Reoccurring Themes In The Scarlet Letter

There are many reoccurring themes in literature and one of those themes is the war between passion and responsibility. For example, A character’s personal cause, love, desire for revenge, determination to redress a wrong, or some other emotion may conflict with their moral duty. In the novel, The Scarlet letter, Hester Prynne, Reverend Author Dimmesdale, and Roger Chillingworth are used to portray this theme. They all have their own duties and responsibilities yet they let their passions come between what is right. Hester Prynne is the main character of The Scarlet Letter and her story starts in Boston where she was suppose to be waiting for her arranged husband, Roger Chillingworth. While waiting in Boston Hester and Author Dimmesdale have an affair which results in a baby named Pearl. In the Puritan society the penalty for adultery is death but the people did not know if Hester’s …show more content…
Keeping his sin to himself wasn’t the best idea and because of it he had a guilty conscious that tore him up. He became ill and Chillingworth was the one to take care of him. In the end Dimmesdale dies on the scaffold finally declaring his sin. Dimmesdale was highly thought of in the town because of how he preached his sermons with pathos and ethos. His duty as a reverend was to practice what he preached. He let his desire and love for Hester conflict with his duties as a reverend. Roger Chillingworth was Hester’s husband who was Dimmesdale’s doctor. Chillingworth was only taking care of Dimmesdale in order to torture him. He only wanted revenge on Dimmesdale, since Hester already had enough punishment from the Scarlet letter that was embroidered on her chest. After Dimmesdale confessed his sin. Chillingworth died because he had nothing else to live for. Chillingworth allowed his desire for revenge and determination to make Dimmesdale’s sin public consume