Many of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s works, such as Scarlet Letter and “Minister’s Black Veil”, use the themes of guilt and alienation. He uses guilt as something that can eat away at someone’s soul. While he uses alienation as something that can come from sin and guilt from sin. He uses guilt and alienation to change his characters through his works, like The Scarlet Letter. Hawthorne uses the themes of guilt and alienation through his works and the effects of guilt and alienation to show the suffering that comes from it.
First, Hawthorne uses guilt in The Scarlet Letter to show suffering that comes from it. In the first scaffold scene, Hawthorne uses sternness and somberness in the crowd to create a harsh guilt that will grow in Dimmesdale …show more content…
Hawthorne uses multiple types of guilt in his works to probe his characters (“Nathaniel Hawthorne” 149). Hawthorne also uses guilt as more than just another layer of thoughts he uses them as beings that interact with the story. Hawthorne uses this interaction of guilt and alienation within his works to show what makes all of humanity alike. Alienation was the worst thing that Hawthorne feared, a better world was where men saw the guilt and corruption (Bloom 25). But instead of seeing the guilt and corruption as how Hawthorne wishes, in his works the characters misunderstand the guilt and the reasons behind them (Leary 74). He also uses guilt as a consequence of gain knowledge and growing up (“Nathaniel Hawthorne” 100). The minister’s guilt separates him from society and while people try to forgive him, like his wife, he just rejects it and only lets god forgive him (“Isolation and Community”). Because of his guilt the dying want to see him in the hopes of being relieved of the thoughts of their death (Leary 74). While the minister showed his guilt it made him isolated from society. The reason he was isolated was because of his openness with his guilt which gave him a sense of evil. Because the minister can not forgive himself and he rejects the forgiveness from others and isolates himself even more. This guilt that he has prevents him, from feeling forgiven and isolates him as punishment for his sin (“Isolation and Community”). His isolation then increases because no one wants to be around his ominus sense of guilt that goes with his veil leading to many people leaving him (Leary 75). One person the guilt threatened to take away was his wife and the love she gave him the reason is because he wouldn 't accept her forgiveness for his sin(Leary 79). Hawthorne uses guilt in his other works to show how guilt can
First, Hawthorne uses guilt in The Scarlet Letter to show suffering that comes from it. In the first scaffold scene, Hawthorne uses sternness and somberness in the crowd to create a harsh guilt that will grow in Dimmesdale …show more content…
Hawthorne uses multiple types of guilt in his works to probe his characters (“Nathaniel Hawthorne” 149). Hawthorne also uses guilt as more than just another layer of thoughts he uses them as beings that interact with the story. Hawthorne uses this interaction of guilt and alienation within his works to show what makes all of humanity alike. Alienation was the worst thing that Hawthorne feared, a better world was where men saw the guilt and corruption (Bloom 25). But instead of seeing the guilt and corruption as how Hawthorne wishes, in his works the characters misunderstand the guilt and the reasons behind them (Leary 74). He also uses guilt as a consequence of gain knowledge and growing up (“Nathaniel Hawthorne” 100). The minister’s guilt separates him from society and while people try to forgive him, like his wife, he just rejects it and only lets god forgive him (“Isolation and Community”). Because of his guilt the dying want to see him in the hopes of being relieved of the thoughts of their death (Leary 74). While the minister showed his guilt it made him isolated from society. The reason he was isolated was because of his openness with his guilt which gave him a sense of evil. Because the minister can not forgive himself and he rejects the forgiveness from others and isolates himself even more. This guilt that he has prevents him, from feeling forgiven and isolates him as punishment for his sin (“Isolation and Community”). His isolation then increases because no one wants to be around his ominus sense of guilt that goes with his veil leading to many people leaving him (Leary 75). One person the guilt threatened to take away was his wife and the love she gave him the reason is because he wouldn 't accept her forgiveness for his sin(Leary 79). Hawthorne uses guilt in his other works to show how guilt can