Hypocrisy In The Scarlet Letter

The Scarlet Letter tells a tale of a woman who commits adultery, a sin punishable by shame in puritan times. Throughout the novel the main characters show hypocrisy in the ways they respond to the adulterous act and the story soon revolves around these events. Most would assume that the book focuses more on the sin of adultery because that is what is at the root of the story and the rest builds upon it. Hypocrisy is the sin that The Scarlet Letter is more concerned with, after the original sin of adultery is committed the novel focuses on the hypocrisy of three of the main characters and the townspeople who judge Hester Prynne harshly. One of the most evident sources of hypocrisy is Arthur Dimmesdale and his refusal to confess of his sin. The townspeople consider “Godly Master Dimmesdale” (Hawthorne 57) to be a perfect sinless priest. His responsibility as a priest would be to admit what he has done or to step down from his position, but he hides from his sin and pretends to be the good and just minister that he once was. Although his and Hester’s sins are the same Dimmesdale expounds upon her sin

Hester believes her marriage to be false, “[T]hou knowest that I was frank with thee. I felt no love nor feigned any” (Hawthorne 69). She also believes that her sin with Dimmesdale is false as well because they loved each other. Hester continues to wear the scarlet letter and receive punishment even though she has no belief that her sin was real, making her a hypocrite. Hester kept the fact that Chillingworth was her husband a secret, “I will keep thy secret” (Hawthorne 71). Even though she claimed to love Dimmesdale she allowed Chillingworth’s identity to go unknown and for him to go into Dimmesdale’s home, knowing that he would most likely cause harm. If she she truly loves him she would warn him of who Chillingworth really is and his probable