose this fact to the public he hides it and slowly lets it eat him alive. It is discovered that he has a deformation on his chest in the shape of an A. He is so unhappy he even tells Hester that he envies her. “Happy are you, Hester, that wear the scarlet letter openly upon your bosom! Mine burns in secret! Thou little knowest what a relief it is, after the torment of a seven years' cheat, to look into an eye that recognizes me for what I am!” He is saying that his private turmoil is worse than Hester’s public shame. Hester replies to this, “Poor, miserable man! what right had infirmity like his to burden itself with crime? Crime is for the iron-nerved, who have their choice either to endure it, or, if it press too hard, to exert their fierce and savage strength for a good purpose, and fling it off at once”. She is saying that he should not feel bad for the crime. Because she has taken responsibility for it and has not let it ruined her life and he should not worry about
His psyche slowly deteriorates until he is no longer recognizable as the same person in the beginning of the novel. He tears himself apart because of the hypocrisy of the situation he is in. supposedly, he is leading this pure life as a man of god, but in reality he committed one of the worst sins he could. Because he is unable to disclose this fact to the public he hides it and slowly lets it eat him alive. It is discovered that he has a deformation on his chest in the shape of an A. He is so unhappy he even tells Hester that he envies her. “Happy are you, Hester, that wear the scarlet letter openly upon your bosom! Mine burns in secret! Thou little knowest what a relief it is, after the torment of a seven years' cheat, to look into an eye that recognizes me for what I am!” He is saying that his private turmoil is worse than Hester’s public shame. Hester replies to this, “Poor, miserable man! what right had infirmity like his to burden itself with crime? Crime is for the iron-nerved, who have their choice either to endure it, or, if it press too hard, to exert their fierce and savage strength for a good purpose, and fling it off at once”. She is saying that he should not feel bad for the crime. Because she has taken responsibility for it and has not let it ruined her life and he should not worry about