Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter: The Underlying Theme of Self-Reliance

The Scarlet Letter Essay In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, the underlying theme of self-reliance is evident in all four main characters at some point throughout the novel. Arthur Dimmesdale relied on himself to punish himself for his sins, up until the last moments of his life. Roger Chillingworth was self-reliant in his torment of Arthur; Roger felt it was his responsibility to punish the man who had sinned with his wife. Pearl was more self-reliant as a seven-year-old child than most adults were at that time. She had her own thoughts about the world and stuck to them, which is what Ralph Waldo Emerson claims is self-reliance in his essay, Self-Reliance. However, Hester Prynne is the best example of a self-reliant character, in relation to Emerson’s essay. Emerson’s ideals about self-reliance can be summarized simply in the following words: a man must be true to oneself. Hester’s self-reliance was apparent by the way she made decisions based on what felt right for her, and how she redefined her life after being shunned by society, which are actions promoted by Emerson’s essay Self-Reliance. Hester Prynne was a woman who made decisions that felt right for her, which were also good for those closest to her. As Emerson wrote, “What I must do is all that concerns me, not what people think.” The initial decision to commit adultery with Arthur Dimmesdale was, although against the law, right in Hester’s mind. She hated her husband, Roger Chillingworth, and loved Dimmesdale. Hester did not see the act as a sin or breaking the law, she saw it as an act of passion. Although, later she did feel shame when she had to bear the scarlet A upon her chest. Her love for Dimmesdale was expressed again when she hides his identity from the town fathers. Hester decided to do this not just for Dimmesdale, but also for herself. It made her feel better to be at least able to think she was saving the man she loved from her same fate. This decision also meant that she would be raising Pearl alone. Hester chose to stay in Boston, which was the most powerful decision she could have made after being condemned. Even though after seven years she did eventually decide to leave, Hester paid her dues in the town that had shunned her. Hester chose to redefine herself as the person she wanted to be, which goes along with Emerson’s idea that a person should be true to themselves. A typical person might run away from the troubles that they encounter in life, but not Hester Prynne. It is true that Hester did feel shame when she stood on the scaffold in front of the town, as noted at the end of chapter two, “she turned her eyes downward at the scarlet letter, and even touched it with her finger, to assure herself that the infant and the shame were real” (Hawthorne 57). She even tried to use Pearl to cover up the marking. However, after a while Hester lowered the child to show the town that she was strong enough to bear the shame. Hester then stayed in Boston for seven years to prove to the town that she was more than just a scarlet letter. Hester took up a job as a seamstress to support herself and Pearl. She was very talented, so even though Hester was looked down on by society, the townspeople would still go to Hester because she was the best at the job. Initially, the townspeople were not kind to her. When Hester was delivering a pair of gloves to Governor Bellingham, three years after Hester’s arrest, he wanted to take Pearl away. He believed Hester would raise Pearl in a sinful environment. The whole town believed Hester to be the epitome of sinfulness, and yet, just four years later, that whole ideal was changed. By devoting herself to raising Pearl, helping the poor, and being a seamstress, Hester changed the meaning of her scarlet letter. Everyone thought so differently about Hester that “many people refused to interpret the scarlet “A” by its original signification. They said that it meant “Able”; so strong was Hester Prynne, with a woman’s strength” (Hawthorne 158). Hester had turned her world around. She had even planned on starting a new life for herself with Arthur in Europe. Hester had truly turned her life in Boston around. Emerson made it clear in his essay that an individual should be true to themselves and trust themselves. Hester Prynne did exactly that throughout The Scarlet Letter. Hester trusted herself in her decisions to break the law, follow her heart, and brave her unkind surroundings. Hester was able to change the way a whole community of people felt about her, simply by being her true self. Hester is a role model for the type or person Emerson was explaining in his essay, Self-Reliance.