Scarlet Letter Guilt Quotes

Nathaniel Hawthorne is an American author. He is commonly known as an anti-transcendentalist author meaning he believes human nature is naturally evil and society balances it out. Hawthorne has a common setting around Puritanism. He became fascinated with the theme from the Salem Witch Trials, of which his great-uncle, John Hathorne, judged and shamelessly had many people killed. The Scarlet Letter, by Hawthorne, is based in a Puritan town in the 1600’s. In the novel, Hawthorne uses the symbolism of the Scarlet Letter, Pearl, and Dimmesdale to contribute to the overall theme of guilt.
To begin, Hawthorne uses the Scarlet Letter to contribute to the theme of guilt. The Scarlet Letter “A” is a symbol that Hester Prynne, the protagonist of the story, has to wear as punishment for committing adultery. Hawthorne explains, “It had the effect of a spell, taking her out of the ordinary relations with humanity and enclosing her in a sphere by herself” (Hawthorne 51). The quote shows that the

Dimmesdale is the town's minister, as well as Pearl’s father. Because of his sexual relations with Hester, Dimmesdale lives his life in guilt causing him pain. Doing this dims his life by lying to everyone and not owning up to his sin. Hawthorne explains, “...when poor Mr. Dimmesdale was thinking of his grave, he questioned himself whether the grass would ever grow on it because an accursed thing must there be buried” (Hawthorne 130). This shows that Dimmesdale’s guilt is so powerful that it is affecting his mental health. Later in the chapter, Pearl gathers burrs. Burrs, in The Scarlet Letter, represents guilt. Hawthorne explains, “...She threw one of the prickly burrs at the Reverend Mr. Dimmesdale. The sensitive clergyman shrunk with a nervous dread from the light missile” (Hawthorne 122). The quote means that Dimmesdale goes not want guilt to stick to him. Dimmesdale’s actions cause him to have extreme