The Scarlet Letter - Thesis on the theme of Sin and Guilt.

One main theme present in the work The Scarlet Lette is that of sin and guilt. Nathaniel Hawthorne attempts to show how guilt can be a form of everlasting punishment. The book represents sin and guilt through symbolism and character development. In his novel, The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne explains how the punishment of guilt causes the most suffering among those affected. As with any piece, symbolism plays an important role in representing the main ideas of a novel. The plot in The Scarlet Letter revolves around three significant events that describe the development of the story. As both starting point and ending point of the novel, the scaffold scenes hold symbolic meaning. The first scaffold scene introduces the reader†¦show more content†¦As the book opens, Hester is brought forth from the jail and walked to the scaffold. For the first time being seen in public named an adulterer, Hester shies from the public as they mock her. However, She never battled with the public, but submitted uncomplainingly to its worst usage; she made no claim upon it, in requital for what she suffered; she did not weight upon its sympathies. (Hawthorne 140). Soon, it did not matter what other people thought of Hester because of her sin. She chose not to live with the humiliation, but she did have to live with herself. Having to deal with her daughter Pearl day in and day out is a punishment in itself as well. Most people, including Hester, view Peal as a demon child. However, Hester hesitates to punish Pearl for being so. She feels guilty as it is, placing a burden on Pearls life, for Peal is branded as the child of an adulterer, all of this resulting from Hesters passionate sin. (Guilt as Reparation for Sin, paragraph 14). The minister Dimmesdale is greatly affected by the weight of guilt he carries with him everyday of his proceeding life. Since his sin is unknown to society, there is not a public crowd to look down upon him, but one Roger Chillingworth who lives just to torture Dimmesdale. He wishes and prays most often that the public know of his wrong, rather than hold it secret, as it would be less painful. Happy are you,Show MoreRelatedScarlet Letter : A Dark Gloom Hung1105 Words   |  5 PagesGeorge Mallinos Mrs. Costigan AP English III 16 February 2015 The Scarlet Letter A dark gloom hung over Nathaniel Hawthorne’s head for most of his life causing his writings to be intoxicated with his everlasting thrust for darkness. In The Scarlet Letter he plants his trade mark of sin, redemption, and guilt into history’s abiding collection of remarkable writings. 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