Scarlet Letter Compare And Contrast Essay

As the time periods move forward, plot becomes less and less of a vital part of the story. The emphasis is put much more heavily on characters, and what can be learned from them. For the most part, previous to the romantic time period the emphasis was on plot. Through this time period and onto the realist and modernists the emphasis switches to characters, and the truths that can be learned from them. This is made very clear in“The Red Badge of Courage”. There’s no real point to the story, but the lessons learned from each individual character are abundant. Themes coming from characters rather than plot is also seen in “The Scarlet letter” and “The Grapes of Wrath”. Throughout “The Scarlet Letter”, Hawthorne uses Dimmesdale to show the truth

The reasons are plentiful why a man would not desire to confess his sin. Whether it be guilt, laziness, ignorance, or pride, all of these reasons come from one root, the devil. The bible states that the only path to forgiveness is repentance. It goes on to say that the first step of repentance is confessing your sins. Keeping this sin inside causes guilt and pain in so many different ways. It is similar to keeping an agonizing virus inside of your body. Hawthorne finds a skillful outlet to speak on this truth through Dimmesdale. Hawthorne uses Dimmesdale to not only show that everybody has transgressions deep beneath their skin, but he also shows how wretched it makes a man feel. Dimmesdale was a very respected and accomplished clergyman at this time. In a flurry of ardent love Dimmesdale had an adulterous affair with the main character Hester. Being as respected as he was in this town he felt it wrongful to confess his sins, for it would affect the lives of the puritan people. “… at the full height of his voice, and tell the people what he was…. ‘I, your pastor, whom you so reference and trust, I am utterly a pollution, and a lie’”(Hawthorne 132). Dimmesdale, the man who the puritans thought to be nearly perfect, had an unrevealed offense that was punishable by death. Hawthorne used Dimmesdale to strengthen the theme that everybody has a transgression that they are hiding. Hawthorne additionally used Dimmesdale to show the effect the pushing sin beneath the surface has on a man. After Dimmesdale committed his sin, he continued to preach God’s word. As he was an esteemed preacher, the puritans continued to respect him. “It is inconceivable, the agony with which this public veneration tortured him!”(Hawthorne 131). Dimmesdale felt that it was his moral duty to keep his sin to himself, and as he did this it deranged him. He desired to confess his sin and seek forgiveness, but he was