The Scarlett Letter By Nathaniel Hawthorne

Many early Puritan settlements sought to establish a utopian society in which puritan morals were followed strictly. The Scarlett Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne takes place at a time when colonists were working to build a better society than what they had been accustomed to. Hester is sentenced to carrying the letter "A" on her chest after committing adultery and acting against Puritan rules while Dimmesdale, who is later revealed to have committed this sin with Hester, punishes himself for his wrongdoing as he was never publicly revealed like Hester. While they are both equally guilty of their actions, they have two different ways of acting upon it as Hester indulges herself in good acts to serve her community as a form of accepting her actions

As guilt causes Hester to change, she eventually earns the community's forgiveness and respect through her good acts. The townspeople describe her acts as "None so ready as she to give of her little substance to every demand of poverty…or the garments wrought for him by the fingers that could have embroidered a monarch's robe" (Hawthorne 123). Through effort, repentance, and caring for her daughter, she can forgive herself. Even though she feels guilty, she never attempts to hide the letter or act as if it doesn't exist. Instead, she decides to accept it and can forgive herself because her wrongful actions have already been exposed. The scarlet letter is designed to remind everyone of her wrongdoing, but it eventually begins to lose track of its significance and true meaning. Although Hester carries herself with confidence, the repression of her community harms her elegant disposition as "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…" (Hawthorne 125). Hester loses her once passionate and loving self as shame and guilt consume her thoughts. Hester's vitality vanishes because of the guilt

He feels chest pain brought by his guilt when he is summoned to the governor's mansion to debate the fate of Hester's illegitimate child, Pearl. When arguing, he is described as "pale, and holding his hand over his heart" (Hawthorne 86). Pearl, a symbol of Dimmesdale's sin, makes him clutch his chest in pain because he feels ashamed, which causes him to suffer physically and damages his health. Because he is a minister, he understands the irony of committing adultery and sees his sin as a lack of devotion to God. He is guilty but doesn't accept it because he fears the embarrassment and its consequences. As a result, he will ultimately never be able to let go of his guilt and misery. Dimmesdale exhibits evidence of a fragile mental state as he climbs the scaffold in the middle of the night intending to confess his sins. He starts to lose his mind with no "…power to restrain himself, he shrieked aloud" (Hawthorne 113). Due to his unstable mind and shame-filled conscience, Dimmesdale loses control because of his wrongdoings. He shows signs of poor mental health when he doesn't have a clear conscience and is unable to distinguish between his imagination and reality due to the guilt of his sins, which clouds his thinking. After acknowledging his sins, Dimmesdale displays a strong mind in the final scaffold scene. He fearlessly walks to the scaffold and repents in front