Suffering In Hester And Dimmesdale

Expressionist artist, Edvard Munch, created a popular painting given the name “The Scream” for its representation of the embodiment of suffering on man and nature. The landscape of the painting is a “dark orange sky” meant to represent the suffering of nature as it is being destroyed by volcanic eruptions and natural disasters. The figure of a man with an “agonized expression” is said to be a result of the great amount of suffering he encounters as both nature and the world around him ceases to exist. Suffering comes in a variety of different ways and at a myriad of different degrees. While suffering appears in many different forms throughout The Scarlet Letter in both Hester and Dimmesdale, the suffering of Dimmesdale is much worse because of the copious amounts of guilt within his conscience.

In The Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne experiences suffering in ways that are both physical and mental after she commits her adulterous act. A symbol of Hester’s adulterous act is “the letter “A” illuminated upon her bosom” throughout most of the novel (Hawthorne 51). It is a symbol of her sin and a public representation of her sin, acting as a constant reminder for her and the townspeople. Hester feels alone when she is placed onto the “scaffold” where everyone judges her sin (Hawthorne 50). The scaffold is a symbol that represents the embodiment of sin, which is the Devil. The scaffold acts as the

Suffering can also be placed at different degrees making suffering much more difficult for one person than another. Ultimately, the suffering Dimmesdale encountered surpassed the suffering Hester encountered because of the multitude of suffering that was a result from his ever increasing guilt. The guilt Dimmesdale had surrounding his internal and external influences continued to weaken him further until his death that signified his sought out entrance into