Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote the book , The Scarlet Letter, with certain themes in mind, such as, guilt, shame, and redemption. These themes are clearly seen throughout the book and their presents help the readers understand the overarching meaning and moral message of the book that was intended by Hawthorne. One of the most dominant themes is guilt and the way guilt affects specific characters within The Scarlet Letter. The reader can especially see that guilt affects Hester and Dimmesdale. To go into the theme of guilt, one must understand what guilt is and what it can actually do to a person. Guilt is an emotion that can be caused by many things, some being; breaking the law of the land, breaking the law of the Lord, breaking your own morals.
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But the feeling of guilt is also present in Hester’s life. One example of guilt in Hester’s life is “Sometimes the red infamy upon her breast would give a sympathetic throb, as she passed near a venerable minister or magistrate, the model of piety and justice.”(5.60) Hester is always reminded of her guilt when in public because everyone is looks at her scarlet letter. This causes her an emotion pain because it makes her see herself as a sinner who will never be forgiven. Her guilt is not as intense as Dimmesdale’s because everyone already knows what she has done but her guilt still makes her feel bad about …show more content…
But when Hester does have her guilt it is held in a few ways, one example of this is “Her Pearl! For so had Hester called her; not as a name expressive of her aspect, but she named the infant Pearl as being of great price purchased with all she had, her mother’s only treasure!”(6.61) Hester’s guilt is found in the scarlet letter she has to wear but also in Pearl because Pearl is the product of her sin and reminds Hester of this every time she looks at Pearl, but she still loves Pearl because she gave everything in her life away to have
But the feeling of guilt is also present in Hester’s life. One example of guilt in Hester’s life is “Sometimes the red infamy upon her breast would give a sympathetic throb, as she passed near a venerable minister or magistrate, the model of piety and justice.”(5.60) Hester is always reminded of her guilt when in public because everyone is looks at her scarlet letter. This causes her an emotion pain because it makes her see herself as a sinner who will never be forgiven. Her guilt is not as intense as Dimmesdale’s because everyone already knows what she has done but her guilt still makes her feel bad about …show more content…
But when Hester does have her guilt it is held in a few ways, one example of this is “Her Pearl! For so had Hester called her; not as a name expressive of her aspect, but she named the infant Pearl as being of great price purchased with all she had, her mother’s only treasure!”(6.61) Hester’s guilt is found in the scarlet letter she has to wear but also in Pearl because Pearl is the product of her sin and reminds Hester of this every time she looks at Pearl, but she still loves Pearl because she gave everything in her life away to have