Religion and social norms
and social norms played a vital role in structuring communities and passing societal values to new generations. The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne is a narrative that reveals the social and psychological impact of sin on its perpetrators. The composition of the Scarlet Letter brings out the sins of the main characters, that is, Roger Chillingworth, Hester Prynne, and Arthur Dimmesdale to show modest and extreme actions of human beings when faced with tough choices and situations. Written in 1850, the Scarlet Letter administers the test of obedience to religious practices and social norms to vital people in the community in a bid to show the weaknesses of such well-knit communities. Thus, sin humanizes Dimmesdale, makes Hester more courageous, and transforms Chillingworth into a devil.
The first character is Hester, who undergoes extreme public humiliation and is isolated by the Puritan society. The sin that Hester committed was adultery. When Chillingworth is declared lost at sea, Hester officially becomes a widow. She then turns to Dimmesdale for spiritual guidance, and their relationship turns into passion. In the process, both commit adultery, which leads to the birth of Pearl. The first scene is ironic when Dimmesdale implores Hester to conform with society and announce the father of the child, and she says, “Never!” However, Dimmesdale is happy with Hester’s decision on how to deal with the sin, and he praises her in his heart. With this defiance of the law, Hester attracts more confrontation with Governor Bellingham. Hester’s choice to suffer because of her sin gives her inner strength, which gives her energy to bear the pressure to tell Chillingworth the truth about Pearl’s father. Eventually she gets the strength tell the truth about Dimmesdale who almost loses his sanity because of the revelation. Through Hester’s charitable deeds in the community, she becomes an angel of mercy and a remarkable person in the community. It is through Hester’s decision to endure the humiliation and public repentance that she finally gets to assist the downtrodden, the sick, and the poor.
Arthur Dimmesdale is described as highly sensitive and a passionately religious person. Dimmesdale committed adultery with Hester. Additionally, as an ordained minister, he also betrayed his official duties as a Puritan minister. Dimmesdale chooses to endure the consequences of his sin by undergoing a public humiliation and repentance. It is through this that he eventually agrees to relent on the guilt that he had carried for seven years. As a genuinely religious man, he hopes that death is his only true redemption. Atop the scaffolding and under the influence of God, Dimmesdale repents his sin, and he is sure to enter heaven as since he used the appropriate way of repenting. “No man, for any considerable period, can wear one face to himself, and another to the multitude, without finally getting bewildered as to which may be true.” In the lives of others, Dimmesdale demonstrates that although ministers lead the communities spiritually, they can also be tempted and commit sin. However, by using the right method of repentance and truth, they can also enjoy forgiveness.
Roger Chillingworth arrives in Massachusetts and finds his wife undergoing public embarrassment for committing adultery. Despite numerous choices, Chillingworth chooses vengeance, and that becomes his sin. Chillingworth then single-mindedly embarks on pursuing Hester’s lover to effect vengeance. He does so with scientific motives and techniques. “He had begun an investigation, as he imagined, with the severe and equal integrity of a judge, desirous only of truth, even as if the question involved no more than the air-drawn lines and figures of a geometrical problem, instead of human passions, and wrongs inflicted on himself.” During Chillingworth’s pursuit of vengeance, he violates Arthur’s soul and heart to observe his reactions. These acts show a lack of human compassion by Chillingworth and his determination to pursue vengeance. Despite the determination to enact vengeance, Chillingworth withers up, and the hatred and obsession consume him. While Chillingworth has pursued vengeance for seven years, Hawthorne uses Hester to show him how he grew distant from humanity by isolating himself and neglecting his wife.
In conclusion, the Scarlet Letter is an incredible ancient tale that immortalizes its three main characters. Written in a period whereby there is essential cooperation between the government and the religious authorities, Dimmesdale and Hester serve as an example of loyalty and challenge to traditional forms of conducting activities, respectively. Finally, Chillingworth introduces the role of science in the community and how it challenges contemporary norms. The Scarlet Letter is a narrative that has been educative for the past generations, but it will also remain essential for future generations.