Essay On Nathaniel Hawthorne's 'All Of The Scarlet Letter'

All of The Scarlet Letter is narrated by an ambiguous third person narrator who tells the story as an outsider looking in. Using this narrator almost as a “moral judge”, Hawthorne makes sure he or she is not unbiased or impartial. Hawthorne needed the story to posses an aspect of mystery and for this reason supplied it with an honest and subjective narrator who had no fear or restraints in telling the tale. Though it does make The Scarlet Letter a complicated read due to readers not being exposed to the characters point of view, it provides for a very unique and interesting perspective of the situation. As previously mentioned, the narrator possesses a strong sense of omniscience. Their reflection on the story and characters demonstrates

The almost arrogant side of the narrator adds a distinctive edge to The Scarlet Letter. He never full describes what the characters think, but rather his description of them. In describing the “runaway” attitude that Hester possess the narrator says “She had wandered, without rule or guidance, in a moral wilderness; as vast, as intricate and shadowy, as the untamed forest, amid the gloom of which they were now holding a colloquy that was to decide their fate” (Hawthorne, 277). He never actually discloses what Hester thinks but rather describes it. His very detailed diction and intense imagery gives readers a much “showier” description of the tale rather than telling readers the facts. The narrator also inserts much moral wisdom and insight as the novel progresses. Within the first pages of The Scarlet Letter is a reference to a rosebush, symbolizing the moral blossom that occurs within he book. Throughout the novel the narrator preaches the moral code of truth. He stresses that lies and evasion are the cause of all distress. For this reason, his descriptions of Reverend Dimmesdale and his cowardly choices are seemingly geared towards his decision to keep his identity secret.