Hypocrisy In The Scarlet Letter
Hypocrisy in “The Scarlet Letter”
Written by Nathaniel Hawthorne and published in 1850, “The Scarlet Letter” is about an adulteress, Hester, who must wear the scarlet letter, an ‘A’ as a means of punishment. Throughout the course of “The Scarlet Letter”, Hawthorne reveals many symbols and central ideas which all relate to the theme of sin and hypocrisy. The fate of the main characters in the novel conveys that, not only does hypocrisy come as a result of one’s sin, thus further influencing sin, but it leads to the destruction of communities and one's soul as well.
The main characters, Hester, Dimmesdale, Chillingworth, and the Puritan community itself, all display sin and hypocrisy through their words and actions. Hawthorne begins the novel by talking about the Puritan community and its very first, two landmarks, which are a “prison” and a “cemetery”. The prison is a sign of the downfall of the community’s men, regardless of their good intentions and …show more content…
In fact, he is forced to feel guilty, because he is known to be such a noble and pious man. The guilt causes Dimmesdale to punish himself by fasting and hitting himself. No other member from the Puritan community has punished themselves owing to the fact that they are not aware of their hypocritical actions. The people of the Puritan community look up to Dimmesdale as “a true priest, a true religionist, with the reverential sentiment largely developed, and an order of mind that impelled itself powerfully along the track of creed” (120). Hawthorne here repeats the word “true” two times, emphasizing the fact that it is the complete opposite of what Dimmesdale is. Yet, even though numerous times, he tries telling them that he is not what they think he is, they do not believe him. Hence, because Dimmesdale hides his sin from the community, he is still considered to be a
Written by Nathaniel Hawthorne and published in 1850, “The Scarlet Letter” is about an adulteress, Hester, who must wear the scarlet letter, an ‘A’ as a means of punishment. Throughout the course of “The Scarlet Letter”, Hawthorne reveals many symbols and central ideas which all relate to the theme of sin and hypocrisy. The fate of the main characters in the novel conveys that, not only does hypocrisy come as a result of one’s sin, thus further influencing sin, but it leads to the destruction of communities and one's soul as well.
The main characters, Hester, Dimmesdale, Chillingworth, and the Puritan community itself, all display sin and hypocrisy through their words and actions. Hawthorne begins the novel by talking about the Puritan community and its very first, two landmarks, which are a “prison” and a “cemetery”. The prison is a sign of the downfall of the community’s men, regardless of their good intentions and …show more content…
In fact, he is forced to feel guilty, because he is known to be such a noble and pious man. The guilt causes Dimmesdale to punish himself by fasting and hitting himself. No other member from the Puritan community has punished themselves owing to the fact that they are not aware of their hypocritical actions. The people of the Puritan community look up to Dimmesdale as “a true priest, a true religionist, with the reverential sentiment largely developed, and an order of mind that impelled itself powerfully along the track of creed” (120). Hawthorne here repeats the word “true” two times, emphasizing the fact that it is the complete opposite of what Dimmesdale is. Yet, even though numerous times, he tries telling them that he is not what they think he is, they do not believe him. Hence, because Dimmesdale hides his sin from the community, he is still considered to be a