Psychological Analysis Of Scarlet Letter

At first glance, The Scarlet Letter is a story of sin, guilt, love, and revenge set in a strict Puritan community shortly after the Salem witch trials. However, the story is more than it appears to be. Beneath its sinful cover, it uses psychological elements to portray a deeper understanding and meaning. Nina Baym’s article, The Scarlet Letter in the Scarlet Letter, examines the importance of the scarlet letter in the story and how it rejects Puritan laws and beliefs. Baym’s article explains why the scarlet letter is the main character, how the letter goes beyond meaning, and how the letter ultimately changes people’s thoughts. While some may claim that the role of the main character goes to either Hester or Arthur, upon further examination …show more content…
However, because Hester wears the letter and shows people that their sins do not keep them from being admirable, the members of the community are more open and accepting at the end. As the letter changes its meaning, the connotation of the new meaning becomes more amiable. This change shows the progression of the community slowly moving towards being accepting as they grow more comfortable with Hester’s sins. When examining the effects the letter has on the community, Baym explains, “At the end of the story the community is different from what it was at the beginning, and this difference is symbolized by the emergence of a new reading of the letter,” (91). The letter has magnified Hester’s favorable deeds and selflessness to show the community—and the whole world—that they need to be less judgmental and harsh and more forgiving and kind. If the letter doesn’t exist, Hester wouldn’t be able to do this because the letter is what makes people pay attention to her and her kind actions that have not suffered at the hand of her sin. The community looks at the scarlet letter as a symbol of change, not Hester, because of the power that the letter has created for her. When Hester returns to Boston from the Old World, Hawthorne states, “The scarlet letter ceased to be a stigma which attracted the world’s scorn and bitterness, and became a type of …show more content…
Even though The Scarlet Letter may look like a story of sin and guilt at first glance, it has a deeper meaning than that. It is a story about change and growth at the individual and communal level. The letter is more than a way to create a divide; it’s a way for people to understand that their sins—while they cannot pretend like they do not exist—do not define who they are or what they are capable of doing. The main character of the story is supposed to have a lasting effect, and the scarlet letter definitely makes a difference and leaves many imprints on the minds of everyone who has heard of