Scarlet Letter Evil Essay

Sophie Zulandt

Professor Erritouni

US LITERATURE: BEGINNINGS-1860

23 April 2023

The Scarlet Letter and the Nature of Evil

The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne is predominantly known around the world as a forbidden love novel; Hawthorne does a great job of exhibiting this theme in his work. Another important aspect to note is that this novel is set in Puritan, New England. These Puritans ostracized Hester Prynne and her daughter Pearl from the community and forced her to wear the “scarlet letter A” all because she had her out of wedlock with a minister named Arthur Dimmesdale. In addition to forbidden love as a theme, guilt and sin can also be applied to the novel. However, evil is displayed more prominently throughout the book; from

There could be many different interpretations to this letter “A”, one being the Puritans act of making Prynne wear this emblem on display. They made a spectacle of Prynne, so that others would see what she had done and not follow in her footsteps. Unfortunately for Prynne, society from there on looked down upon her and never forgave her for her actions. Another stance could be that the scarlet letter itself could be a symbol of evil and sin because of the adultery Prynne committed. As represented in chapter five of the book, Hawthorne explains how the Puritans put Prynne on display, “Thus the young and pure would be taught to look at her, with the scarlet letter flaming on her breast,—at her, the child of honorable parents,—at her, the mother of a babe, that would hereafter be a woman,—at her, who had once been innocent,—as the figure, the body, the reality of sin. And over her grave, the infamy that she must carry thither would be her only monument” (Hawthorne 91). This excerpt displays how the sin and evil Prynne committed would be the only way people would know her. The scarlet letter “A” can be represented as evil through the Puritans act of making Prynne wear the emblem, and the symbolism of the letter itself through the evil acts Prynne

Some examples include Hester Prynne having feelings of guilt about her affair with Dimmesdale, Dimmesdale also being consumed with guilt because of the affair he had with Prynne, and finally, one could argue that Chillingworth is guilty of seeking revenge upon Dimmesdale because of the affair. To start, Prynne, even though she is not required to anymore, continues to wear the scarlet letter “A” out of guilt. In the chapter titled “Another View of Hester,” Prynne describes the lasting effect of the letter on her chest. As cited in the text, “The effect of the symbol—or, rather, of the position in respect to society that was indicated by it—on the mind of Hester Prynne herself, was powerful and peculiar. All the light and graceful foliage of her character had been withered up by this red-hot brand, and had long ago fallen away, leaving a bare and harsh outline, which might have been repulsive, had she possessed friends or companions to be repelled by it” (Hawthorne 199). Prynne feels a sense of guilt that will likely stay with her for a while. The next example displays Dimmesdale’s guilt towards the adultery he committed. Oftentimes, he would physically harm himself, such as carving the letter “A” into his chest. As indicated in the chapter titled “The Revelation of the Scarlet Letter,” “With a convulsive motion, he tore away the ministerial band from