Theme Of Duality In The Scarlet Letter

By stepping back to the macro level, there is always two folds to a situation. The Scarlet Letter, a classic American novel by Nathaniel Hawthorne that was published in 1850, explores this idea of duality. It is a culmination of the experiences of Hawthorne's life, who grew up in a household steadfast to the Puritan predominant beliefs of being sinless, pure and divine; although fallacious, these were the underpinnings of the Puritan society back in the 16th and 17th centuries. In The Scarlet Letter, we delve into the world of Hester Prynne - the protagonist of the story - and explore the Puritan society of Boston, Massachusetts in the middle of the 17th century. The story develops with Hester, a woman who has committed a grave sin, and is …show more content…
As they stand together, a meteor brightens the town, lightening the familiar scene of the street and “the distinctness of mid-day, but also with the awfulness that is always imparted to familiar objects by an unaccustomed light… there stood the minister, with his hand over his heart; and Hester Prynne, with the embroidered letter glimmering on her bosom; and little Pearl, herself a symbol, and the connecting link between those two. they stood in the noon of that strange and solemn splendor, as if it were the light that is to reveal all secrets, and the daybreak that shall unite all who belong to one another” (Hawthorne, 139). By standing on the scaffold together Dimmesdale has finally admitted to his sin: adultery. Although there are no …show more content…
In sending the meteor which extinguishes the shadows and brightens the town, this represents God’s way of helping Dimmesdale expose his sin. As the pure, “unaccustomed” light shines on familiar objects of the street that were in the shadows, there is an “awfulness” to them. This phrase serves as a metaphor, which suggests that God’s light is illuminating the evilness of the secret sin that Dimmesdale has committed and that which he has essentially fabricated as a part of himself because he keeps his sin hidden; thus making the sin a “familiar object” to him. Hence, with the “unaccustomed light” shining onto Dimmesdale, not only does it reveal the “awfulness” of Dimmesdale’s sin, it also serves as a way for Dimmesdale to start a new life of acceptance for the sin he has committed. Even though this idea may be opposed since no one has witnessed Dimmesdale’s act, God is his witness and He, not the people of the town, is the figure that is sought for the forgiveness of sin. Additionally, as the meteor strikes through the sky, Dimmesdale, “with his hand over his heart”, and Hester, “with the embroidered letter glimmering”, indicate that