In today’s society, people face the challenge of choosing between individual freedoms and conforming to the community. One might strive to be a unique individual among the public; however, being overcome by the fear of judgment from others can put subtle pressure on the individual to abandon many of their personal choices in order to conform to the greater community. Hawthorne finds in the Scarlet Letter that “It is remarkable, that a persons speculate the most boldly often conform the most perfect quietude to the external regulations of society” (Hawthorne 144). In The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne contrasts Hester Prynne and Arthur Dimmesdale by exploring the different challenges they each face. While conforming to the community, they then stray from society toward individual freedom, gaining a new perspective of the community they call home.
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Characters Hester Prynne and Arthur Dimmesdale create the perfect contrast of two people handling the ideas of conformity and individual freedom within a very conformed community. Hester was faced with the challenge of being free on the inside and keeping her identity while showing her cooperation to the community, on the other hand Dimmesdale struggles with the idea of freedom because he only knows conformity and pleasing the people. Overall, both characters seem to be successful in showing conformity and pleasing the community; however Hester’s confident and vivid characteristics show through when it comes to the idea of freedom within. Hester is the perfect illustration for an individual in today’s society who is bound to change the beliefs in society one way or another. People like Hester are very valuable to a community, because although they may seem very divergent at first, they are the ones who will keep moving society forward for generations to
Characters Hester Prynne and Arthur Dimmesdale create the perfect contrast of two people handling the ideas of conformity and individual freedom within a very conformed community. Hester was faced with the challenge of being free on the inside and keeping her identity while showing her cooperation to the community, on the other hand Dimmesdale struggles with the idea of freedom because he only knows conformity and pleasing the people. Overall, both characters seem to be successful in showing conformity and pleasing the community; however Hester’s confident and vivid characteristics show through when it comes to the idea of freedom within. Hester is the perfect illustration for an individual in today’s society who is bound to change the beliefs in society one way or another. People like Hester are very valuable to a community, because although they may seem very divergent at first, they are the ones who will keep moving society forward for generations to