Guilt In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter

There are my literature novels that are written that include many messages from the events in a novel. The Scarlet Letter is a novel that is written by Nathaniel Hawthorne to express the events of characters to live a spontaneous life. Guilt is an immersive aspect that is described in The Scarlet Letter. All of the characters in this novel including, Hester Prynne, Roger Chillingworth and Arthur Dimmesdale, experience the feeling of guilt based upon their actions that eventually caught up to themselves, and they ended up getting hurt or initially hurting somebody else. Throughout this novel, Hawthorne explains how these characters are constantly being challenged with repercussions of their actions. Hawthorne describes guilt as being a feeling

When the townspeople find out that Hester was pregnant and that the baby is not her husband's child, Roger Chillingworth, the whole community shames her. In chapter two Hawthorne says, “Be not silent from any mistaken pity and tenderness for him; for, believe me, Hester, though he were to step down from a high place, and stand there beside thee, on thy pedestal shame, yet better were it so, than to hide a guilty heart through life” ( II 48). Hawthorne portrays Hester Prynne as being this independent woman who does not let the thoughts of the townspeople influence her life. In chapter two, Hawthorne says “In a moment, however, wisely judging that one token of her shame would but poorly serve to hide another, she took the baby on her arm, and, with a burning blush, and yet a haughty smile, and a glance that would not be abashed, looked around at her townspeople and neighbors. On the breast of her gown, in fine red cloth, surrounded with an elaborate embroidery and fantastic flourishes of gold thread, appeared the letter A” (II:45). By Hawthorne saying this he is showing that she is not going to let anyone bring her

Hester Prynne did not know if she would ever see Chillingworth since she had to come by herself. In Hester’s defense, when she decided to get intimate with Dimmesdale, she did not know that her husband would ever come back to find her. Not only was Dimmesdale feeling guilty, but o wa Chillingworth. Hawthorne explains the Chillingworth is showing signs of him being guilty, “To his features, as to all other objects, the meteoric light imparted a new expression; or it might well be that the physical was not careful then, as at all other times, to hide the malevolence with which he looked upon his victim” (XII:129). By Chillingworth saying this, he is explaining that not only are the people who have committed inappropriate actions feeling guilty, but the guilt is also on the person who got hurt. Chillingworth is trying to do everything that he can do in order to try to make Hester and Dimmesdale’s life miserable, which is why he was looking so