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Comparison Of Letter And Dimmesdale In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter

401 Words2 Pages

Nathaniel Hawthorne’s book, The Scarlet Letter, Hester and Dimmesdale are faced with a sin. They had committed adultery and over the period of the book, I believe they are beginning their journey to forgiveness. By the end of the book, context can support that Hester and Dimmesdale are forgiven by God for their sin of Adultery.

In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s book, The Scarlet Letter, Hester and Dimmesdale are forgiven by God for their sin of adultery. Nathaniel writes many things that give off the impression that they are forgiven. For instance, Hawthorne writes “ "dear little Pearl, wilt thou kiss me now? Thou wouldst not, yonder, in the forest! But now thou wilt?”. In this context, Pearl is conscience. She had kissed Dimmesdale when she had washed away his kiss in the Brooke before. Later Hawthorne writes “Pearl's errand as a messenger of anguish was fulfilled.” This line shows that since Dimmesdale confessed, she has done her job. She has brought peace and forgiveness for their sin. Another reason they are forgiven is that when Hester and Dimmesdale died, they had been buried …show more content…

Hester had taken off the Scarlet Letter in the forest while she was with her daughter Pearl. Once Pearl had noticed that the Scarlet Letter had laid on the ground near her feet, she told her mother. “ Pearl," said she sadly, "look down at thy feet! There!--before thee!--on the hither side of the brook! The child turned her eyes to the point indicated, and there lay the scarlet letter so close upon the margin of the stream that the gold embroidery was reflected in it."Bring it hither!" said Hester. "Come thou and take it up!" answered Pearl.”. Hester had then returned the Scarlet Letter upon her bosom where the sunshine turned to darkness. Once she had put on the Scarlet Letter, nature acted to show the sin of the Letter. Without it she was forgiven. God had light shine down upon her until she went back to the

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Looking into the armor surrounding the room, a reflection shows not Hester and Pearl, but the Scarlet Letter and the child born from it. This was yet another scene that the reader can further connect the Scarlet Letter

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Dimmesdale’s Guilt In Nathaniel Hawthorne's novel, The Scarlet Letter, admitting guilt opens oneself to sin. When Hester admits to being guilty of adultery, it condemns her. However, by accepting her condemnation, she saves her soul. On the other hand, Dimmesdale does not confess to his part in the adultery. He keeps his guilt bottled up inside.

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Hester went to plead that the officials of the town leave Pearl in her care and not take her away to be raised by any one else. When it seems that Hester is losing this battle she asks Dimmesdale to speak in her defense which he does quite passionately. This desire to protect the mother and daughter bond of Hester and Pearl is what seems to draw Pearl to approach Dimmesdale and take “his hand in the grasp of both her own…” and lay “her cheek against it; a caress so tender…” (The Scarlet Letter, Chapter VIII) Dimmesdale’s defense and Pearl’s reaction are two cues that lead the reader to begin seeing the truth of who Pearl’s father

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Then, and there, before the judgment seat, thy mother, and thou, and I must stand together. But the daylight of this world shall not see our meeting!" (Hawthrone 277). This reply Dimmesdale gives to pearl when she asks him why he cannot stay with his mother and her together shows that even though Dimmesdale feels guilt and wants to make things right with Pearl and Hester. However, he still has a constant fear of what the public would think of him and the fear of losing his position in the church/society.

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Several days later, Hester meets Dimmesdale in the forest, where she removes the scarlet letter from her dress and identifies her husband and his desire for revenge. In this conversation, she convinces Dimmesdale to leave Boston in secret on a ship to Europe where they can start life anew. Renewed by this plan, the minister seems to gain new energy. Pearl, however, refuses to acknowledge either of them until Hester replaces her symbol of shame on her

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Pearl is a constant reminder of their sin, in which Hester holds onto public guilt, and Dimmesdale onto private guilt. Both Hester and Dimmesdale are destroyed by their guilty consciences, but Hester can redeem herself in the town. Dimmesdale continues to be brought down by sin. In the novel

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Throughout the passage from The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne uses Hester’s baby, Pearl, to illuminate the theme of beauty in a dark place. Once released from prison, Hester, an adulterer, becomes a public spectacle. Through this hard time, Hester has her daughter Pearl to soothe her and to bring her strength and hope for a better future. By using vivid imagery and juxtaposition, Hawthorne depicts Pearl as Hester’s happiness, light, and beauty during a sad and lonely time. While in Prison, Hester is all alone and depressed.

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In the chapter, “Revelation of the Scarlet Letter”, Hester and the crowd listen intently to Dimmesdale's confession of being the biological father of little Pearl. He quotes, “in the name of Him, so terrible and so merciful, who gives me grace, at this last moment, to do what--for my own heavy sin and miserable agony--I withheld myself from doing seven years ago, come hither now, and twine thy strength about me!” By doing so he tells the entire multitude about his true selfhood. Pearl then gives him a kiss for confessing. Continuing, he states, “is not this better,” murmured he, ”than what we dreamed of in the forest?”

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Dimmesdale soon says, “Come up hither, Hester, thou and little Pearl! Ye have both been here before, but I was not with you. Come up hither once again, and we will stand all three together!” Dimmesdale’s problem is when no one is around, he tries to be close to Hester and Pearl. Pearl would ask Dimmesdale to stand with them like this in front of the town, and he would say no. He feels guilty for his sin, but is a coward for not admitting what he has

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Eventually, the stress and pressure in Dimmesdale’s heart lead him to death. In comparison to Dimmesdale’s death, Hester’s ending is way different. Hester and Pearl leave Boston, but Hester eventually comes back to town without Pearl. Hester puts on the letter “A” again, and she starts to help people deal with their mental stress. “But, in the lapse of the toilsome, thoughtful, and self-devoted years that made up Hester's life, the scarlet letter ceased to be a stigma which attracted the world's scorn and bitterness, and became a type of something to be sorrowed over, and looked upon with awe, yet with

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The readers learn that it is the first object of which Pearl seemed aware. “But that first object of which Pearl seemed to become aware was-shall we say it? -the scarlet letter on Hester’s bosom!” (p 82). Throughout the book, Pearl constantly reminds Hester of the scarlet letter, as if she is purposely making her uncomfortable.

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Although publicly admitting to sin can be a challenging task, time will heal the initial pain. Hester Prynne, of the Scarlet Letter, lives this lesson as she commits the sin of adultery. Her punishment for the sin is to wear the letter “A” on her bosom until she is allowed to remove it by the Puritan authorities wishes. Initially, Hester feels guilt and shame as she wears it. As Hester’s character grows in strength, she overcomes the letter’s original purpose of punishment.

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From this quote, this shows what what is happening to him for what he does to himself. THIRD POINT: how affects Hester and Pearl Dimmesdale's sin affects his relationship with Hester and Pearl. In order to keep their secret safe, Dimmesdale, Hester, and Pearl must meet somewhere secret. They would love to be together out in the open but due to Dimmesdale's position, that cannot happen. Pearl wants for Dimmesdale to acknowledge them in the daylight.

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