The Theme Of Adultery In The Scarlet Letter By Nathaniel Hawthorne

Adultery, defined by Wikipedia is extramarital sex that is considered objectionable on social, religious, moral, or legal grounds. The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne is a Romantic Tragedy. Adulteress Hester Prynne must wear a scarlet “A” sewn on to her clothes to mark the shame of her sin. Her secret lover, Arthur Dimmesdale, remains unidentified and is stressed with guilt of having a child with Hester, while her husband, Roger Chillingworth, wants revenge on the man who had an affair with his wife Hester . Nathaniel Hawthorne is stressing to us that adultery and sin is wrong and if kept secret it will eventually kill you both physically and mentally from guilt and needs to be confessed in order to be released of the stress. Adultery and sin is seen early on in the story when Hester Prynne is forced to wear the scarlet “A” which means adultery for her committing adultery. Hester says “Thus the young and pure would be taught to look at her, with the scarlet letter flaming on her breast,—at her, the child of honorable parents,—at her, the mother of a babe, that would hereafter be a woman, —at her, who had once been innocent, —as the figure, the body, the reality of sin.(Hawthorne 5.1)The puritan community is trying to make an example out of Hester by making her wear the scarlet letter and try and …show more content…
This essay proves that sin and adultery will cause guilt and guilt will eat you alive. Proving this being almost all the main characters having an experience with the recurring theme and one dying from it. This theme can very well relate today because of how it's still very possible of happening and that it still takes place today. It is not a very welcoming subject but should be known about to prevent is possible and show that if this takes place should not be the death of whoever it is