To quote the Bible, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans
3.23). Sin is an ever-present topic in our modern day and age. Everyone in the world has sinned, in big and small ways, and there are different psychological effects for the amount of guilt each sin begets. In The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, a young married woman is punished for adultery and forced to wear a scarlet “A” on her chest at all times to alert the town to her sin; this causes her to be ostracized from the town and to learn how to become a capable, independent woman as she is on her own. Hester Prynne is forced to overcome the heavy mental weight of her actions, and at the same time tries to do what is best for her child. Hawthorne uses The Scarlet Letter as a platform in order to depict the psychological effects of sin and guilt, while also displaying the different reactions to consequences brought on by one’s own actions.
Hester uses the scarlet letter to empower herself, accepting society’s condemnation of …show more content…
This choice allows her to change the town’s view of hers. However, Chillingworth becomes a more demented and cruel person due to his need to enact revenge on Hester and Dimmesdale for hurting and betraying him. Finally, the pressure of sin and guilt cripples Dimmesdale, causing him to mentally break down and subsequently die from his inability to conquer his fear of confessing his misdeeds. Only Hester successfully deals with the pressure from her guilt and therefore is able to move past her adulterous actions to start a new life. Hawthorne utilizes the psychological effects of Dimmesdale, Hester, and Chillingworth’s sin and guilt in order to display their varied reactions to his or her consequences. Sin and guilt can deeply affect someone who is not able to handle the pressure of his or her actions, and this will continue to be a problem due to the human inability to not make
3.23). Sin is an ever-present topic in our modern day and age. Everyone in the world has sinned, in big and small ways, and there are different psychological effects for the amount of guilt each sin begets. In The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, a young married woman is punished for adultery and forced to wear a scarlet “A” on her chest at all times to alert the town to her sin; this causes her to be ostracized from the town and to learn how to become a capable, independent woman as she is on her own. Hester Prynne is forced to overcome the heavy mental weight of her actions, and at the same time tries to do what is best for her child. Hawthorne uses The Scarlet Letter as a platform in order to depict the psychological effects of sin and guilt, while also displaying the different reactions to consequences brought on by one’s own actions.
Hester uses the scarlet letter to empower herself, accepting society’s condemnation of …show more content…
This choice allows her to change the town’s view of hers. However, Chillingworth becomes a more demented and cruel person due to his need to enact revenge on Hester and Dimmesdale for hurting and betraying him. Finally, the pressure of sin and guilt cripples Dimmesdale, causing him to mentally break down and subsequently die from his inability to conquer his fear of confessing his misdeeds. Only Hester successfully deals with the pressure from her guilt and therefore is able to move past her adulterous actions to start a new life. Hawthorne utilizes the psychological effects of Dimmesdale, Hester, and Chillingworth’s sin and guilt in order to display their varied reactions to his or her consequences. Sin and guilt can deeply affect someone who is not able to handle the pressure of his or her actions, and this will continue to be a problem due to the human inability to not make