Sin and Guilt
Sin can do terrible things to the people in this world. It can destroy lives, destroy relationships, and even destroy a person themselves. In The Scarlet Letter, sin takes center stage for most of the course of this book. Hester is punished for the sin she committed. Dimmesdale goes as far as torturing himself because of his sin. Pearl represents the embodiment of sin in this world. So where should we start? How about with the case of Hester’s mystery lover. Dimmesdale is a pastor, and as a pastor he knows that he needs to be an epitome to the people of his town. People look up to him as a very righteous man. As this “Righteous man”, he believes that he should be perfect, but we all know no one is perfect. In the book the narrator …show more content…
At the time most people only wore black, gray, white, or tan. Since the “A” was so prominent, almost everyone knew what it represented. Hester eventually learned to deal with this burden by becoming a seamstress and entering a field of needle work. Doing needlework helped her to forget about the troubles in her life much in the way a good book or movie can make a person forget about the trials and tribulations of life. It almost works until she enters the governor’s mansion. Inside the mansion there are many things that stir up the guilt inside of her. When she enters, Pearl points out a very shiny suit of armor. When Hester sees the letter on her bosom in the reflection she is immediately reminded of her sin. The way this suit of armor stretched out the “A” on her chest really stirred her emotions. She hurried away from the scene only to find Dimmesdale chatting with the governor, which agitates her even more until she eventually snaps. While the men were trying to take away her child, the only thing that provides her true comfort, she shouts at all of them, but specifically at Dimmesdale, she wants him to stand up for her in the argument. Finally when Dimmesdale provides a valid argument for Hester, her guilt and sin are …show more content…
She was born from sinful acts between a man and a woman, and this shows throughout the book. When the child has been living with Hester for a while the book shows that she is very rich in complexion much like her mother. Sin as well is very pleasing and enticing to everyone. When she and her mother are talking Hester says “Thy Heavenly Father sent thee!” she responds back with “He did not send me; I have no heavenly father.” (93). She also exhibits many of the common sins we commit to this day. She breaks out in fits of rage. Whenever the local children were harassing her and Hester she chased them off angrily. She follows Hester around wherever she goes; representing the eternal guilt that now follows Hester everywhere she goes. What is especially confusing is why Pearl gets so angry when Hester took off her Scarlet Letter. Since Pearl represents Hester’s sin she cannot allow Hester to feel free from this punishment, even for a second. Pearl is also found in a few peculiar spots. In a graveyard she skipped irreverently from grave to grave. Since sin delights in death physically and spiritually she is very happy at the sight of this graveyard. She is also found on the beach very weirdly pretending to be a mermaid. A beach is usually classified as a relaxing place to escape life. What this scene shows is that sin is now a part of Hester’s life. Even showing itself in the safest places like a
Sin can do terrible things to the people in this world. It can destroy lives, destroy relationships, and even destroy a person themselves. In The Scarlet Letter, sin takes center stage for most of the course of this book. Hester is punished for the sin she committed. Dimmesdale goes as far as torturing himself because of his sin. Pearl represents the embodiment of sin in this world. So where should we start? How about with the case of Hester’s mystery lover. Dimmesdale is a pastor, and as a pastor he knows that he needs to be an epitome to the people of his town. People look up to him as a very righteous man. As this “Righteous man”, he believes that he should be perfect, but we all know no one is perfect. In the book the narrator …show more content…
At the time most people only wore black, gray, white, or tan. Since the “A” was so prominent, almost everyone knew what it represented. Hester eventually learned to deal with this burden by becoming a seamstress and entering a field of needle work. Doing needlework helped her to forget about the troubles in her life much in the way a good book or movie can make a person forget about the trials and tribulations of life. It almost works until she enters the governor’s mansion. Inside the mansion there are many things that stir up the guilt inside of her. When she enters, Pearl points out a very shiny suit of armor. When Hester sees the letter on her bosom in the reflection she is immediately reminded of her sin. The way this suit of armor stretched out the “A” on her chest really stirred her emotions. She hurried away from the scene only to find Dimmesdale chatting with the governor, which agitates her even more until she eventually snaps. While the men were trying to take away her child, the only thing that provides her true comfort, she shouts at all of them, but specifically at Dimmesdale, she wants him to stand up for her in the argument. Finally when Dimmesdale provides a valid argument for Hester, her guilt and sin are …show more content…
She was born from sinful acts between a man and a woman, and this shows throughout the book. When the child has been living with Hester for a while the book shows that she is very rich in complexion much like her mother. Sin as well is very pleasing and enticing to everyone. When she and her mother are talking Hester says “Thy Heavenly Father sent thee!” she responds back with “He did not send me; I have no heavenly father.” (93). She also exhibits many of the common sins we commit to this day. She breaks out in fits of rage. Whenever the local children were harassing her and Hester she chased them off angrily. She follows Hester around wherever she goes; representing the eternal guilt that now follows Hester everywhere she goes. What is especially confusing is why Pearl gets so angry when Hester took off her Scarlet Letter. Since Pearl represents Hester’s sin she cannot allow Hester to feel free from this punishment, even for a second. Pearl is also found in a few peculiar spots. In a graveyard she skipped irreverently from grave to grave. Since sin delights in death physically and spiritually she is very happy at the sight of this graveyard. She is also found on the beach very weirdly pretending to be a mermaid. A beach is usually classified as a relaxing place to escape life. What this scene shows is that sin is now a part of Hester’s life. Even showing itself in the safest places like a