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Guilt In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter

750 Words3 Pages

The Scarlet Letter, written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, shows the internal conflict mankind might experience throughout their lives. This novel outwardly speaks about the guilt many carry around, seen or not, and the struggle between doing what is right or choosing to keep quiet and protect their pride, making it a good example to use. Keeping guilt hidden inside will only do more harm than good, and that through the truth peace can be found. Allowing unresolved guilt to dig its claws into your humanity and morality only furthers the downfall of a person. This may be accounted to the fact that they are afraid of how the people around them will react, or the fear that their reputation might be completely ruined. A good example of this can be found within the character Arthur Dimmesdale, a Reverend in The Scarlet Letter. After committing a crime (adultery) Dimmesdale keeps quiet and never reveals what he had done until the very end. Although the Reverend does try to defend his actions by saying no good can be achieved by them, so there is no use in showing themselves for what they are - …show more content…

A good display of this is in the forest scene, when Hester and the Reverend are spending time away from the public and watching Pearl play (Hawthorne, ch.16). It’s here the Reverend is relieved of his turmoil. This goes to show that throughout the conflict there can be mediators in between that do help with struggle and bring peace. It also can prove to be a bad thing, though, and might pull in the favor of the grief filled side. With that in mind, one must be careful of which side they choose to favor, and what they truly have in mind for the future they have planned for themself. In order to maintain balance within themselves, and to ensure the utmost brightest future awaits them, they must understand that control is key and they must be the one in

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