Guilt In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter

“There are two kinds of guilt: the kind that drowns you until you’re useless, and the kind that fires your soul to purpose.” ―Sabaa Tahir, An Ember in the Ashes. Similarly, two types of guilts are represented by the characters in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel, The Scarlet Letter. Although the reasons are dissimilar, both Hester Prynne and Reverend Dimmesdale are forced into a state of deep regret as a result of the mutual decision to keep their iniquitous hidden from the plebeians. The two of them fell into a forbidden love and subsequently committed adultery, but swore to never tell. The townspeople discovered that Hester committed the sin because it resulted in a baby, however, she would never give away the name of her paramour. Thus, Dimmesdale

Hester faces a different type of inner anguish. She must raise her daughter, Pearl, knowing that she is result of sin and that the entire town will segregate her when she has yet to do anything wicked. As a consequence for withholding their dark secret, Hester and Dimmesdale must live the rest of their long lives with guilt devouring them from the inside. Once Hester Prynne and Reverend Dimmesdale committed the act of adultery together, immediately they agreed not to tell anyone that it had ever happened, and if they did get caught, they swore to each other that they would not give the other away. Little did they know, however, the prompt appearance of Hester’s pregnancy would betoken the disclosed information they both held. Standing on the scaffold, alone besides the proof of her sin in her arms, Hester would not adhere to the peremptory demands from each Reverend to hear the name of her accessory. Even when she

One of the largest factors that fueled her guilt was watching her daughter, Pearl, grow up. She must raise her little girl and teach her not to sin, all while knowing, deep down, that she herself has committed the greatest sin of all. Furthermore, Hester must constantly evade inquiries from Pearl about her father and about the substantial symbol that her mother wears on her bosom each day. To the Governor, she exclaims, “‘Here is a child of three years old, and she cannot tell who made her! Without question, she is equally in the dark as to her soul, its present depravity, and future destiny!’” (Hawthorne 168). In addition, Pearl is subjected to alienation from the public the minute she is born, even though she has yet to commit any sin. She is forced to live on the outskirts of town with little contact to the other children. This alone causes her to acquire social skills that are slightly absent. “As was usually the case wherever Hester stood, a small vacant area—a sort of magic circle—had formed itself about her, into which, though the people were elbowing one another at a little distance, none ventured or felt disposed to intrude.” (Hawthorne 350), which indubitably became the usual case for Pearl as well. This undoubtedly added to the guilt that Hester felt. Lastly, Hester felt the regret