نقد و بررسی داستان The Scarlet Letter از Nathaniel Hawthorne

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KEY LITERARY ELEMENTS



SETTING



The Scarlet Letter is set in the seventeenth century, puritanical, New England colony of Massachusetts. The complete action is set in the town of Boston with the scenes shifting within it. The crucial scaffold scenes are set in the market place, while the decisive meeting of Hester and Dimmesdale is set in the forest. The novel, however, opens with a prison setting, foreshadowing the future seclusion, gloominess and condemnation of the protagonists.



LIST OF CHARACTERS



Major Characters



Hester Prynne
The protagonist of the novel who is an English woman and the wife of Roger Chillingworth. She is tried and condemned for her sin of adultery with Dimmesdale and charged to wear the scarlet letter, "A", an indication of adultery, on the bosom of her gown forever. Even though she has a daughter out of wedlock, she refuses to reveal who the father is. As a young woman, her youthful beauty, luxuriant hair, and excellent features are diminished by her self-effacing puritanical way of dressing. As an older lady, she returns to Boston where she is finally accepted for her kindness and service.


Arthur Dimmesdale

The young, handsome, and unmarried pastor of Hester's church. Apart from committing adultery with Hester, he is guilty of hiding his sin. His intense suffering and remorse, however, are reflected in his rundown physical appearance. He emerges as the tragic figure of the novel around whom revolves the plot's suspense and on whom the reader's attention is centered. Thus, he is also considered a protagonist, like Hester.


Roger Chillingworth

A scholarly physician who has sent his wife ahead of him to America. He fails to join her quickly, for he is captured by Indians from whom he gathers a knowledge of herbal medicine. He is an old, evil, vicious, ugly, and deformed man. His diabolical vengeance on Dimmesdale, while pretending to treat him, makes him the personification of evil.

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Pearl

The beautiful daughter of Hester and Dimmesdale. She is the living symbol of the scarlet letter and has peculiar traits that make her sometimes appear as a demon. Her love for nature and freedom, her vivacious spirit, her alienation, her rebelliousness, her inquisitiveness, and her innocent but symbolic comments reveal her distinct personality. She is, however, a product of the difficult situation into which she is born.



Minor Characters



Governor Bellingham
The governor of the colony. He is based on an actual person who served as the governor in Boston for several terms. He first appears during the scaffold scene and addresses Hester. Later, Hester approaches him to seek his help in retaining Pearl. During the second scaffold scene, he hears Dimmesdale's scream and wakes up, but does not recognize his voice or see him. He is present in the procession on the Election Day and witnesses the final revelation of Dimmesdale's guilt during the third scaffold scene. He represents the 'state' in the novel.


John Wilson

The eldest clergyman in Boston in the novel. He is also based on an actual person, an English minister who came to Boston in 1630. He convinces Dimmesdale to appeal to Hester to reveal her lover's identity. Later, he delivers a sermon on the sin of adultery. Like Governor Bellingham, he is present during all three scaffold scenes. He represents the puritanical attitude and stands for the Church in the novel.


Mistress Hibbins

The ill-tempered sister of Governor Bellingham in the novel. She is based upon another actual figure from history, who was executed for witchcraft. Because the fictional character is also believed to be a witch, she is given special powers. She appears to be conscious of Hester and Dimmesdale's adultery and their secret meeting in the forest. She alone dares to meet Hester in the open and invites her to join in the festivities when Hester goes to the Governor's house.


The S e x t o n

A worker in Dimmesdale's church. When he finds Dimmesdale's glove on the scaffold, he returns it to the minister and blames the devil for having dropped it there. He refers to the appearance of the scarlet letter in the sky and takes it to represent Angel.


The Captain

The commander of the ship that is to take Hester, Dimmesdale, and Pearl away. He plays an important role in escalating the tension of the plot by informing Hester on Election Day that Chillingworth has also booked passage on his ship bound for Bristol.
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CONFLICT


Protagonists
The protagonists of the novel are Hester Prynne and Arthur Dimmesdale, both bearers of a Scarlet Letter of Adultery, one public and one private. Hester Prynne, the bearer of the scarlet letter in public, is the central character of the book. However, the suspense of the story revolves around Dimmesdale and his private mark of adultery.


Antagonist
The antagonist is the effort to hide the identify of the male adulterer, who is Pearl's father. Both Hester and Dimmesdale fight to keep the identity a secret, but for very different reasons. Hester wants to protect the identity of Dimmesdale as Pearl's father in order to protect the minister from the public shame of sin; hers is a totally selfless act of kindness, reflecting her inner character and strength.
Dimmesdale, in complete contrast, cowardly hides his sin to protect himself, and for his silence, he suffers inward guilt and shame that manifests itself in outward, physical deterioration. (It is ironic that Hester, who openly wears the Scarlet Letter as a symbol and confession that she is a Sinner, is freed from the inward destruction of her sin; Dimmesdale, a minister who openly represents Goodness, is the real Sinner, failing to confess and claim Pearl as his daughter and suffering both inward and outward deterioration from his double sinfulness.)

The largest threat to Hester and Dimmesdale's secret is Roger Chillingworth, Hester's husband. He wants to find out the identity of Hester's lover, so he can have his revenge. When he begins to suspect that it is Dimmesdale, he tortures the minister while pretending to help him. He is the personification of evil in the novel.


Climax
The climax occurs at the second scaffold scene, when Dimmesdale stands on the scaffold with Hester and Pearl, finally divulging his secret, but still in the darkness of night. Ironically, while standing there, Dimmesdale notices a large meteor in the sky that appears in the shape of the letter A. Chillingworth sees it as well, for he has been watching the three of them on the scaffold. Dimmesdale's sin is a secret no more; Chillingworth will have his revenge.


Outcome
The novel openly ends in tragedy, for the secret of Hester and Dimmesdale becomes public knowledge when the minister reveals his adultery and openly accepts Hester and Pearl, who have long suffered in silence. Ironically, Hester is "freed" by the confession, no longing bearing the Scarlet Letter alone. But Dimmesdale is also freed; although he dies after the confession, he is finally freed from the guilt of unconfessed, hidden sin and the evil hold of Chillingworth over him.
Hester's story really ends in comedy. She leaves Boston to live again in England. When she returns many years later, she is welcomed in Boston and her advice is sought, showing she truly escaped.
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SHORT PLOT/CHAPTER SUMMARY (Synopsis)


Clutching her baby to her chest, the beautiful and poised Hester Prynne stands on the scaffold in the square of the small town of Boston. She is being punished for the adultery that she has committed. The townsfolk, especially the women, are not very happy about the fact that Hester has been punished only by making her wear a scarlet on her dress and standing on a scaffold for several hours of public humiliation. The judge has been lenient on her because the young woman has had a good reputation until the point of her sinfulness.
Hester has come to Boston from Amsterdam two years earlier. She is married to a misshapen scholar and physician who is much older than she. He has sent her alone to New England with plans to follow her at some later date. Since two years have passed with no word from him, Hester believes that he has been lost at sea.


As she stands on the scaffold, Hester notices two people in the crowd. The first is Arthur Dimmesdale, the leader of the local Puritan church and Hester's minister. The second man is Roger Chillingworth, her misshapen husband. When he realizes that his young wife is being publicly shamed for committing adultery, his anger knows no bounds. He clearly states that the man responsible for the act should also be punished along with Hester. He vows to find the unnamed father of the baby and have his revenge.

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Even after consistent questioning by Reverend Wilson (the Church) and the Governor (the State), Hester refuses to disclose the name of the man who has committed adultery with her. When Chillingworth is admitted to her jail cell as a physician, he also questions Hester about the father's identity, and she again refuses to divulge the name. Angered by Hester's defiance, her husband warns her never to utter the truth about who he really is. Hester gives him her pledge.


Hester and Pearl move to a little thatched cottage on the outskirts of the town, where they live in isolation. She provides for their needs by sewing for both the rich and poor in town. She also makes Pearl brightly colored and extravagant clothing. The bright colors are a reflection of the child's very nature. She is a lively and impish child that her mother has difficulty controlling. Because of her wild behavior and the sinfulness of her mother, some of the important people in town suggest that Pearl should be taken away from Hester. The Governor and Rev. Wilson are ready to place the child with a guardian when Rev. Dimmesdale intervenes. He says that Pearl is a gift a God to her mother; she serves both as a blessing and as a constant reminder of the sin. As a result, Pearl is allowed to remain with Hester.



Reverend Dimmesdale, the young and much beloved Puritan minister, is suffering from ailing health and nervousness. Chillingworth believes that his illness comes from some deep sense of guilt and determines that Dimmesdale is Pearl's father. As a result, he begins his plan of revenge. He moves into the same house as Dimmesdale, pretending to be his helpful doctor. All the while he tortures the young minister, whose condition worsens daily. One day while Dimmesdale is soundly sleeping in his chair, Chillingworth checks the Reverend's chest and is shocked to find something very unusual there.



One night Dimmesdale, unable to sleep, goes out for a walk and climbs the steps of the scaffold. Ironically, Hester and Pearl walk past. He summons them to stand with him on the scaffold, hidden by the darkness of night. As the three of them stand openly together, the Reverend sees a meteor forming a monstrous A in the sky. As it illuminates the darkness, Dimmesdale spies Chillingworth, who has been watching the entire scaffold scene.
Worried about the failing health of Dimmesdale, Hester decides to approach Chillingworth. She asks him to stop being vengeful, a request that he denies. He does, however, grant her permission to reveal his true identity to Dimmesdale. Hester is anxious to tell the minister the truth and waits for him in the forest, where he often walks. She reveals to Dimmesdale that the old man is her husband, bound on revenge. To escape his hold on Dimmesdale, Hester suggests that the three of them flee Boston and start a new life elsewhere. Although he does not at first agree to the plan, Dimmesdale finally tells Hester to make the arrangements. They will depart on a ship for Bristol on the day after Election Day, an important Puritan holiday.

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On Election Day, the Puritans, the Indians, and the sailors all gather to have a glimpse of the procession, which will honor the election of the new governor. Dimmesdale has a place of honor in the parade, and his appearance is much improved as a result of his meeting with Hester in the forest; he walks with a strong gait and seems at peace. After the parade, Dimmesdale delivers the best sermon of his career, and the congregation is enthralled by his words. During the sermon, Hester and Pearl stand in a corner of the town square. While there, standing next to the scaffold, they are informed that they will be accompanied to Bristol by an extra passenger on the ship. This extra passenger is Roger Chillingworth.



After the sermon, the procession begins again. This time Dimmesdale walks like a man possessed; he is feeble and his face has a strange expression. Although he almost falls to the ground, he refuses assistance from Rev. Wilson (the Church) or from the Governor (the State). Seeing Hester and Pearl near the scaffold, he turns towards them and asks them to climb the scaffold with him. With his family by his side, he confesses his guilt and bares his chest for all to see. He then collapses, asks God to forgive Chillingworth, and asks his daughter for a kiss, which she now willingly gives. Dimmesdale then dies peacefully in Hester's arms. In confessing his sin, he has won his personal victory.



In a concluding chapter, Hawthorne reveals that Chillingworth dies within a year and leaves his fortune to Pearl, Hester and Pearl spend time in Europe, Pearl is happily married and has a child of her own, Hester returns to Boston to live her last days, and she is buried next to the grave of Dimmesdale. They share a common tombstone marked by a scarlet letter A.

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THEMES

The central theme of the novel is that unconfessed sin destroys the soul. Hester's sin of adultery has been confessed, and as its symbol, she wears the Scarlet Letter A. As a result, the sin does not destroy her inward spirit; instead, she gathers her strength and courage, and flourishes in spite of the Letter A. In total contrast to Hester, Dimmesdale does not confess his sin until after it totally destroys him. He hides his adultery and fails to claim Pearl as his daughter; his punishment is guilt and self- condemnation, intensified by the torture of Chillingworth. As the shame over his cowardice increases, he suffers total deterioration, both mental and physical. Only when he publicly confesses his adultery and stands openly with Hester and Pearl in the final scaffold scene is there any sense of relief for him; by admitting his sin, he finally frees himself from his guilt and from Chillingworth's hold over him, which allows him to die peacefully.


MOOD

The prevalent mood of this tragic novel is dark and gloomy, especially developed in the characters of Dimmesdale and Chillingworth. Hawthorne only prevents the darkness from touching Pearl, who is an embodiment of joy, life, and warmth. Hester, however, is allowed to rise above the gloominess on occasion, as when she throws away the scarlet letter and lets loose her hair. Thus, Hawthorne suggests how sin (symbolized in the scarlet letter) is responsible for the gloom that fills the lives of the protagonists. When the sin is unconfessed, as with Dimmesdale, the darkness turns to despair.
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BACKGROUND INFORMATION-BIOGRAPHY


NATHANIEL HAWTHORNE

Nathaniel Hawthorne, 1804 - 1864), short-story writer and novelist, was one of the foremost nineteenth century writers in America. He was born on July 4, 1804, in Salem Massachusetts as Nathaniel Hathorne. He likely later added a "w" to avoid the association with one of his ancestors, Judge Hathorne. His Puritan ancestors were the first settlers in the state and included two prominent judges, one of whom was active in the persecution of Quakers in the 1630's and the other (Judge Hathorne) played a role in the infamous Salem witch trials. By Hawthorne's time, the family had retired from public eminence.
Both his father and grandfather were captains of merchant ships. Hawthorne was a quiet, meditative child and a good student. In 1821 he attended Bowdoin College in Maine, and some aspects of his student career there suggested that his habits of solitude were temporarily modified. His classmates were generally of the view that he was aloof. He graduated in 1825 with a class that included the poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and Franklin Pierce. Pierce would later become President of the United States.
Hawthorne was an active writer and published at his own expense a novel called Fanshawe in 1828. He quickly felt that it was not up to his quality and attempted to remove all of the copies. For the next several years he created many impressive works such as, An Old Woman's Tale, The Hollow of the Three Hills, My Kinsman, Major Molineux, Roger Malvin's Burial, and Young Goodman Brown. In 1837, Hawthorne published his first commercial book, Twice Told Tales with little financial gain.

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In 1839 he obtained a position as an inspector at the Boston Custom House, weighing and measuring the goods shipped in and out of the harbor. Distracted from doing any substantive literary work, Hawthorne was glad to be relieved of his job when the administration changed in 1844. Hawthorne moved to Brook Farm Institute of Agriculture and Education, a communal experiment founded by a group of writers and thinkers associated with the Transcendentalist circle. There he intended to establish a "mode of life, which shall combine enchantment of poetry with the facts of daily experience". He left after eight months and married Sophia Peabody. They took up residence at Concord at the old Manse, a house built by Ralph Waldo Emerson's grandfather. He was greatly influenced by the atmosphere of the house.
In 1849, Hawthorne published his greatest work The Scarlet Letter. In its first week of publication, it sold 4,000 copies. In the spring of 1850, he moved to Lennox, Massachusetts, where he began writing The House of the Seven Gables. It was more varied in tone and less somber than The Scarlet Letter. In 1851, he wrote The Snow Image and Other Twice Told Tales. From Lenox, Hawthorne moved to Newport, where he wrote The Blithedale Romance (1852), a book that satirized the pretensions and delusions of social reformers.
Hawthorne was appointed as Consul to England from 1853 to 1857. He was dissatisfied with the job and moved to Italy where he wrote his last complete novel, The Marble Faun, (1857). He took ill in the spring of 1864, and died at Plymouth in New Hampshire on May 19, 1864. His body was taken to Concord, Massachusetts and buried in Sleepy Hollow Cemetery.
For his novels, Hawthorne drew on Puritan orthodox thought to examine the individual and collective consciousness under the pressures of anguish and suffering. He sought to dramatize such themes as sin, guilt and retribution. His writing is marked by introspective depth and an urge to get inside the character he created.


LITERARY/HISTORICAL BACKGROUND


The Scarlet Letter is set in seventeenth century New England, and Hawthorne successfully depicts the Puritanism that was found there. Puritanism actually began in England and was aimed at purging the Church of its ostentation and corruption. The prevalent amorality in society also became the object of attack by the Puritans who insisted on orthodoxy and strict rules of living.
In America, Puritanism was spread by the early English settlers, the Pilgrim fathers who left England to avoid religious oppression. Settling down in New England, they gradually formed colonies and began implementing puritanical rules. Apart from religious orthodoxy, they also insisted that the state follow the laws laid down by the church. The extreme narrow- mindedness, even restricting church membership, led to some reform movements, one of them led by Anne Hutchinson, who was mentioned in the novel.
Hawthorne attempts to give a genuine picture of the times by presenting a realistic setting and real puritanical philosophies. He also includes actual historical figures like Governor Bellingham, Governor Winthrop, Mr. John Wilson, and Mistress Hibbins, who are treated as fictional characters. The introduction of these historical figures, along with the presentation of Puritanical society and beliefs, and the reference to witches, witchcraft and superstitious beliefs, lends authenticity to the narrative without making The Scarlet Letter a historical novel.
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CHARACTER ANALYSIS

Hester Prynne


Hester is the protagonist of the novel. She is described as a youthful, beautiful, spirited, and proud woman. When she is first presented in the story, there is already a scandal attached to her name that is symbolized by the scarlet letter "A". When she walks to the scaffold from the prison, she holds her head high and remains in full public view without shedding a tear. Her spirit is also reflected in her decorating the scarlet letter with gold thread.
Hester's strength of character in public, is in fact, her way of steeling herself against her inner wounds inflicted by her infamy and scourged by the scarlet letter. Her weakness is revealed in her private vent of her grief through tears. Her silent suffering eventually wins the sympathy of others but still fails to gain her complete acceptance by the Puritan society that surrounds her.
Hester's self-inflicted austerity and her life of seclusion show her determination to seek penitence for her sin. Through her life of suffering, she emerges a stronger person, better able to handle life's agonizing moments. By freezing her world into a small circle containing only Pearl and herself, she shields the two of them from the mockery of a moralistic and cold society. Hester, however, does what she can for charitable causes.
Hester's faithfulness and loyalty to Dimmesdale are reflected in her determination to hide his identity. Her unflinching love for him is reflected in her concern for his health and her desire to escape with him to a new land. She emerges as a selfless lover making no demands on Dimmesdale and accepting her fate without any sign of criticism. Her submissiveness to the minister is not a sign of weakness but merely her acceptance of the situation.

Hester's selflessness is also reflected in the services that she renders to the poor, needy and the sick. Her philanthropic way of living reflects her devotion to those more underprivileged than herself. Her sole purpose in living for others, especially for Pearl, is reflected in her self-transformation into ***less person; she covers her luxuriant hair and wears dull and sober clothes without any ornamentation or appeal.
Hester is a woman full of motherly love that she showers on Pearl. It is her love and concern for Pearl that make her wonder if her child is abnormal. She worries about her lack of self- control and her shunning playmates. Hester's passionate appeal to the Governor and to Dimmesdale to allow her to retain Pearl shows the significance of the child in her mother's life.
Hester is not a vengeful person. She never complains about her plight to Dimmesdale and never tries to make him feel guilty. Neither does she harbor any malice towards Chillingworth, whom she considers responsible for her defamation. If he had not deserted her, she would have remained his faithful wife. In the end, however, she even tells him that he has been wronged by her. Hester is truly a kind and generous person.
Hester is also a woman of principle. She refuses to reveal the identity of Pearl's father even though she is questioned by Rev. Wilson (the Church), the Governor (the State), and Chillingworth (the People, an evil one in this case). When she pledges not to divulge Chillingworth's true identity, she obediently keeps the vow and seeks his permission before she breaks it. In fact, in all her actions, Hester is presented as a woman with excellent values and noble qualities--except for her one passionate sin of adultery.
Hawthorne develops her as a kind and sympathetic woman who passively suffers her agony, kindly helps those less fortunate than she, and patiently waits for her life to improve. The basic goodness of her character helps to sustain her during her time of trial and to help Dimmesdale in his distress. In her public and private suffering, symbolized by the scarlet letters in her life, Hester remains a pillar of strength.




Arthur Dimmesdale



Dimmesdale is the other protagonist of the novel. He is a young Puritan pastor with handsome features and an attractive voice. Because of his pious spirit and inspired sermons, his congregation dearly loves him. The more the people honor him, the more his guilt grows.
Dimmesdale's first speech in the novel is ironic, for he is pleading with Hester to reveal his name 'if' she thinks it might lessen her misery or help him. The conditional appeal, though lost upon the spectators, carries its meaning to the discerning reader and to Hester. It also suggests Dimmesdale's fear of discovery and his indecisiveness about openly revealing his guiltiness.
The fear of public exposure and its consequences prevents Dimmesdale from openly confessing his sin although he mildly attempts to do so several times. When he does gather strength to hint that he is a sinner, he does it so obliquely that his confession is considered to be a sign of his humility. As a result, his congregation loves and praises him more. Thus, Dimmesdale leads a hypocritical life. His duality, in retaining his pious image in public and leading a guilt-ridden life of penance in private, mars his health and causes his physical deterioration. Because of his own weakness and lack of courage, he fails to confess and suffers constantly.

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The gradual deterioration of Dimmesdale's health is aggravated by Chillingworth, who seeks his revenge for his part in the adultery. Dimmesdale plays right into Chillingworth's hands, trusting the physician with his medical care. He does not realize that Chillingworth is Hester's husband and his worst enemy, unworthy of trust. Instead of helping Dimmesdale to overcome his health problems, Chillingworth aggravates them through torment. The result is that Dimmesdale continually places his hand over his heart, covering the scarlet letter that is permanently etched there.
Dimmesdale's skepticism and his lack of faith in himself are responsible for his tragic end. His guilt gnaws at his heart, sapping the vital force of life, rendering him a moving and visible phantom with no sense of definite purpose in life. He wants to confess, but knowing the consequences, is not brave enough to do it. His failure to find peace and happiness is caused by his refusal to seek the forgiveness of God or of his congregation.
Though Dimmesdale's weaknesses and faults are revealed, Hawthorne still paints a sympathetic picture of him. He makes Dimmesdale very human in his suffering; he also becomes pathetic in the hands of Chillingworth. As a result, the reader is made to feel sorry for him in spite of his sin and cowardice.





Roger Chillingworth



Chillingworth is the old, ugly, cruel, deformed, and demented husband of Hester Prynne. He is presented as a scholar and physician, who has traveled to distant places before deciding to settle in America. His lack of sensitivity is shown in his choosing such a young, naive, and beautiful woman as his bride. His lack of chivalry is displayed in his act of sending his young and inexperienced wife ahead of him to a new world, leaving her to fend for herself. His cruelty is seen when he does not try to contact her in New England for two years. It is obvious that a loving relationship has never existed between Hester and Chillingworth.
Chillingworth's cruel and unsympathetic nature is reflected in his choice of a name, which he assumed to hide his identity. His vengefulness and evil disposition are revealed in his cruel manipulation and torture of Dimmesdale. As a merciless, dark man, Chillingworth seems to be the devil himself whose diabolic designs wreck havoc on the already emaciated Dimmesdale. Chillingworth is malevolent and vicious man, truly a 'leech' as he sucks the lifeblood out his victim.
Hawthorne clearly indicates that Chillingworth's sin of tormenting Dimmesdale is greater than Dimmesdale's sin of adultery with his wife. In spite of his wickedness, both Hester and Dimmesdale forgive him.



Pearl



Pearl plays a significant role in the novel. Her mother has paid for this child with her honor; therefore, the name has importance, for she is Hester's only treasure. She is further a living manifestation of the scarlet letter and a constant reminder of her parents' sin.

The product of a natural, but unblessed, union, Pearl displays signs of wildness, rebellion, and freedom. Her lively nature cannot be curtailed, and her mother often worries about not being able to control her impish daughter. Pearl is always happiest out in nature, where her carefree heart seems to communicate with the forces that surround her. Her alienation from the world of humans only strengthens her union with Nature.
The sad, gloomy, and isolated lives of her parents, especially of Hester, deeply affects Pearl. She lives a secluded life without mingling with other children. Though she leads a solitary life, she is a happy child, secure in her mother's love. She, however, wonders about her father and seems to understand that Dimmesdale is somehow related to her. She is wary of him because he refuses to be seen with her in public. She also wonders why he always covers his heart with his hand. She is a precocious child, wise beyond her years.
Pearl's impish nature, her desire to lead a free life without obedience to any authority, including her mother, and her open rebellion make others wonder about her upbringing. When Hester hears talk about removing Pearl from her and placing her with a guardian, she approaches the Governor and begs to keep her child. Rev. Dimmesdale comes to her defense, and Hester is allowed to raise Pearl, even though the child refused to answer the religious questions posed to her by Rev. Wilson.
Pearl's is transformed at the end of the novel when Dimmesdale stands with her on the scaffold and makes his confession. It is obvious that the child has yearned for his love and acceptance in the open. When he asks her for a kiss this time, she willingly gives it. Her sense of human identity is established in her acceptance of Dimmesdale's paternity. As a result, she cries with real human emotion for the first time in the book, foreshadowing that her past is put away and she will be able to live a normal life in the future.

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THEMES ANALYSIS


The Scarlet Letter centers round the consequences of sin, especially shame and guilt. It is to be noted that the sin of adultery is, in itself, not the subject matter of the novel. In fact, the novel opens after the sin has been committed and Pearl, the offspring of the sinful, but natural, union is three months old. As Hawthorne himself states in the opening chapter, the novel is about human weakness and its resulting sorrow.
Hawthorne's focus of attention is the effect the sin has on Hester and Dimmesdale. They constantly suffer from shame and guilt throughout the novel. Both of them lead joyless lives. Dimmesdale, however, suffers much more intensely than Hester.
Hester is made to publicly acknowledge her sin. A scarlet letter "A" is permanently placed on her dress to symbolize her adultery, and she is made to stand on the scaffold with her baby for several hours of public humiliation. She becomes a social outcast of the Puritan society and lives in isolation on the outskirts of town. Pearl, her lively and uncontrollable daughter, is the daily living proof of Hester's sin. With pride, she dresses her daughter in brightly colored clothing and holds her on head up high. She also concerns herself with doing acts of charity and kindnesses for other people. Even though her life is difficult and drab, Hester, through her own doing, rises about the scarlet letter "A" on her chest.

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In complete contrast to Hester, Dimmesdale does not publicly confess his sin, and it eats away at him bit by bit. His health begins to fail, and his body is seized by nervousness. He hints at his sinfulness in the pulpit, but his congregation simply assumes he is being humble and honors him even more; this only increases his sense of shame and guilt. Chillingworth, who realizes that Dimmesdale is Pearl's father, adds to the minister's torture. Under the guise of help, the evil physician torments Dimmesdale daily.
Not courageous enough to tell the truth to this Puritanical community, Dimmesdale accepts Hester's plan to escape from Boston. Running from the truth makes him feel even more guilty. Finally, he can bear the shame and guilt no longer. On Election Day, he climbs the scaffold with Hester and Pearl and publicly confesses his sin. Since he has admitted his guilt and won his personal victory, he is free to die in peace.
Unfortunately, the consequence of the sin for Hester and Dimmesdale is eternal shame and guilt. Their lives are ruined as a result of their sinfulness. Since their sin is committed in the strict, moralistic Puritan society, their suffering is made even greater. Dimmesdale, however, suffers the most, for he is tortured by his hypocrisy and hidden guilt.
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SYMBOLISM / MOTIFS / IMAGERY / SYMBOLS


The Scarlet Letter abounds with symbolism, which Hawthorne uses to unify the novel and add a deeper level of meaning to the story.


The Scarlet Letter "A"

The chief symbol in the novel is the scarlet letter "A", which openly symbolizes Hester's adultery. For Dimmesdale and Hester, the scarlet letter stands for agony, which Hester displays in her isolated life and which Dimmesdale displays in his deteriorating health. By the end of the novel, the townspeople think that Hester's scarlet "A" stands for Ability, for she has become a generous helper for the poor and downtrodden and a wise counselor for their problems.
This gesture of Dimmesdale's placing his hand over his heart is also symbolic. It is the minister's attempt to cover his mark of sinfulness and prevent his exposure. It also suggests his nervous condition and reflects his grieved state.

The Scaffold

The scaffold is a symbol of penitence and God's platform on the Day of Judgment. It is a reflection of appearing before the Almighty in one's weakness. Because of the comparison, Dimmesdale has great difficulty in standing on the platform and confessing his sins. He first does it under the cover of darkness for no one to see him, as if he were trying to hide from God himself. In the end, however, he bravely stands on the scaffold and confesses his sin in the light of day and before a crowd of people. The confession finally gives him a sense of peace.

The Prison

The prison, presented in the opening chapter of the novel, is a symbol of isolation and alienation, foreshadowing the life that Hester will lead even after she leaves its confines. While Hester lives in the prison of alienation, Dimmesdale lives in the prison of his unconfessed guilt, and Chillingworth is imprisoned by his vengeance. Pearl, alone, remains free.

The Rose Bush

The rose bush growing across from the prison respresents a constant reminder of salvation and hope to all the prisoners. Later in the book Pearl states that she was plucked from the rosebush and was born. This symbolizes that Pearl is the key to not only Hester's salvation, but to Dimmesdale and indirectly to Chillingsworth. Pearl was born into a world of sin and for her to be saved, everyone must find their salvation through her. It represents a light in the darkness of Hester's sin.

The Forest

The forest is symbolic of Nature, both in its darker and lighter aspects. When the rays of sunshine fall on Pearl but do not reach Hester, they symbolize her inability to find happiness or warmth. The pervading darkness is suggestive of the dull gloom in her life. That darkness is dispelled when she meets with Dimmesdale and plans to flee from Boston with him. As a symbol of her freedom, she throws away the scarlet letter and undoes her hair. Appropriately, a flood of sunshine illuminates the forest, dispelling the darkness.

Colors

Hawthorne also gives symbolic meanings to the colors that he employs in the novel. The dark, sober, sable garments that Hester wears represent her dull and gloomy life filled with grief, guilt, and sorrow.
In contrast, she dresses Pearl in bright colors, especially crimson, in defiance of the scarlet letter and as a symbol of the child's free spirit. The color of the letter carries special significance. It is red because that is the color associated with the devil, and the Puritans believed that Hester's sin was a mark of Satan.
Ironically, the innocent Pearl fashions a letter "A" to wear herself, but she makes it out of seaweed that is bright green, the color of life itself. Black is also used in the novel. Mistress Hibbins practices black magic throughout the book, and many suspect Chillingworth of doing the same.
An understanding of the symbolic level of meaning in the novel is essential for a better comprehension of the book as a whole. The discerning reader will find the repeated use of symbolism throughout The Scarlet Letter.
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