Throughout The Scarlet Letter, there is a heavy note of falling from grace, although it is most prevalent in the conclusion. Numerous characters' psyches are destroyed after they commit one of the Seven Deadly Sins. Roger Chillingworth, Arthur Dimmesdale, and Hester Prynne all fall victim to this folly. As it turns out, that particular folly contributes to their ultimate downfall. The term "downfall" is synonymous with death for many of the characters. Hester's sin, however, is not the cause of her literal death, instead it is symbolic of the death of innocence because she made a rash decision that would ruin her life.
Hester Prynne is the most obvious sinner of the novel, seeing as how the whole story revolves around her sinfulness. She has …show more content…
He is revealed to be the estranged husband of Hester, whom everyone believed dead. As he is an educated man, it did not take him long to believe Dimmesdale to be the father of Hester's illegitimate child. He uses his position as a physician to become close to Dimmesdale and slowly alienate him. "Calm, gentle, passionless, as he appeared, there was yet, we fear, a quiet depth of malice, hitherto latent, but active now, in this unfortunate old man, which led him to imagine a more intimate revenge than any mortal had ever wreaked upon an enemy.(144)" Physicians during this time were often called leeches. That is exactly what Chillingworth is to Dimmesdale. He slowly sucks out Dimmesdale's life until he can no longer survive. Ironically enough, once the object of his ire dies, he no longer has a reason to live and he dies soon after Dimmesdale, still holding onto his …show more content…
Specifically, in The Scarlet Letter, the “deaths” of some characters relate to the Seven Deadly Sins. Whether it be lusting after someone you know you shouldn’t fraternize with, or taking revenge on those who fell victim to lust the result is the same. Chillingworth and Dimmesdale lost their lives due to their sins and Hester lost her dignity, innocence, and self-respect, which, at the time, essentially amounted to a loss of any respectable life she may have had. With all of the mayhem occurring, there is one thing that’s certain. It never is “just heart
Hester Prynne is the most obvious sinner of the novel, seeing as how the whole story revolves around her sinfulness. She has …show more content…
He is revealed to be the estranged husband of Hester, whom everyone believed dead. As he is an educated man, it did not take him long to believe Dimmesdale to be the father of Hester's illegitimate child. He uses his position as a physician to become close to Dimmesdale and slowly alienate him. "Calm, gentle, passionless, as he appeared, there was yet, we fear, a quiet depth of malice, hitherto latent, but active now, in this unfortunate old man, which led him to imagine a more intimate revenge than any mortal had ever wreaked upon an enemy.(144)" Physicians during this time were often called leeches. That is exactly what Chillingworth is to Dimmesdale. He slowly sucks out Dimmesdale's life until he can no longer survive. Ironically enough, once the object of his ire dies, he no longer has a reason to live and he dies soon after Dimmesdale, still holding onto his …show more content…
Specifically, in The Scarlet Letter, the “deaths” of some characters relate to the Seven Deadly Sins. Whether it be lusting after someone you know you shouldn’t fraternize with, or taking revenge on those who fell victim to lust the result is the same. Chillingworth and Dimmesdale lost their lives due to their sins and Hester lost her dignity, innocence, and self-respect, which, at the time, essentially amounted to a loss of any respectable life she may have had. With all of the mayhem occurring, there is one thing that’s certain. It never is “just heart