Inherently Flawed Characters In The Scarlet Letter By Nathaniel Hawthorne

In the book, Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne expressed numerous themes throughout the course of the book. One particular theme is that characters in the novel, Dimmesdale, Hester, and even Pearl are inherently flawed humans. This idea that humanity is inherently flawed is that we were born imperfect, and during puritan times, puritans believe that through Original Sin that everyone was born with sin. However, despite being born with Original Sin, many puritans saw that these characters were sinful because of what they did or did not do. However, Nathaniel Hawthorne saw that these characters were sincerely flawed humans, like all of us. There were many different ways, Nathaniel Hawthorne expressed his thoughts on humans being inherently

Throughout the course of the book, Hester was not the only one who committed the sin of adultery. Nathaniel Hawthorne used Reverend Dimmesdale to be the other adulterer to show everyone is inherently flawed. Also, in addition, Nathaniel Hawthorne also displayed how different people take it. Dimmesdale was distressed at the sin he had done, and he thinks of himself as a hypocrite and unworthy. In the text of The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote, ““Reverend Master Dimmesdale, her godly pastor, takes it very grievously to heart that such a scandal should have come upon his congregation.” (Hawthorne page 149) In this passage, Nathaniel Hawthorne is showing us that everyone respects him, and many people would never think he is capable of committing this sin. Through this book, Scarlet Letter, it states, “Mr. Dimmesdale was overcome with a great horror of mind, as if the universe were gazing at a scarlet token on his naked breast, right over his heart. On that spot, in very truth, there was, and there had long been, the gnawing and poisonous tooth of bodily pain. Without any effort of his will, or power to restrain himself, he shrieked aloud.” (Hawthorne page 426) In this excerpt, Dimmesdale is tired of being cowardly and hiding his sin, but he is too scared; so, he ends up going to the scaffold. By having this in the book shows that even though we are born flawed, it is up

Pearl, who was relatively innocent, was flawed because of various reasons. One reason was she was not allowed around other children because she was born to an adulterer as a mother. Therefore, she was different from the other children. Also, she was flawed because no one wanted to be around her because they saw her as an evil child. Pearl was an innocent, young girl that could not escape the situation she was in, and it was not her fault. Another reason was she was, at times, different, or evil. Because she was not allowed to play with the other children, she was outcasted, along with her mother, and this led to her being different from other kids. One example of this was when she was throwing flowers at the Scarlet Letter. She was inherently flawed, not just because her mother was an adulterer, so she was literally born out of sin, but she was flawed because she is evil. According to the townspeople, she was born evil; however, many people, including myself, think that she was shaped into being the person she