Fairly Balanced In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter

The Scale Hangs Fairly Balanced An affair can change a person’s life. That is exactly what happens to Hester Prynne in the novel, The Scarlet Letter. The novel was written by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Hawthorne was born in 1804 in Salem, Massachusetts. He was a dark romantic writer who wrote about 17-century Puritan life. Puritans came from England to America in search of religious freedom. The life of a Puritan revolved around their religion. They spend their entire life avoiding sin and living simply. Hester Prynne, the main character, is a young Puritan woman who commits the greatest sin: adultery. Not only was her adultery a sin, it was a crime. Later on her husband Roger Chillingworth takes some of the blame for the affair. In the novel The Scarlet Letter, written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Roger Chillingworth believes that both he and Hester were equally to blame for the affair. It is known that in The Scarlet Letter Roger Chillingworth spends more time focused on his studies and furthering his knowledge than spending time with
When Hester and Chillingworth are talking, Chillingworth says, “Between thee and me, the scale hangs fairly balanced” (79). They both had a part in the affair in some way. Hester married a man she knew he never loved. Back home in England, Chillingworth did not give Hester the attention a young wife needs. If Chillingworth had followed Hester shortly after sending her to America, the chance of the affair would have been far less likely. Hester knew her husband would come for her eventually, but instead of waiting for him and staying true to her beliefs she looked for love somewhere else. Relationships take effort from both parties. Chillingworth and Hester are both at fault. Although Hester was essentially the one committing the crime, there were many things Chillingworth could have done to prevent the