Sin And Redemption In Nathaniel Hawthorne's 'The Scarlet Letter'
The Scarlet Letter Essay – Amy Campbell - November 2011
Topic A: How are Hester, Dimmesdale, Pearl & Chillingworth redeemed by the end of the novel? (Or, how are they not?) In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel – ‘The Scarlet Letter’, the four main characters, Arthur Dimmesdale, Roger Chillingworth, Hester Prynne and her daughter Pearl, are all involved in and affected by each other’s wrongdoings. Sin and redemption are two central themes in Hawthorne’s work. The sin that initiates this conflict also happens to be ‘original sin’, as Hester cheats on her husband (Chillingworth) with Dimmesdale and has his child. Throughout the story we see how the characters deal with their sins and the sins of others and how this affects their lives. Some characters admit their sins …show more content…
He changes over time into an evil man whose sole purpose is to make Dimmesdale guilty & miserable and he's very successful in doing this. Chillingworth's determination to get revenge on Dimmesdale consumes him and his contempt and dishonesty are two of the cruelest sins in the story. When Dimmesdale reveals his sins, he is free from Chillingworth who exclaims, "Thou hast escaped me!" - Chillingworth has no purpose left after this and is “withered up, shriveled away, and almost vanished from mortal sight.” Hawthorne explains he dies within the year, but leaves a considerable amount of money & property to Pearl, which comes as a surprise to the reader. This could show that perhaps, after all that happened, Chillingworth learned his lesson and left his money to Pearl as an act of love or to redeem himself from his life of hatred. It’s arguable whether Chillingworth was actually redeemed but it’s possible that leaving his wealth to Pearl is Hawthorne’s attempt to show it’s never too late to repent for one’s sins as everyone makes
Topic A: How are Hester, Dimmesdale, Pearl & Chillingworth redeemed by the end of the novel? (Or, how are they not?) In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel – ‘The Scarlet Letter’, the four main characters, Arthur Dimmesdale, Roger Chillingworth, Hester Prynne and her daughter Pearl, are all involved in and affected by each other’s wrongdoings. Sin and redemption are two central themes in Hawthorne’s work. The sin that initiates this conflict also happens to be ‘original sin’, as Hester cheats on her husband (Chillingworth) with Dimmesdale and has his child. Throughout the story we see how the characters deal with their sins and the sins of others and how this affects their lives. Some characters admit their sins …show more content…
He changes over time into an evil man whose sole purpose is to make Dimmesdale guilty & miserable and he's very successful in doing this. Chillingworth's determination to get revenge on Dimmesdale consumes him and his contempt and dishonesty are two of the cruelest sins in the story. When Dimmesdale reveals his sins, he is free from Chillingworth who exclaims, "Thou hast escaped me!" - Chillingworth has no purpose left after this and is “withered up, shriveled away, and almost vanished from mortal sight.” Hawthorne explains he dies within the year, but leaves a considerable amount of money & property to Pearl, which comes as a surprise to the reader. This could show that perhaps, after all that happened, Chillingworth learned his lesson and left his money to Pearl as an act of love or to redeem himself from his life of hatred. It’s arguable whether Chillingworth was actually redeemed but it’s possible that leaving his wealth to Pearl is Hawthorne’s attempt to show it’s never too late to repent for one’s sins as everyone makes