Integrity In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter

The definition of integrity in the Merriam-Webster Dictionary is a firm adherence to a code of especially moral or artistic values. A character with integrity is willing to sacrifice anything of sentimental or physical value, even their life or reputation, to defend the moral system they govern themselves by. It takes someone of strong character to possess integrity, because the temptation to give in is every so often immensely appealing. In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne is a character of such integrity, because she upholds her promise with Chillingworth and refuses to flee from the punishment of the scarlet letter “A”. (Hawthorne 55) On the other hand, Dimmesdale was a man of low integrity, because he would not confess the truth about

Honest with himself, he was however misleading with the congregation from the fear of facing the punishment and the shame he knew he would face from them. He knew he had done wrong, it was obvious in the penance he imposed on himself, yet he was deceitful with the townspeople giving evidence to the lack of integrity his character had within. It took him seven years and a call of death to finally come clean with his fellow worshippers. It was too late to gain any form of dignity, and if anything he would only be seen as a coward for just dying after his confessed his sin.

In the Scarlet Letter Hester Prynne was a character of high integrity. She lived by her own values and merits no matter what the consequence, and refused to give in to the abundance of temptations that were presented to her. The scarlet letter also provided lessons that Hester needed to learn in order to continue her development as a person. Men living by Dimmesdale’s standard, hiding the fact they have sinned and having to be pushed to the edge to confess, feel integrity takes a back seat to getting what you yearn for. For them, their moral code is only a guide, seldom