The Scarlet Letter: The Essay
In The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne focuses on how revenge takes control of a person and ultimately destroys his very being. Although published in 1850, the story of The Scarlet Letter takes place in the 1600s during the early colonial era in America. Hawthorne depicts a Puritan world where people were ‘religious’ yet hypocritical and conforming to society. Within this community, a seed of revenge has been planted by Roger Chillingworth and the seed will soon bud and bloom into the flower of vengeance to take its toll on the planter. Through the progression of Roger Chillingworth, Hawthorne explores the way in which the spirit of revenge can corrupt the mind, transform the identity, and consume the soul …show more content…
As the story draws to a close, Chillingworth “withered up and shrivelled away.(177)” Hawthorne’s diction shows the final cost of revenge is death. “Wither” has the connotation of a flower falling into decay while “shrivel” suggests the loss of momentum and will. Both words suggest that Chillingworth has decayed because of the parasitic nature of the spirit of revenge. “Wither” also has another connotation of a person slowly dying because of disease. In Chillingworth’s case, the fatal disease is his embracement of the spirit of revenge. However, after Chillingworth died, he “bequeathed a very considerable amount of property...to little Pearl.(178)” Hawthorne’s symbolism reveals that Chillingworth has also changed just before his death. Giving properties to someone in a will suggests that the receiver is important to the giver. By giving his property to Pearl, Chillingworth not only acknowledges Pearl but also repents for his sin of depriving her of her father, Dimmesdale. This shows that Chillingworth has realized his sin and attempts to reconcile. Even though it seems far too late, Hawthorne suggests that it is never too late to confess. Hawthorne ends the story with a melancholy yet heartwarming picture of Chillingworth choosing to repent even after the spirit of revenge has consumed his own
In The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne focuses on how revenge takes control of a person and ultimately destroys his very being. Although published in 1850, the story of The Scarlet Letter takes place in the 1600s during the early colonial era in America. Hawthorne depicts a Puritan world where people were ‘religious’ yet hypocritical and conforming to society. Within this community, a seed of revenge has been planted by Roger Chillingworth and the seed will soon bud and bloom into the flower of vengeance to take its toll on the planter. Through the progression of Roger Chillingworth, Hawthorne explores the way in which the spirit of revenge can corrupt the mind, transform the identity, and consume the soul …show more content…
As the story draws to a close, Chillingworth “withered up and shrivelled away.(177)” Hawthorne’s diction shows the final cost of revenge is death. “Wither” has the connotation of a flower falling into decay while “shrivel” suggests the loss of momentum and will. Both words suggest that Chillingworth has decayed because of the parasitic nature of the spirit of revenge. “Wither” also has another connotation of a person slowly dying because of disease. In Chillingworth’s case, the fatal disease is his embracement of the spirit of revenge. However, after Chillingworth died, he “bequeathed a very considerable amount of property...to little Pearl.(178)” Hawthorne’s symbolism reveals that Chillingworth has also changed just before his death. Giving properties to someone in a will suggests that the receiver is important to the giver. By giving his property to Pearl, Chillingworth not only acknowledges Pearl but also repents for his sin of depriving her of her father, Dimmesdale. This shows that Chillingworth has realized his sin and attempts to reconcile. Even though it seems far too late, Hawthorne suggests that it is never too late to confess. Hawthorne ends the story with a melancholy yet heartwarming picture of Chillingworth choosing to repent even after the spirit of revenge has consumed his own