Adultery In Scarlet Letter

When spoken, the word ‘sin’ always seems to have a negative tone; when discussing the sins another has committed, it usually coincides with a condescending view. In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s well-known novel, The Scarlet Letter, the main character, Hester Prynne, committed the sin of adultery. In the time period of the Puritans, adultery was one of the most shameful crimes, considering how strictly they followed the bible. Once word travels around town the way rumours tend to do, Hester quickly becomes the center of attention in the community. There are various impacts; not only on her, but the entire community, with the birth of her barbaric child whom defies the standard Puritan etiquette, and the man who is also guilty and silently suffering.

As punishment, a red ‘A’ over her breast needs to be worn to alert the town of what she has done, which she embroidered in gold so that everyone could be aware of what she did. The community’s first reaction is to shun and scorn her; a local woman complains “This woman has brought shame upon us all, and ought to die” (49). The women feel that she has insulted the virtues and sanctity of marriage. However, as the years progress, everyone’s views change and the ‘A’ takes on a new definition of ‘able’, as in able to function, and/or ‘angel’. She became one of the town’s most common subjects to discuss, as they say “Do you see that woman with the embroidered badge? It is our Hester - the town’s Hester - who is so kind to the poor, so helpful to the sick, so comforting to the afflicted!’ ”(159). The general public commends her for what it viewed as a handicap; she becomes a feminist icon and a local hero even through her years of

Her husband may be living in the community, though she does not feel any emotion but bitterness towards him. Roger Chillingworth works in the town and was tremendously looked up to, but he secretly lurks in the shadows of Hester and Dimmsdale’s relationship. Once he discovers the identity of Pearl’s father, his new purpose for living is to cause him agony and misery. Because of this, the burden of sin produces awful guilt that makes Dimmsdale suffer. Unfortunately, the more drastic his sickness becomes, the more the people look up to him, which in term makes him feel even worse. Upon realization of what she has done, at first Hester felt remorse, but the emotion of love is later brought into perspective. She says that “thou art [has been] crushed under this seven years’ weight of misery… but thou shalt leave it all behind thee… thou shalt not go alone” (194-195). The birth of Pearl and their act of true passion may have seemed like a mistake earlier in their lives, but ultimately it only strengthens the bond of affection that they hold and share