Love is a complicated aspect of the human condition. It makes us do things for other people that we may not have done if love was not binding us together. In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne takes on public humiliation for her lover’s sake, so that he may resist public ridicule, all the while displaying her feelings for him and their daughter, Pearl.
This novel takes place in New England during Colonial America. At this time, adultery and extramarital affairs were extremely frowned upon. When the story begins, Hester Prynne emerges from the jail holding her new daughter Pearl, of whom she just gave birth to. Sewn on her dress is a scarlet “A” symbolizing that Hester is an adulterer of which she must wear for the remainder of her life. While walking to the pillory, many of the people who come to witness her formal punishment give her hateful looks and yell things at her, further condemning Hester for her inappropriate actions. Afterwards, life goes on as usual for …show more content…
He thinks about Hester and Pearl incessantly, contemplating why she has remained so devoted to him in times of constant strife. To make matters worse, Hester’s husband, Roger Chillingworth, seeks revenge on the guilty reverend by secretly scheming to kill Dimmesdale. To complete his task, Chillingworth takes on the role as the personal doctor for the declining Dimmesdale. During this time, Chillingworth witnesses the downfall of Dimmesdale to a point where he feels the only remedy for his health is to confess his transgressions to the public. He does so by revealing his scarlet letter ablaze on his chest, similar to the one that labels Hester Prynne, but his is physically etched on his body. The release of this hidden truth preludes the death of Arthur Dimmesdale on the pillory, ironically where Hester Prynne received her public judgment
This novel takes place in New England during Colonial America. At this time, adultery and extramarital affairs were extremely frowned upon. When the story begins, Hester Prynne emerges from the jail holding her new daughter Pearl, of whom she just gave birth to. Sewn on her dress is a scarlet “A” symbolizing that Hester is an adulterer of which she must wear for the remainder of her life. While walking to the pillory, many of the people who come to witness her formal punishment give her hateful looks and yell things at her, further condemning Hester for her inappropriate actions. Afterwards, life goes on as usual for …show more content…
He thinks about Hester and Pearl incessantly, contemplating why she has remained so devoted to him in times of constant strife. To make matters worse, Hester’s husband, Roger Chillingworth, seeks revenge on the guilty reverend by secretly scheming to kill Dimmesdale. To complete his task, Chillingworth takes on the role as the personal doctor for the declining Dimmesdale. During this time, Chillingworth witnesses the downfall of Dimmesdale to a point where he feels the only remedy for his health is to confess his transgressions to the public. He does so by revealing his scarlet letter ablaze on his chest, similar to the one that labels Hester Prynne, but his is physically etched on his body. The release of this hidden truth preludes the death of Arthur Dimmesdale on the pillory, ironically where Hester Prynne received her public judgment