Introduction to “The Scarlet Letter”
The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne was published in 1850. The novel explores the social issues like sin, guilt and redemption. The story was set in the 17th Century Puritan Massachusetts Bay Colony and focuses on a woman, who is undergoing her punishment for extramarital affair – being branded with the scarlet letter “A”. The realistic historical background, the complex plot, characters as well as moral and legal questions enrich the author’s exploration of human nature as the principal themes of the novel.
The narrative is not only the story of personal shame but also the broader criticism on the society that bends people to such moral judgments. The theme of sin also transpires in the novel and reveals the repercussions that it brings to the hero and the society, along with the nature of the society’s rules and the nature of human feelings and conscience.
Themes in “The Scarlet Letter”
1- Sin and Redemption
“On the breast of her gown, in fine red cloth, surrounded with an elaborate embroidery and fantastic flourishes of gold thread, appeared the letter A. It was so artistically done, and with so much fertility and gorgeous luxuriance of fancy, that it had all the effect of a last and fitting decoration to the apparel which she wore, and which was of a splendour in accordance with the taste of the age, but greatly beyond what was allowed by the sumptuary regulations of the colony.”
Sin and Redemption is a core theme of the novel. The Scarlet Letter “A” indicates the symbol of the adultery of Hester Prynne. However, gradually it becomes the sign of her strength of character and the ability to outstrip her past.
The journey of Hester from public shame to personal redemption reflects that how people can evolve and find forgiveness as well as acceptance, both from others and themselves.
2- Public vs. Private Guilt
“People say, said another, that the Reverend Master Dimmesdale, her godly pastor, takes it very grievously to heart that such a scandal should have come upon his congregation.”
The passage reflects the theme of the contrast between the public and the private guilt. Arthur Dimmesdale is another central character in the novel, who is an arrogant, highly respected Puritan minister.
In fact, his is Hester’s lover and the father of her child. However, he faces deep internal shame until he finally confesses at the end of the novel. This internal struggle and the state of a mind indicates the destructive nature of hidden sin and the importance of honesty and confession.
The public punishment of Hester for her sin and private suffering of Dimmesdale emphasizes the societal hypocrisy in the novel.
3- The Nature of Evil
“Roger Chillingworth was a striking evidence of man’s faculty of transforming himself into a devil, if he will only, for a reasonable space of time, undertake a devil’s office.”
Another theme of the novel is the nature of evil, which has been represented through the character of Roger Chillingworth – Hester’s husband.
His transformation into a bitter recluse overtaken by thoughts of revenge serves to demonstrate dangers of obsession and the desire for revenge to one’s personality. The novel shows how evil overcomes the Chillingworth character and turns him into the villain consumed by hatred and desire for revenge.
Summary of The Scarlet Letter
The story of the novel is quilt in sin where the protagonist commits adultery and has to bear the mark of shame for the rest of her life because of the sin she committed.
The Scarlet Letter as a novel is a description of sin, the consequences thereof, and repentance in the puritan Massachusetts Bay colony. The chief character of the novel, Hester Prynne, has to wear the scarlet emblem ‘A’ on her chest for adultery.
Her lover, Reverend Dimmesdale, conceals his sin, which results to illness in the internal aspect. Roger Chillingworth, Hester’s husband – although they are separated, shows up in the colony and has a vendetta against Dimmesdale.
Based on the social expectations of the Puritan community in the seventeenth century, the protagonist Hester Prynne needs to bear her punishment with pride and strength, and she achieves that gradually with the respect of the community.
Governor Dimmesdale’s sin, which he conceals, has a negative impact on his soul which ends in public recognition of his sin and death. Appalled at the Governor’s tyranny Chillingworth turns into a vengeful man and he dies soon after Dimmesdale does.
The transformation of Hester from a sinned person to a rehabilitated person is the best symbol of the novels main themes, sin and guilt and the ability to be forgiven and improve.
The reader is vividly presented with various literary and poetic devices employed by Hawthorne to add meaning to the story. Things like the scarlet letter “A”, the scaffold, and other symbols help the reader to understand the characters’ fight within themselves, as well as the fight for the society.
Thus, one can conclude that The Scarlet Letter is a great and timeless piece of literature that is worth reading. For this reason, the novel has become one of the important milestones of American literature, filled with substantial topics, which gives a clear vision of the human sins and the society’s judgment of such sins.
See also: Themes in Metamorphosis
Quotes from The Scarlet Letter and Their Meanings
Quote #1
“On the breast of her gown, in fine red cloth, surrounded with an elaborate embroidery and fantastic flourishes of gold thread, appeared the letter A.”
This quote explain the symbol of ‘A’ that Hester Prynne is forced to wear as a sign of her sin which is adultery.
The fact that the embroidery is very detailed, and uses gold thread, implies that Hester has taken control of her Scarlet Letter and has turned this shame into an object that distinguishes and defines her identity.
Perhaps it expresses her and rebellious spirit against the rigid Puritanical culture wanting to taint her.
Quote#2
“People say, said another, that the Reverend Master Dimmesdale, her godly pastor, takes it very grievously to heart that such a scandal should have come upon his congregation.”
This quote depicts the fact that Reverend Dimmesdale is in a paradoxical position. In spite of being looked as a righteous and a genuine pastor, he is burning under the fire of sin and guilt.
This duality emphasizes the theme of hidden sin versus public virtue, which reflects the hypocrisy within the Puritan society and the personal agony it causes.
Quote#4
“The scarlet letter had not done its office.”
This statement can be considered to be the extension of the thought about the intended purpose of the scarlet letter, to demonstrate Hester sin and to punish her and thus prevent other people from the same sin.
As far as the Scarlet Letter is concerned, instead of shattering Hester the letter becomes a symbol that remains a part of her life with pride. It represents how people can reverse the meaning of symbols of oppression and thus empower themselves.
Quote#4
“Roger Chillingworth was a striking evidence of man’s faculty of transforming himself into a devil, if he will only, for a reasonable space of time, undertake a devil’s office.”
This quote is reference to the change that Roger Chillingworth undergoes and becomes a figure of revenge and evil.
First, Hester’s estranged husband, Chillingworth, develops the passion, which turns him into a man obsessed with revealing and, thus, torturing,
Hester’s lover, Dimmesdale. His transformation reflects the destructive nature of revenge and obsession, thus reinforcing the theme of evil and its effect on the human soul.
See also: Literary Devices Used in Jane Eyre
