Introduction
Nathanial Hawthorne’s fictitious work, “The Scarlet Letter,” tells the story of a young Puritan lady who becomes pregnant with the child of a minister’s child while marrying a man who has been away for seven years. As a penalty for her transgression, society decides she should be compelled to carry a scarlet letter A on her bosom at all times, alerting everyone who sees her to the fact that she is an adulteress. Arthur Dimmesdale becomes an icon in death than he was when he was alive. His fate was seen as a symbol of society and sin acceptance, despite the fact that some people think it was a result of divine judgment. The idea of sin and punishment makes readers ponder about everyone being sinful and is the main topic of the novel.
Social Commentary
Examining the work reveals that the author’s writing style and how he goes into the Puritan way of living appear to highlight the double standards that prevailed during the period. For example, when the character of Hester is sentenced to death for adultery, little is said about the man with whom she had sexual contact. All the blame is given to her based on how she is portrayed and how people perceive her.
It was an intended component of the story on the author’s side to illustrate how women were treated much worse living in such a society. The personality of Roger Chillingworth became the first to indicate the injustice of Hester being sentenced for the crime with minimal to no effort made to discover the individual she slept with (Hawthorne 97). Another factor to consider is that Reverend Dimmesdale was disclosed as the father of Hester’s child near the novel’s conclusion. However, whereas Hester could accept being classified as adulterous, Dimmesdale deteriorated throughout the book while not exposing his truth until the conclusion.
Acceptance and Sin
Hester and Dimmesdale had distinct responses to the sin they perpetrated because they decided to embrace it differently. In the instance of Hester, instead of choosing the simple route out by committing herself, she opted to serve as a seamstress to assist her daughter. However, “the days of the far-off future would toil onward, still with the same burden for her to take up and bear along with her” (Hawthorne 90).
On the other hand, Dimmesdale opted to keep everything bottled in and suffered as a direct consequence of what he considered a moral transgression (Hogue 98). At this point, the story appears to call into question the genuine consequences of morality and sin. The theme of acceptance and sin to move on is highlighted by the deaths of Chillingworth and Dimmesdale, whose reluctance to accept and move on murdered them in the end, unlike Hester, who embraced her fault and bore it proudly to a relatively happy ending (Hogue 99). The key issue in this debate is the age-old question of whether legal punishment is a tool for retribution and reform. Hester was punished for her transgression, yet her guilt pales compared to her punishment.
The important question in this debate is whether adultery affects the entire community, and if it does not, the state cannot punish it. However, if it does, it raises various problems, including whether it is important to describe Hester’s sin and whether their relationship is full of respect and passion. This may be noticed from the initial moments that characterize Hester and her husband’s relationship. It is not difficult to infer that her attraction to Dimmesdale was her first true love (Hogue 98). Thus, her fault is not so much that she committed adultery as it is that she was unable to forecast the subsequent collapse of the family, which is not based on genuine sentiments.
However, the sentence appears to be too harsh for childish irresponsibility. In a culture where moral values and Biblical postulates predominate, self-condemnation is a severe penalty. According to the philosophical premise, only inner conflict may be a basis for development and progress (Hawthorne 29). It is why the penalty failed to achieve its goal of reform. Hester dealt with her situation and converted “The Scarlet Letter” of her guilt into a colorful adornment, symbolizing her power and passion. Hawthorne states that “she had not known the weight until she felt the freedom” (232).
The tale of “The Scarlet Letter” is reminiscent of the Biblical account of Original Sin. It raises the issue of whether a human individual or a community has the authority to assume the role of God and punish sin (Hawthorne 39). Puritan heritage entails maintaining a dedicated manner of thinking and doing. However, the individuals who created the protagonist’s surroundings ignored one of their religion’s key tenets, which states that one should not judge others. Understanding and forgiveness are far more powerful weapons than deafening, loud piety. The foundation of a decent society is the ability to forgive and give a second opportunity.
The shadows of “The Scarlet Letter” do not promise Pearl future success and future. The unjust penalty contradicts the human principle that prioritizes all people’s rights. Inflicting an innocent person’s pain is a sin that appears to be far more serious than the adultery of the protagonist (Hogue 98). The powerful and colorful metaphoric picture of a thorn bush and a prison tower that runs throughout the story contrasts the flowering of eroticism with the chilly shade of merciless authoritarian constraint. The prison’s thick wooden door reflects the harsh and vicious legislation and society’s rigorous and unforgiving ethos.
In an attempt to punish for the sin, society perpetrated the most heinous act of inhumanity (Hawthorne 76). In this work, Hawthorne effectively depicts ideals and practices characteristic of Puritan culture and advocated by Puritans. Boston’s little location between the forest and the sea emphasizes the shallowness of Puritan life and mentality. Hester’s lone company is her mischievous, rebellious daughter Pearl, a symbol of her mother’s hidden character.
The letter, as a symbol of guilt, is a part of Hester’s body and identity. Hawthorne demonstrates that a single charge against a person is sufficient to accept guilt, even if the guile cannot be proven (Hawthorne 45). For example, in the magnificent moment in the forest, ‘A Flood of Sunshine,’ that symbolizes Arthur and Hester’s loving reconciliation, she liberates herself of the letter by unpinning her hair and eventually convinces him to depart from the community with her.
Hester demonstrates immense inner strength and courage, which aids her in resisting society’s brutality and injustice. The author calls Hester Pryne strong, “with a woman’s strength” (Hawthorne 183). The novel’s gritty texture adds to the realistic mood, which may represent the realities of everyday existence (Hogue 125). Among the reasons her sexual independence does not lead her very far is the concept of loneliness, which causes a sense of shame. Despite her attempts to avoid the rites of womanhood, Hester is doomed to replay them, even as Hawthorne recalls and revises these situations.
Conclusion
Although some believe Arthur Dimmesdale’s fate was a result of divine judgment, it was seen as a symbolic act of accepting societal norms and sin. Producing extraordinarily strong American authors allows for a well-argued study of American history and culture. Hawthorne wrote at a period when America sought to distinguish itself from generations of European tradition by inspiring allegiance and broadening the world’s understanding of America’s relatively brief past. The narrator, like Hawthorne, had to reconcile the necessity to establish a substantial history with the equally apparent desire to write a narrative to write an interesting story. Like the eagle just above the customhouse entrance, which simultaneously protects and looks to be ready to attack, it is both a promise and a threat.
Works Cited
Hawthorne, Nathaniel. Scarlet Letter (Legend Classics). Legend Press Ltd, 2020.
Hogue, Dawn. AP English literature and composition. Research & Education Association, 2020.
