Judgment In Nathaniel Hawthorne's 'The Scarlet Letter'

Ashley Tinajero
Mrs. Trull
AP Language and Composition
Mar 22, 2023
Scarlet Letter RA Essay In the novel The Scarlet Letter Nathaniel Hawthorne expresses the impact of judgment from society on individuals with Hester Prynne and Arthue Dimmesdale having to deal with the guilt and judgment of their illicit affair in 17th century puritan New England, however one is publicly humiliated and the other is being internally destroyed. Hawthorne uses their story in order to convey a larger message applicable to any time period, which is that no matter how far away you strain from your sin it will always come back and haunt you but it is better to be an open book about it instead of secluding the sin within. In chapter 17 of the novel, Hawthorne

In the text it states “ How he haunts this forest, and carries a book with him, a big heavy book, with iron clasps; and how this ugly Black Man offers his book and an iron pen to every body that meets him here among the trees; and they are to write their names with their own blood. And he sets his mark on their bosoms! Didst thou ever meet the Black Man, mother?” (Hawthorne 171) Hawthorne makes the allusion to the devil because it is incredibly fitting as this town Hester lives in is so religious and the eternity of her miserableness is due to their strict scriptures and attachment to religion. Many of the Puritans fear the devil and fear the consequences if they commit any sin so it is much easier to just continuously shame someone like Hester whose reputation has been tainted by sin. More so to associate her with the devil, those are harsh claims but it is justified because of a small mistake she made as a young woman. This association is justified by the Puritans because religion has them so controlled to the extent they can only see black and white. This helps further convey Hawthorne's universal message because it shows that society as whole will never forget your mistakes and will continue to bring them up. Another quote used to justify this claim is “Once in my life I met the Black Man!”

In the text young Pearl states “ It is no Black Man! Thou canst see him now through the trees. It is the minister!” “ And so it is!’ said the child. “And, mother, he has his hand over his heart! Is it because, when the minister wrote his name in the book, the Black Man set his Mark in that place? But why does he not wear it outside of his Bosom, as thou dost, mother?” (Hawthorne 174) Hawthorne uses symbolism to demonstrate the contrast between Hester and Dimmesdale, while one is mourning and suffering on the inside the other is actually comfortable with their existence. For example Hester wears a scarlet letter to symbolize her shame but Dimmesdale keeps the illicit affair a secret and him constantly touching his chest shows how much he is actually suffering on the inside. His child Pearl recognizes this and points out that she knows he’s hiding something. So much that she compares the holy and pure Arthur Dimmesdale with the Black Man, the devil himself. This shows how both Hester and Dimmesdale are equally guilty but somehow it is more apparent in the one who’s hiding it. This also helps convey Hawthorne's message because no matter how out loud or quiet and secretive either are of their shame and guilt they are both constantly haunted by it. In another quote Hawthorne states “To Hester's eye, the Reverend Mr. Dimmesdale exhibited no symptom of positive and