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Forgiveness and redemption the kite runner
Literary analysis the scarlet letter
Forgiveness and redemption the kite runner
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Throughout the novel The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne shows many examples of forgiveness through the main characters, Hester Prynne, Pearl Prynne, Roger Chillingworth, and Arthur Dimmesdale. Each character has their own personal struggle of forgiveness. Pearl Prynne as an example is able to forgive more easily opposed to Roger Chillingworth, who has more of a struggle with forgiveness. Each character has a different outcome for their forgiveness.
One character who has a struggle to forgive is Mr. Roger Chillingworth. Roger Chillingworth has the biggest problem forgiving Arthur Dimmesdale. Dimmesdale is the man that his wife, Hester Prynne committed adultery with. Chillingworth throughout the course of the novel he makes it very clear that he does not want to even attempt to forgive Dimmesdale for the sin he has done. However, he makes it an obsession to torture
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dimmesdale in anyway he can. An example of this from the novel is, “ But as he proceeded a terrible fascination a kind of fierce, though still calm, necessity sees the old within its gripe, and never set him free again until he had done all its bidding.”(Pg. 142 Hawthorne). Chillingworth’s obsession does not get better, but in fact is the leading cause of his death. A second character that is faced with the struggle to forgive is Arthur Dimmesdale. Arthur Dimmesdale had the difficult decision on if he should of should not forgive the antagonist of The Scarlet Letter, Roger CHillingworth. However, this being a difficult decision for the minister to overcome for the pain and torture he had been put through over the several previous years. Dimmesdale comes to the conclusion that he must forgive his foe, Roger Chillingworth. He makes the decision to forgive him because he is on the verge of his death bed and does not want to die with anymore guilt and regret than he has already, from the previous sin of adultery. We know that Dimmesdale had forgiven Chillingworth because as Dimmesdale is on the scaffold, nearing his death he says, “ May god forgive thee.” (Pg. 281 Hawthorne). As a result of Dimmesdale’s great forgiveness to a foe, let him die in peace. The third character in The Scarlet Letter that has to forgive is Pearl Prynne. Pearl has to come to her struggle of forgiveness with Arthur Dimmesdale. She needs to decide if she wants to forgive Dimmesdale for not publicly acknowledging her and her mother, Hester Prynne. Pearl is now determined that she will forgive Arthur Dimmesdale now that he has come to the scaffold with Pearl and Hester and also claimed Pearl as his daughter. Her forgiveness to Dimmesdale is proven to us when it is said in the novel, “ Pearl kissed his lips and a spell was broken.” (Pg. 282 Hawthorne). The result of Pearls forgiveness and kissing Dimmesdale is that she is no longer a wild child, but instead she will grow up to be a young lady. The fourth and final character in The Scarlet Letter that deals with forgiveness is Hester Prynne. Hester has a difficult struggle to overcome and learn to know to forgive herself for committing adultery and allowing Roger Chillingworth to torture Arthur Dimmesdale for many years past, and yet Dimmesdale did not yet know his true identity. On all accounts of the novel we learn that Hester Prynne will not be able to forgive herself of her sin of committing adultery. This is seen in the article when it is stated that, “ Struggled to believe that no fellow mortal was guilty like herself.” ( Pg. 65 Wagenknecht). We also learn that Hester’s inner struggle finally ends and she comes to the conclusion that she cannot forgive herself for what she has done by allowing Roger Chillingworth to torture Arthur Dimmesdale for the seven years past. This is proven to us in the novel when it states, “ Hester could not but ask herself, whether there had not originally been a defect of truth, courage, and loyalty on her own part in allowing the minister to be thrown into a position where so much evil was to be forebode, and nothing auspicious to be hoped.” (Pg. 183 Hawthorne). The outcome of her guilt was that Hester could never nest peacefully for the sins and guilt she always had. As a result of her not being able to forgive herself, she returned to her town and out the scarlet letter back on as her punishment to herself. In conclusion throughout The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne shows many examples of forgiveness.
Each character of The Scarlet Letter had a different end result. Roger Chillingworth who was unable to forgive Arthur Dimmesdale for committing adultery with his wife, Hester Prynne, and then resulting in his his death. However, Arthur Dimmesdale did forgive Roger Chillingworth for the torture, and then could die peacefully on the scaffold with Pearl and Hester. Also, Pearl Prynne was able to forgive Arthur Dimmesdale because he finally went with her and her mother, in result of this Pearl was no longer a devil child, but now a young lady. Finally, Hester Prynne was not able to forgive herself for her sin of adultery and the guilt of Arthur Dimmesdale’s torture. With this she could never live peacefully in her new land, so she decided to move back to her homeland and returned the scarlet letter to her boosm. Hester also becomes an idol to many town’s women and helps them with their struggles. Each character had the ability to forgive or to not forgive, each ending with a different end
result.
Hester Prynne, the protagonist in the book The Scarlet Letter, has committed the sin of adultery, but learned to use that mistake as a form of strength. Hester’s husband, Roger Chillingworth, sent her to America and was supposed to follow her, but never arrived in Boston. While Hester was waiting on Chillingworth, she had an affair with the town minister, Dimmesdale. As a result, Hester gave birth to a beautiful daughter and was forced to wear the scarlet
In The Scarlet Letter, the main characters Hester Prynne, Roger Chillingworth, and Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale are tangled in a web of deceit, which is the result of a sin as deadly as the Grimm Reaper himself: adultery. Nathaniel Hawthorne, the author of The Scarlet Letter, describes the feeling of deceit using the main characters; for each of the cast the reaction to the deceit is different, thus the reader realizes the way a person reacts to a feeling differs between each character.
The Scarlet Letter involves many characters that go through several changes during the course of the story. In particular, the young minister Dimmesdale, who commits adultery with Hester, greatly changes. He is the moral blossom of the book, the character that makes the most progress for the better. It is true that Dimmesdale, being a minister, should be the role model of the townspeople. He is the last person who should commit such an awful crime and lie about it, but in the end, he confesses to the town. Besides, everybody, including ministers, sin, and the fact that he confesses illustrates his courage and morality.
Throughout the entire novel, every character except for Roger Chillingworth learned to forgive and cleared his or her heart of guilt. When the reverend showed his concern for the doctor just before his death he said, “may God forgive thee. Thou hast deeply sinned” (251). For example, Dimmesdale used some of his last words to forgive the doctor of his wrongdoing. Even though Chillingworth tortured and haunted him until the very end of his life, the reverend had strong enough character to want God to show mercy on the evildoer’s soul. Moreover, Dimmesdale was able to forgive Hester when he told her, “I do forgive you Hester” (191). Because of his high position of authority, Dimmesdale set high standards for his life, and that reflected in the way he handled personal relationships. Also, if Chillingworth had been more understanding towards Hester’s problem, he had a better chance at winning her love back. Finally, both Hester and her lover admitted their sin on the scaffold and sought forgiveness for their transgressions while Chillingworth never could admit he sinned.
Throughout The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne attempted to expose the varying ways in which different people deal with lingering guilt from sins they have perpetrated. The contrasting characters of Hester Prynne and Arthur Dimmesdale ideally exemplified the differences in thought and behavior people have for guilt. Although they were both guilty of committing the same crime, these two individuals differed in that one punished themselves with physical and mental torture and the other chose to continue on with their life, devoting it to those less fortunate than they.
Arthur Dimmesdale’s sin has made him believe that his ministry at the church has become better. Dimmesdale’s guilt has helped him become more in touch with his feelings which make his sermons more believable and therefore better. Before the guilt, Arthur Dimmesdale was a pretty boring man who spoke almost with no heart or feelings towards human emotions. As a man of the church he was losing people right before his eyes. His sin of adultery helped him feel what he couldn’t’ feel before. Dimmesdale 's words are now far more sensitive and deeper because he has the experience torturing him every day. Even with his fault, Arthur continued his life following Hester helping her the best he could as the guilt slowly sank in. Arthur Dimmesdale has now met Roger Chillingworth an English scholar. Chillingworth is Hester Prynne’s husband but agrees to not tell anyone of this because of the shame that he would get from his wife’s depravity. Roger Chillingworth and Arthur Dimmesdale become friends because of the bond they have with Chillingworth being Dimmesdale’s physician and medical caretaker with his health. Hester is the only one who knows both the identities of the two
The first theme expressed in The Scarlet Letter is that even well meaning deceptions and secrets can lead to destruction. Dimmesdale is a prime example of this; he meant well by concealing his secret relationship with Hester, however, keeping it bound up was deteriorating his health. Over the course of the book this fact is made to stand out by Dimmesdale’s changing appearance. Over the course of the novel Dimmesdale becomes more pale, and emaciated. Hester prevents herself from suffer the same fate. She is open about her sin but stays loyal to her lover by not telling who is the father of Pearl. Hester matures in the book; becomes a stronger character.
Gandhi once said, “The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.” Forgiveness is a fundamental concept in To Kill a Mockingbird. When one forgives and shows compassion for another he or she takes the risk that they will be wounded again. Yet, many of Harper Lee’s characters manage compassion for those who are clearly undeserving. These characters attest that while, forgiving is not forgetting, forgiveness can lead to tolerance. Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird shows that forgiveness can be liberating, rectifying, and nurturing.
Without an honorable reputation a person is not worthy of respect from others in their society. In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel, The Scarlet Letter, the struggle to shake off the past is an underlying theme throughout the novel. Characters in this novel go through their lives struggling with trying to cope with the guilt and shame associated with actions that lost them their honorable reputation. Particularly, Hawthorne shows the lasting effect that sin and guilt has on two of the main characters in the book: Hester Prynne and Reverend Dimmesdale.
The Scarlet Letter illustrates that the illumination of self-deception gapes open after one like the very jaws of hell. This is apparent through all the main characters of the novel. Although Hawthorne's work has several imperfect people as the main characters, including Hester Prynne, Arthur Dimmesdale, and Roger Chillingworth, the worst sinner is Roger Chillingworth. Chillingworth commits the greater sin because of his failure to forgive; he has an insatiable appetite for revenge; he receives extreme pleasure in torturing Dimmesdale. Hester Prynne, however, has committed sins of almost the same magnitude.
Redemption, a word with many meanings but few examples. People who think of redemption will usually think of Jesus, but few ever think of Hester Pyrnne. In Hawthrone's The Scarlet Letter Hester was caught in the act of adultery, and in this society, it is no small crime. While in prison Hester gives birth to Pearl, and on the day of Hester's punishment in front of everyone, the entire crowd see Pearl as a small, innocent babe. When Hester was lead in front of the church to point out the man who also committed adultery with her she refuses, "'Never!' Replied Hester Prynne, looking, not at Mr. Wilson, but into the deep and troubled eyes of the younger clergyman. 'It is too deeply branded. You cannot take it off. And would that I might endure his agony, as well as mine!'"(Hawthorne 64) Although it would be easier to tell the town the man who also committed this crime, she says to have his life better treated than that of hers. "...that I might endure his agony, as well as mine!" (Hawthorne 64).
Elizabeth Kubler-Ross once said, “Guilt is perhaps the most painful companion of death.” This quote truly captures Dimmesdale’s death and journey to death, it is guilt that drives him to the grave and it accompanies him throughout all five grieving stages. Dimmesdale is one of many characters in The Scarlet Letter that is faced with problems both personally and spiritually. The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne is a romantic novel about a young woman, Hester Prynne, who is permanently marked with her sin by a scarlet A she must bare on her chest and also by her daughter Pearl. Hester committed adultery with the young minister of Boston, Arthur Dimmesdale. Hester, and her beloved child Pearl, learn to over come the A and change the meaning of it from adulterer to able, while they are changing the way society views them, Dimmesdale is withering away under the “care” of Rodger Chillingworth, Hester’s past husband. Chillingworth knows about the sin and seeks revenge on Dimmesdale. Dimmesdale is helpless and in a downward spiral. He let the sin become who he is, even though the towns people don’t know of his adultery until his dying breath. The Scarlet Letter is a story about overcoming the darkness that hangs above you and stepping out of the sin or gloom that controls you. For characters like Hester this is a fairly easy thing to handle, but on the flip side characters like Dimmesdale struggle and can not seem to escape their heinous acts and don’t find peace of mind until they die. The Scarlet Letter mainly focuses on the process of overcoming these troubling times and how each individual character handles the pressure, stress, and guilt that come along with it differently. Arthur Dimmesdale is a lost soul after his sin, he expe...
As the novel progressed, Chillingworth fits the profile of ‘vengeance destroys the avenger’. When Roger Chillingworth is first introduced to the reader, we see a kind old man, who just has planted the seeds for revenge. Although he did speak of getting his revenge, when Hester first met her husband in her jail cell, she did not see any evil in him. Because Hester would not tell him who she had slept with, Chillingworth vowed that he would spend the rest of his life having his revenge and that he would eventually suck the soul out of the man, whom she had the affair with. “There is a sympathy that will make me conscious of him. I shall see him tremble. I shall feel myself shudder, suddenly and unawares” (Hawthorne, 101) As the novel develops, Roger Chillingworth has centered himself on Arthur Dimmesdale, but he cannot prove that he is the “one.” Chillingworth has become friends with Dimmesdale, because he has a “strange disease,” that needed to be cured; Chillingworth suspects something and begins to drill Dimmesdale. “… The disorder is a strange one…hath all the operation of this disorder been fairly laid open to me and recounted to me” (Hawthorne, 156).
in the reader’s hands, and I believe they deserve forgiveness. There's quite a few signs that point to why they do, including that Hawthorne himself wrote the story because he wanted his own forgiveness for the inherited guilt he received from his family. He battles his guilt, so I believe Hester and Dimmesdale do too. Hester and Dimmesdale both have their reasons on why I think they are deserving of God’s forgiveness.
Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter is a study of the effects of sin on the hearts and minds of the main characters, Hester Prynne, Arthur Dimmesdale, Roger Chillingworth. Hester, Dimmesdale, and Chillingworth. Sin strengthens Hester, humanizes Dimmesdale, and turns Chillingworth into a demon.