In the novel The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne critiques on the Puritan society of the 1640’s. The Reverend Dimmesdale, a priest in the puritan community, commits the sin of adultery with Hester, a married woman. Dimmesdale, however, keeps his sin a secret and Hester soly takes the blame. Dimmesdale, being a priest, is the one who charges Hester with her sin and attempts to convince her to confess her companion. Hawthorn uses Dimmesdale to comments on the puritan values of sin and redemption.Using the first and final speeches of dimmesdale, Hawthorne claims that redemption can only be achieved by confessing one’s sins and though the cowardice of Dimmesdale shows the consequences of withholding sin.
As Dimmesdale is charging Hester with her sin, he is arguing that the only way she can redeem her self is by confessing and revealing her companion. Dimmesdale starts his argument in an authoritative manner by gaining credibility with his audience. Dimmesdale is standing above the crowd “leaning over the balcony” (69). This position itself puts dimmesdale in an authoritative position as he is literally above his audience and clearly visible to everyone around the scaffold. He then affirms the claim made by Mr. Wilson to further his credibility among the puritans. As Mr. Wilson is a
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One can reach redemption through private means. The ability to overcome the committed sin and move on. This, however, was not true in the puritan societies of the 1640’s. They believed that redemption cannot be reached without a public confession. They used this idea of public shaming to create a set of community ideals. Whenever these ideals are broken, such as in Dimmesdale and Hester’s case, the town publically shames them. Hawthorn comments on these stringent rules of the puritan society by arguing what exactly is redemption. Is the ability for an individual to forgive himself/herself or the act of the society forgiving the