Essay Scarlet Letter Rhetorical Analysis

In this selection, Hawthorne uses irony to convey his point. Dimmesdale, the holiest minister in the eyes of the crowd, has a constant burden in his heart that tortures him. When he confesses his sin to the townspeople, ironically, instead of seeing his evil nature, they mistake it for a humble degradation. This shows the downfall of human beings: their tendency of being misled and incapability of seeing the truth. Even in the most “holiest” human beings, a deep sin is present.
This passage personifies cowardice as the “sister and closely linked companion” of remorse, showing how being remorseful can result in being afraid as well. Hawthorne personifies cowardice in order to give a more vivid image on Dimmesdale’s conflicts within his mind. Also, the selection compares the minister’s suffering as an “inextricable knot.” This explains how one’s guilt results in an everlasting cycle of pain.
The selection contains vivid imagery and similes. It clearly describes how Hester and Pearl give the minister warmth, but more importantly, separate him from his dark hallucinations of being shamed in front of the entire city. By grasping onto their hands, the minister is reminded of life and has temporary relief from his self-torturing guilt. The passage uses a simile to illustrate this idea more clearly, “pouring like a
For Hester, the scarlet letter represents a hindrance to her freedom, reminding her of her heavy sin. Hawthorne uses a metaphor in this passage, comparing the effect of the scarlet letter as a “withering spell.” This shows how one sinful act can prevent Hester from experiencing joys in life, similar to how putting on the scarlet letter hides Hester’s hair, and therefore, her femininity. The phrase “an evil deed invests itself with the character of doom,” describes how an evil act leads to one’s downfall. This supports the theme that one cannot escape one’s own