Scarlet Letter Essay

1276 Words3 Pages

Even Shakespeare, one of the greatest writers of all time, had trouble answering this age-old question: what’s in a name? Are we defined by our given names, our nicknames, or by our personalities and actions, especially the mistakes we make? Nathaniel Hawthorne explores this idea with the characters in his novel, The Scarlet Letter. In contrast to modern-day Boston, Hawthorne depicts a time period where there were no deadlier sins than the lust for revenge, corruptness(especially in high society), and the overwhelmingly evident act of adultery. Vengefulness is still prominent in today’s society, but there is next to no one who showcases such a need for revenge than Roger Chillingworth. A character that should be virtually sin-free, the sister of Governor Bellingham, Mistress Hibbins, represents corruptness in the form of witchcraft in this Puritan town. There may be no better representation of sin than Hester Prynne, who bears her sin publicly and constantly; Hester embodies sin, physically and mentally. Even from the beginning of the story, it was clear everyone would be affected by Hester’s unforgivable act, especially her betrayed husband; although, he hadn’t been entirely innocent either. Nothing could rival the requited feelings Chillingworth has towards his sinful wife, Hester; this idea is stressed multiple times throughout the story. Even before he suspected Dimmsdale, during his first encounter with Hester, he speaks his mind about the matter and it’s clear he is angry and vengeful about the illegitimate child. “‘And now, Mistress Prynne... I leave thee alone; alone with thy infant and the Scarlet Letter. How is it, Hester? Doth thy sentence bid thee to wear the token in thy sleep? Art thou not afraid of nightmares and... ... middle of paper ... ...upon by all, making this sin the ultimate act of betrayal of Puritanical values. Imbedded in the title itself, the whole book revolves around the Scarlet Letter, a universally-known product of the nature of human sin; Hawthorne demonstrates many sins through the use of characters and their many faults, which include vengefulness, corruptness, and the most obvious example of sin: adultery. Not only through the narrator’s eyes, but also through those of the characters, the myriad examples of the pure nature of sin are found in the dialogue, events, and narration of Chillingworth, Hibbins, and Hester. Even with the knowledge of the character’s beliefs and motives, the somewhat innocent cast of people in The Scarlet Letter are still defined by their worst mistakes; which still leaves the reader pondering the question: what’s in a name? Specifically, the name of sin?

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