Scarlet Letter Literary Analysis-Sin
Invisible to the naked eye is something sinister that every human being has, it is none other than the ominous creation of wrongdoings, sin. Sin is the one true thing that is feared by all. It has the power to consume an entire person, even those who are believed to be pure in heart. In “The Scarlet Letter” by Nathaniel Hawthorne, sin is traced to the characters and the choices they have made, creating symbols intentionally.
An infamous women by the name Hester Prynne committed the outrageous crime of adultery. For the perpetrated offense she must wear a symbol of shame, the scarlet letter. Another bears the same sin but on the inside hiding it from the world, Hester’s new lover, the minister of the town
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The most important symbol of the story is none other than the scarlet letter. The letter on Hester’s chest stands for much more than adultery, it becomes a symbol of aspiration. The symbol defines Hester, guiding her magnificent change and influencing her to become the outstanding figure she ends up becoming. On the night Hester, Dimmesdale, and Pearl stood on the town scaffold a meteor appeared with a scarlet letter resembling the one upon Hester’s chest. This meteor represents the sins that have yet to be revealed by Dimmesdale. The meteor was the last thing that pushed Dimmesdale to confess to the public his darkest secret. By cleary being reminded of his hidden sins, he realizes the effect they have on his beloved Hester and Pearl. This guides Dimmesdale to become a completely different person, acting as if a huge weight has been lifted of his shoulders since he now understands what he must do. Chillingworth is himself a symbol within the story, standing for pure evil. As a malicious and crooked old man, he brings the darkness with him wherever he treads. In the story Pearls even refers to Chillingworth as the black man meaning the devil "Come away, mother! Come away, or yonder old black man will catch you! He hath got hold of the minister already. Come away, mother or he will catch you! But he cannot catch little Pearl!" (Hawthorne 126). He is the epitome of evil, even the children notice his nefarious aura. He is the devil's adversary, and will stop at nothing to administer his