When The Scarlet Letter was written in 1850 , society progressed away from the harsh theocracy of the Puritans and towards laissez-faire laws that allowed for greater religious freedom in the Boston area. Of course, Boston remains heavily Christian to-day. Through religion comes morality, and its influence is apparent in The Scarlet Letter: heaven or hell, sin and atonement, limited rights of women, and the feckless Puritan theocracy. Hester Prynne, Arthur Dimmesdale, and Roger Chillingworth all atone by their own means: for Hester, shame, for Arthur, guilt, and for Chillingworth, purposelessness.
Despite their atonement, all three sinners still went to hell. With the final line in the book: “In a field, sable, the letter A gules,” interpreted …show more content…
Through toil and trouble, Hester changed the meaning behind the Scarlet Letter in almost all appearing instances of it: the letter A meaning “Angel” the night the governor died, Hester’s A meaning “Able,” and Arthur’s A being truly invisible to the public eye.
The Puritans - including Arthur - believed that no amount of sainthood could bring someone salvation, and conversely, that no amount of sin would exempt someone from heaven. Predestination meant that you were to go to heaven or hell at birth, and no action could change that. The Puritans, being more pious than the anglicans that founded the church, believed this to its full extent. They believed that in their mortal life, they should project themselves among “the elect” or people that are supposed to go to …show more content…
His life goal rapidly became making Arthur see hell as better than life on Earth. Yet even he atoned for his sin. Chillingworth withered away and died like a leech in a jar, with no host upon which to feast. His life goal escaped his grasp upon a scaffold, as Arthur Dimmesdale confessed his sin and passed away. Now, Chillingworth was forced to live the remainder of his life with no purpose, as his revenge could no longer happen. The rage and hatred that had built him into the servant of satan he saw himself as no longer had a target to exact it upon. Perhaps he felt remorseful at the end of his life, maybe he carried his hatred to the
Despite their atonement, all three sinners still went to hell. With the final line in the book: “In a field, sable, the letter A gules,” interpreted …show more content…
Through toil and trouble, Hester changed the meaning behind the Scarlet Letter in almost all appearing instances of it: the letter A meaning “Angel” the night the governor died, Hester’s A meaning “Able,” and Arthur’s A being truly invisible to the public eye.
The Puritans - including Arthur - believed that no amount of sainthood could bring someone salvation, and conversely, that no amount of sin would exempt someone from heaven. Predestination meant that you were to go to heaven or hell at birth, and no action could change that. The Puritans, being more pious than the anglicans that founded the church, believed this to its full extent. They believed that in their mortal life, they should project themselves among “the elect” or people that are supposed to go to …show more content…
His life goal rapidly became making Arthur see hell as better than life on Earth. Yet even he atoned for his sin. Chillingworth withered away and died like a leech in a jar, with no host upon which to feast. His life goal escaped his grasp upon a scaffold, as Arthur Dimmesdale confessed his sin and passed away. Now, Chillingworth was forced to live the remainder of his life with no purpose, as his revenge could no longer happen. The rage and hatred that had built him into the servant of satan he saw himself as no longer had a target to exact it upon. Perhaps he felt remorseful at the end of his life, maybe he carried his hatred to the