Theme Of Corruption In The Scarlet Letter

Hawthorne’s message about obtaining salvation through the means of being open and true to yourself, is shaped by the contrasts of consequences the characters Hester Prynne, who publicly acknowledges her sin, and Arthur Dimmesdale, who hides his sin, face. In Hester’s case, she was publicly shamed for her sin from the beginning and was forced to wear the symbol of her sin, the scarlet letter “A” representing adultery, to isolate her from the rest of society. She had the opportunity to leave the town and begin a new life free from the scarlet letter, but she decides to stay as, if she were to run away or remove the scarlet letter, she would be admitting to the shame of her sins. Her staying, shows she wants to change the scarlet letter to not represent her sin, but her as a character.

By revealing this small, hidden regret, he exposes Hester’s tortured state of mind. Unable to reach salvation in the town she desired to live in, she regretfully decided to leave and abandon her sorrows. The burden society placed on her with the scarlet letter was too demanding for her to handle any longer. Similarly, Arthur Dimmesdale was distressed from his ignominy. Afraid of societal repercussions, Dimmesdale had been “overcome with a great horror of mind, as if the universe were gazing at a scarlet token on his naked breast” (102). Society’s extensive honor toward him exacerbated his pain, thus causing society to trap Dimmesdale; this prevented him from revealing his dark secret and reaching salvation. Additionally, he began to picture his surroundings as an obstacle designed to hinder his path to redemption. His shortcoming to reach salvation agonized Dimmesdale to the point where he was incapable of recalling “[any] text of Scripture, nor aught else, except a brief, pithy, and, as it then appeared to him, unanswerable argument against the immorality of

People, especially Reverend Dimmesdale were especially mean towards Hester, but later in the story, Dimmesdale is outed as Hester’s lover and an adulterer himself. During the conclusion of the story, Dimmesdale’s health begins to fail, and Hester’s old husband, Mr. Chillingworth, suspects that the illness resulted from a sort of internal guilt Dimmesdale had never expressed to anyone. Eventually, Dimmesdale owns up to his guilt and joins Hester and their daughter, Pearl, in the scaffold where Hester was first punished at the very beginning of the story, and admits that he and Hester fornicated and that Pearl was actually his daughter. In the text it says, “God’s eye beheld it! The angels were forever pointing at it1 The devil knew it well, and fretted it continually with the touch of his burning finger! But he hid it cunningly from men, and walked among you with the mien of a spirit, mournful, because so pure in a sinful world!” (pg. 242 l. 2-6), meaning that he and God knew everything that was going on, and it was burning him up inside. In the end, Dimmesdale dies shortly after his confession, and by the time Hester dies, both are buried next to

The central theme in The Scarlet Letter is that manifested sin will ostracize one from society and un-confessed sin will lead to the destruction of the inner spirit. Hawthorne uses the symbol of the scarlet letter to bring out this idea. In the novel, Hester is forced to wear the scarlet letter A (the symbol of her sin) because she committed adultery

Dimmesdale realizes that he must confess his sin and face whatever consequences may lie ahead of him, whether or not his confession is seven years past due. Before reaching the “well-remembered and weather-darkened scaffold,” where Hester Prynne had encountered the “world’s ignominious stare,” Arthur Dimmesdale cautiously comes to a pause (246). Only two people in the crowd, Roger Chillingworth (Hester’s husband) and Hester Prynne, understand why Dimmesdale halts before ascending up the scaffold. He will finally reveal his identity to the town and release the guilt that has built inside of him for seven years. As Hester and Pearl are about to accompany Dimmesdale up to the scaffold, Chillingworth “trusts himself through the crowd” – or, from Hawthorne’s description, “so dark, disturbed, and evil was his look,” Chillingworth “rose up out of some nether region to snatch back his victim from what he sought to do” (247). Ignoring Chillingworth’s effort to stop Dimmesdale, the three mount the scaffold and face the eager crowd. In one of Dimmesdale’s final speeches, he claims that Hester’s scarlet letter “is but the shadow of what he bears on his own breast” (250). The moment after Dimmesdale reveals his ‘scarlet letter’, he stood “with a flush of triumph in his face as one who had won a victory” (251). As Dimmesdale had wished, his remorse and internal pain is forgotten once he reveals his true identity, allowing his soul to experience its elapsed freedom.

At this point in the book, Dimmesdale is well respected by the townspeople, and looked up to by many. He has a superior reputation and worries about ruining it. Dimmesdale urges Hester on the scaffold to tell the officials and the community the name of Pearl’s father. Though he does not have the courage to, since Dimmesdale is Hester’s spiritual mentor and pastor, he is obligated to question Hester about the crime. He knows that if he admits to his sin, he will lose the respect of the townspeople. The speech is two fold, meaning something different to both Hester and the townspeople. Dimmesdale starts contradicting himself, wanting Hester to name the father, but at the same time also not wanting her to: “Even in the first scaffold scene Hawthorne shows forth the deep ambivalence of Dimmesdale’s position: the minister would like to be named and known for what he is, an adulterer” (Twayne 3). Dimmesdale encourages Hester to give up his name when he says, “What can thy science do for him, except tempt him—yea, compel him, as it were—to add hypocrisy to sin?” (Hawthorne 26). According to his ability to keep in his true emotions, Dimmesdale seems unafraid to the community. Dimmesdale is a healthy Reverend, but his confidence slowly deteriorates as his sin consumes

In the Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne vividly portrays the theme sin leads to moral corruption by explicitly describing the temptations Dimmesdale combats after returning from his secret meeting with Hester in the forest. During Dimmesdale’s and Hester’s encounter in the secluded forest, they devise a plan to leave the oppressive Puritan society with their illegitimate child Pearl in hopes of discovering a world where they can live together in peace. The overpowering love they have for each other leads them to conclude that they must leave to Europe. The sinful decision of Dimmesdale to scandalously leave his venerated position as minister in the town and Hester to leave behind her estranged husband corrupt both of their moral characters.

Secrecy is the key to survival when surrounded by a scornful community that is ready to pounce on anyone’s sinful past. Concealment of one’s feelings not only protects one’s weaknesses but also helps in avoiding conflicts with society. Many characters in The Scarlet Letter, particularly Hester, Dimmesdale, and Chillingworth, hide their feelings in order to keep their dark pasts from the grasps of both each other and the Puritan society that aches to condemn the sins of criminals. In order to create suspense throughout the story and emphasize the importance of secrecy, Nathaniel Hawthorne hides the pasts of his obscure characters from not only the Puritan society within The Scarlet Letter but also from the community outside the novel: the readers.

The Scarlet Letter: Hiding One’s True Colors Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter offers countless examples of characters hiding their true identities, true intentions, and true desires throughout the book. Understanding the depth and inner workings of each character’s mind is vital to processing all the symbolism packed into the storyline. Although a character may be saying and presenting themselves in one way, his or her real feelings and subconscious may be on a completely different page.

However, keeping his relationship with Hester a secret ate at Dimmesdale’s mind more and more as the story progresses. His main motivation is to protect himself; However, it is evident that Dimmesdale achieves a mental break after he and Hester speak to each other in the forest. Dimmesdale begins to think that he does not know what kind of man he is anymore, which makes him question if other people have noticed any change. Dimmesdale scolds himself for thinking violent

Reverend Dimmesdale was a renowned, prideful man stricken with sin and extreme guilt.  From the time Hester and Dimmesdale made love, he was grievous of his sin but he also felt a great love towards her.  Dimmesdale's stubborn pride troubled him greatly, and although he tried many times, he could not confess his sin to his religious followers.  Dimmesdale felt guilt so strongly that he scourged himself on his breast and patterned an “A” into his own flesh, yet he could not confess his sin until his grief grew so great it caused him to perish.  Reverend Dimmesdale's sin was greater than Hester's because he let his pride conflict with his repentance, and let his life be ruined by his anguish.

      Throughout his novel, The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne reveals character through the use of imagery and metaphor.

In the world today, themes and symbolisms have played a major role in the development and presentation of past and present novels. These themes and symbolisms within a novel shape the overall story and often work hand in hand to convey its purpose and meaning. One such novel would include The Scarlet Letter, written by Nathaniel Hawthorne; in this story, along with all his others, he has incorporated his three predominant, driving themes: sin, hypocrisy, and corruption. In The Scarlet Letter,

Hester’s selflessness shows in this because she willingly gives up her life for the sake of Dimmesdale’s. Along with ruining her image for the sake of Dimmesdale’s, Hester Prynne’s selflessness is also shown when she provides him with comfort. Dimmesdale has been majorly impacted as a result of keeping this sin inside of him. He has begun to go crazy and spirals downhill because of his lack of courage and honesty with rest of the town. Upon seeing this side of Dimmesdale, Hester immediately sympathizes for him and tells him that “(t)hou art crushed under this seven years’ weight of misery” (178).

Judgment can be the the greatest plague of society. Judgment kripples acceptance, forward growth and blinds entire communities. Though in retrospect plagues are necessary, as is judgment. Without judgment humanity would be blind to people's character exposing them dangerous risks unstable people present. In The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne , Hester dealt with the judgment repercussions of adultery. Her sin caused society's judgment of her to rise and fall, in tandem producing negative and positive effects for Hester. Throughout the novel the Puritan community shifts their views of Hester. In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, judgment that plagued Hester as a result of her sin evolved and shifted the communities views of her.