As a stark contrast to today’s culture having a scant amount of repercussions, the Puritans had considerably more numerous disciplinary actions that were noticeably harsher. Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter is heavily centered on how the Puritan people face guilt and sin in ways their religion and culture allowed. As the plot develops, the four main characters-Hester Prynne, Pearl Prynne, Arthur Dimmesdale, and Roger Chillingsworth- reach individual development by dealing with the effects of guilt and sin individually. Hester opposes it by flagrantly wearing a scarlet letter on her chest, Pearl manages by being a living symbol of Hester’s egregious offense, Dimmesdale confronts his transgressions privately while it consumes him, leading
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Arthur refrains from confessing his sin and chastises himself through psychological and physiological means, such as wearing a scarlet letter underneath his priestly robes and flogging himself with a whip. Because of Dimmesdale’s constant internal struggle with his sin of adultery, he becomes mentally unstable and believes he cannot be a pure priest for the Puritan community to trust and follow. Throughout his self-chastisement, Pearl often asks Dimmesdale “Wilt thou stand… with mother and me,” (Hawthorne 121), meaning when will Dimmesdale confess to his wrongdoings and explain to the community that he is the father of Pearl? Ultimately, Dimmesdale openly admits to his crime at the town scaffold where he dies after he exposes his sin to the entire …show more content…
Hester Prynne realizes that she is not forced to follow her community and therefore has the choice on how she faces her own shortcomings. Once Pearl breaks her ties to her parents’ unmarital affairs, she is released from her role as a human version of the scarlet letter, therefore becoming a free woman. Arthur Dimmesdale eventually finds peace against his immorality by admitting he committed adultery with Hester. After realizing he will die an angry, bitter man, Roger Chillingsworth reaches his peak of development. Hawthorne’s depiction of Puritan communities shows their tendency to inflict incredibly strict punishments on people they deemed criminals. While today’s society does enforce justice with occasional strict verdicts, today’s culture is not as demanding or exaggerated in its
Arthur refrains from confessing his sin and chastises himself through psychological and physiological means, such as wearing a scarlet letter underneath his priestly robes and flogging himself with a whip. Because of Dimmesdale’s constant internal struggle with his sin of adultery, he becomes mentally unstable and believes he cannot be a pure priest for the Puritan community to trust and follow. Throughout his self-chastisement, Pearl often asks Dimmesdale “Wilt thou stand… with mother and me,” (Hawthorne 121), meaning when will Dimmesdale confess to his wrongdoings and explain to the community that he is the father of Pearl? Ultimately, Dimmesdale openly admits to his crime at the town scaffold where he dies after he exposes his sin to the entire …show more content…
Hester Prynne realizes that she is not forced to follow her community and therefore has the choice on how she faces her own shortcomings. Once Pearl breaks her ties to her parents’ unmarital affairs, she is released from her role as a human version of the scarlet letter, therefore becoming a free woman. Arthur Dimmesdale eventually finds peace against his immorality by admitting he committed adultery with Hester. After realizing he will die an angry, bitter man, Roger Chillingsworth reaches his peak of development. Hawthorne’s depiction of Puritan communities shows their tendency to inflict incredibly strict punishments on people they deemed criminals. While today’s society does enforce justice with occasional strict verdicts, today’s culture is not as demanding or exaggerated in its