The Implicat of Sin in Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter

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The Implicat of Sin in The Scarlet Letter

Sin is the transgression of a moral code designated by either

society or the transgressor. The Puritans of Boston in the novel, The

Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, establish a rigid moral code by

which to purge their society of deviants. As this society is inherently

theocratic, the beliefs and restrictions established by religion are not

only incorporated into law but constitute all law. In this manner, the

moral code of the Puritan society thoroughly pervades the lives of its

individuals, and any presence of iniquity is felt in all aspects of their

lives. In The Scarlet Letter, the characters' lives are controlled by the

sin they commit.

Hester Prynne's adultery causes her alienation from the Puritan

society in which she lives. After the term of her confinement ends, she

moves into a remote, secluded cottage on the outskirts of town, inducing a

physical separation from the townspeople. Because of this seclusion from

society, the Puritans regard her with much curiosity and suspicion: "

Children...would creep nigh enough to behold her plying her needle at the

cottage-window...and discerning the scarlet letter on her breast, would

scamper off with a strange, contagious fear." In addition to the physical

separation, a more intangible manner of exclusion also exists, in that

Hester becomes a pariah. She is subject to derision and malice from the

lowliest of vagrants to the most genteel of individuals of the community,

though many are often the recipients of her care and attention: "The

poor...whom she sought out to be the objects of her bounty, often reviled

the hand that was stretched forth to succor them...Dames of elevated rank,

likewise, were accustomed to distill drops of bitterness into her heart."

Hester cannot feel any sort of kinship with the townspeople in light of the

treatment she receives from them, thus alienating her even further from

Puritan society. Formerly an inhabitant within the bounds of the community

as well as a member of the community, she is now outcast in both respects.

Just as the act of adultery is pivotal in Hester's life, this sin effects a

similar manipulation of Arthur Dimmesdale's life.

Dimmesdale's guilt over his sin continually torments him throughout

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