Eric Schlosser, American journalist, proclaimed, “Different people, in good faith, can look at the same fact and interpret it differently…” (BrainyQuote). For instance, the cancellation of school the following day could possess various reactions from two separate students. While one student takes the opportunity of a free day to study for any upcoming tests or quizzes, the other might decide to spend their day lying in bed, eating chocolate ice cream, and binge-watching their favorite television series on Netflix. Much like the pair of students, characters in The Scarlet Letter find themselves reacting in a variety of ways after staring into the same set of dark, unforgiving eyes of sin. Through the characterization of Hester Prynne, Arthur Dimmesdale, and Roger Chillingworth, Nathaniel Hawthorne establishes that each individual copes with their own immoral acts in a multitude of ways throughout the entirety of The Scarlet Letter. Nathaniel Hawthorne illustrates how Hester Prynne copes with her sinfulness through her endeavors. After the affair which took place in the exposition of the novel, Hester Prynne finds …show more content…
As a self-made sinner and mirror image of the Black Man, Chillingworth symbolizes the snake from the story of Adam and Eve; however, instead of coaxing the couple to consuming the forbidden fruit, he cunningly leads Dimmesdale down the path of self destruction by introducing the power of guilt, and pressures Hester to deceive Dimmesdale in the act of suppressing his true identity. From this, the reader understands Hawthorne placed Chillingworth into the novel as the antagonist to push Hester and Dimmesdale towards their individual fates. In turn, these characters compel Chillingworth to confront his own wickedness, but he only continues to live his life in sin, no matter how ugly the