Free Essay - The Poser of Guilt in Nathaniel Hawthornes The Scarlet Letter :: Scarlet Letter essays

The Poser of Guilt in The carmine Letter       The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, is a book that goes far into the lives of the master(prenominal) characters. After establishing the main characters--Hester, Pearl, Dimmesdale, and Chillingworth--he shows how each decision they made affects all the others. Hester Prynne, Arthur Dimmesdale, and Roger Chillingworth all felt dishonored at one point in the novel.   Hester had dark and abundant hair, so glossy that it threw off the sunshine with a gleam, and a face which, alike being beautiful from regularity of feature and richness of complexion, had the impressiveness belong to a marked brow and deep black eyes (50). Hester, hither described as a beautiful woman, had committed adultery. Because of her sin, her punishment was assault by the branding of the scarlet A. She simply accepted the punishment. The scarlet letter makes people look at Hester differently, but she doesnt seem to care. Hester created the A to be truly elaborate to make people notice it. Having the sin out in the open let her relieve any guilt.   The A was meant to punish Hester for eternity. She was to wear it savings bank she died, and then it was going to be engraved on her tombstone. While in the forest, Hester made clothes for people in town. Because she had sinned, she was not allowed to make the light veil which was to cover the pure blushes of a bride (76). After a a few(prenominal) years, Hester had changed the meaning of her scarlet letter, they said that it meant Able so strong was Hester Prynne, with a womans strength (141). Her punishment had become an honor. Although Hester tore off the letter and went to England with Pearl, she returned to capital of Massachusetts and put the scarlet letter back on.   Hester was certainly not the barely person affected in all of this. Roger Chillingworth had a slight defect of the figure which later reflected the transformation hi s soul would make (56). In the prototypal meeting of Hester and Chillingworth, Hester asks, Hast thou enticed me into a bond that will prove the smash of my soul? and Chillingworth replies, Not thy soul. No, not thine (70).