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Sin In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter

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Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel, The Scarlet Letter, revolves around an indefinite concept condemned from the biblical dawn of mankind (Adam, Eve, and their grave misconduct in the Garden of Eden): sin. The deadly seven exist within all of us; pride dances with greed, lust provokes envy, gluttony begets sloth, and wrath skulks in the recesses of our being. But, as explored through Hester Prynne’s infamous existence, there is a vital spirit and a certain passion that engenders sin. The basic plotline stands thus; a young, married woman engages in a passionate affair with Reverend Dimmesdale, bears an illegitimate daughter while imprisoned, and is constantly ostracized by her community for her terrible sin. However, Hester refuses to reveal the
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Sin is an immoral act considered to be a transgression against divine law. Despite the moral principles recognized in everyone, it is so often that individuals succumb to the instant gratification of sin. In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, the plot is centered around a group of Puritans living in Boston Massachusetts, where the avoidance of sin is one of their most absolute doctrines. He truly captures how sin affects individuals in a strict civilization through the use of various rhetorical devices, focusing on the symbolism of the characters, the distinct tone employed to convey specific messages, and the analogies further that emphasize and develop the effects of sin on individuals.

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The Scarlet Letter, written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, reveals many aspects of human nature. One of Hawthorne’s prevalent themes is the way in which hidden sin affects the human soul. Through the progression of Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale, Hawthorne explores the dynamic way in which hidden sin ultimately induces more suffering than open ignominy, using figurative language and contrast to convey his message. Immediately before Dimmesdale gives an impassioned plea for Hester to reveal her partner in sin, Hawthorne indicates through imagery and contrast that Dimmesdale’s sin does not yet have a great impact on his livelihood. Hawthorne notes that Dimmesdale’s “eloquence and religious fervor had already given the earnest of high eminence (46).”

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878 Words | 4 Pages

The book “The Scarlet Letter” by Nathaniel Hawthorne is a complex novel that has underlying themes of sin and the responsibility for sin. The novel takes place in a Puritanical society, but two people, Hester Prynne and Arthur Dimmesdale, fornicate with each other, even though Hester is married to someone else. Only Hester is punished, so Dimmesdale keeps his guilt inside, not revealing it to anyone. Hester’s husband, Chillingworth, then proceeds to ruin Hester’s partner in crime, corrupting his soul and being the ultimate cause for his death. Hester, on the other hand, leads a relatively happy life after she had repented for her sin.

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1613 Words | 7 Pages

According to Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary, sin is defined as either an offense against the religious or moral law or an action that is or is felt to be highly reprehensible. In seventeenth-century Puritan society, sin was highly disapproved of. The Puritans were members of the Church of England involved in a reform movement regarding purifying members to achieve a near-perfect society throughout the sixteenth and eighteenth centuries. When a member of Puritan society committed a sin, there were several different extreme methods in which the Puritans could punish that individual; imprisonment, whipping, public humiliation, hanging, and worse were all viable options that one might go through if their sin was to be exposed. Nathaniel Hawthorne

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431 Words | 2 Pages

The Scarlet Letter and Sins In the past, adultery was, as it is today, considered a sin. Harsh punishment always applies to women under this circumstance. If a priest, in this case Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale, a role model of society commits sin of this nature, harsher punishment awaits him. There were many different forms of punishment for sinners; they would publicly humiliate, ruin reputations, exclude them from the community (treat them as if they were outcasts).

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908 Words | 4 Pages

“Human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires”(James 1:20). In the Puritanical society that Hawthorne illustrates the citizen’s goal is to please their divine Creator. Puritans believe that there are many different ways to please God, but they also understand that there are also many ways to disgrace God. If this is true then Chillingworth is not a good pupil of God. For, Chillingworth disgraced God by committing one of the seven deadly sins, and his fate was to cause his own destruction.

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The Scarlet Letter questions the human fallacy regarding sin and knowledge. The novel asks its readers whether they believe in their ability to comprehend the difference between right and wrong. Through the depiction of the prude mindset of the Puritan society - exaggerated in a way which truly emphasizes the idea of this fallacy, readers receive this question shockingly to where the message is indirectly concise, yet easily translated. Biblically, sin represents a lack of proper execution of one's knowledge.

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Dying with their sins seems to be the greatest fear the townspeople have and Hawthorne describes it as, “Dying sinners cried aloud for Mr. Hopper, and would not yield their breath till he appeared”(10). It is a great vulnerability to bare their deepest mistakes to someone who sees all and judges them for the rest of eternity. “The black veil involved his own spirit in the horror with which it overwhelmed all others”(6) the minister had seen his reflection in a glass cup, reminded of the horrible sin the veil represent for him. He quickly runs, the fear of the known chasing him and taunting him by hanging in front of his face, ever so reminding that he shall die with it.

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In the novel The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, uses a variety of symbols to add a deeper understanding throughout the whole story. The symbol of a door helps the readers understand the relationship with the theme of the story, the sins and guilt of Dimmesdale and Hester, and how the Puritan society is strict and bound by punishment. Throughout the whole story, Hawthorne shows how the theme of guilt and sin is shown throughout the whole story of the the bad people of the puritan community. Dimmesdale and Hester cannot escape their own sin, but throughout the whole story, them keeping it in made them to feel guilty on the inside. For Hester it showed to the reader in chapter 5 “Her prison-door was thrown open, and

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271 Words | 2 Pages

In the novel The Scarlet Letter we are taken to a much stricter time in life. Where laughing and dancing were considered to be out of norm. The year is 1642 and we are introduced to a young woman who has been convicted for adultery. The author fills the book with many characters, each character committing their own sin. As a reader we are challenged to base an opinion on each character based on the sin they have done.

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796 Words | 4 Pages

The Consequences of Sin Sin is defined as “an offense against religious or moral law”. The idea of sin and being ostracized for your sins was extremely relevant during the Puritan period when religion was the greatest component of daily life. The Puritans believed that they had entered a covenant with God and therefore any sin, such as crime and adultery were considered a breach of their covenant with God. This view led to the church punishing people who committed sin in order for God not to punish the church as a whole. The consequences and effects of sin is shown through the character development in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s, The Scarlet Letter.

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686 Words | 3 Pages

The Hidden Sin and The Revealed Sin As humans, we live in the that are brimming with sins and evil desire. As the creator of all the creatures, God, sent his only son to save the people from the control of devil. The only thing we have to do is to acknowledge our mistake. Bible teach us that we should tell the truth to God and your neighbors, and God will forgive you. But people are worse, they not only hide the sin and their evil behaviors but also try to deny it.

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1006 Words | 5 Pages

After the Hester last talking with Mr. Dimmesdale, She was shocked since heard that the condition of clergyman reduce. His nerve seems be break, his morality force has been reduce even week than the child. It at a low level on the ground, even caused his intelligent was still at the origin force or it even get a kind of morbid energy, and even it will just give them. And she know that except her righteousness of conscience exists, there is a terrible machine be taken in to Dimmesdale’s quilt and peaceful life, and it still working. Knowing what is the man of sin used be like, her whole soul was be moved by his fearing, he require to her-that woman who was be left, for supposes he find the enemy.

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1029 Words | 5 Pages

Effect of Sin and the Chance of Redemption Sin is a powerful action that has an everlasting consequence of guilt. Once done, the person wants to forget about his felonious actions; however, hopefully a person’s conscience is a constant, nagging reminder. In order to be free of the constant pain, redemption is pursued for even the person who sinned in public or private. In The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne proves that the truth of sin eventually need to be confronted in order for a person to stop suffering.

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936 Words | 4 Pages

In the “Scarlet Letter,” Nathaniel Hawthorne portrays hypocrisy of the Puritan society, where the protagonist Hester Prynne face many consequences of her actions and the how she tries to redeem herself to the society. During the seventeenth puritans believe that it is their mission to punish the ones who do not follow God’s word and it is their job to stop those from sinning. Therefore, the hypercritical puritan society punishes Hester harshly for committing adultery, but in Hester’s mind, she believes that what she did was not a sin but acts of love for her man. Eventually, she redeems herself by turning her crime into an advantage to help those in need, yet the Puritan society still view her as a “naughty bagger.” (Hawthorne 78)

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