The Worst Sinner in The Scarlet Letter Essay - 986 Words

The Scarlet Letter illustrates that the illumination of self-deception gapes open after one like the very jaws of hell. This is apparent through all the main characters of the novel. Although Hawthornes work has several imperfect people as the main characters, including Hester Prynne, Arthur Dimmesdale, and Roger Chillingworth, the worst sinner is Roger Chillingworth. Chillingworth commits the greater sin because of his failure to forgive; he has an insatiable appetite for revenge; he receives extreme pleasure in torturing Dimmesdale. Hester Prynne, however, has committed sins of almost the same magnitude. While Hester tries to protect Dimmesdale by not giving the name of Pearls father, she actually condemns him to a long road of†¦show more content†¦Though she suffers for seven long years, she never actually repents, but falls into adultery once again. She is defiant to the Puritan way and the commandment forbidding adultery, not only physically but in her heart as well. By the end of the book, a reader can observe that she never repents, but liberally deceives herself and society. In contrast, Dimmesdale eventually realizes that confession is necessary to repentance, in addition to denying himself any adulteress thoughts or acts. A reader may label Dimmesdale the purest of the sinners. Adultery, in the Christian world, is the one of the greatest sins a man can commit, second only to premeditated murder. In a Puritan society, it must be close to the same. Dimmesdale tries to purge himself of this evil sin by scourging and self-denial. However, he shies away from public confession, rationalizing the good he can instill in other men and women with his sermons. We find this illogical reasoning on page He endures Chillingworths revenge and hatred while trying to preach what he doesnt practice. At his weakest point, Hester tempts him to cave in to the sin and do it all over again. Out of desperation to flee from the torture, he crumblesShow MoreRelatedThe Worst Sinner in the Scarlet Letter1444 Words   |  6 PagesThe Worst Sinner in The Scarlet Letter In The Scarlet Letter there are three main sinners presented to the reader. Hester Prynne, Arthur Dimmesdale and Roger Chillingworth are all written with their own forms of sin, and each has a unique coping mechanism for their sins and guilt. Sin, at this time, was a hugely important part of daily life, and punishment for one’s sins was universally seen as not only a positive thing, but a necessary action to keep the people of the colony pure. Both HesterRead MoreDimmesdale Is The Worst Sinner In The Scarlet Letter914 Words   |  4 Pages The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, it is about a young woman named Hester Prynne, who has committed adultery and gave birth to a daughter named Pearl. As a punishment, Hester has to wear a cloth with a scarlet letter ‘A’ on her chest that stands for ‘Adulteress’ for all her lifetime. Meanwhile, Hester’s husband, Roger Chillingworth, who has been missing for two years come back and decides to ta ke a revenge on Hester’s lover. Throughout the novel, Chillingworth has discovered that a youngRead MoreDimmesdale Is The Worst Sinner964 Words   |  4 Pages The worst sinner The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, it is about a young woman named Hester Prynne, who has committed adultery and gave birth to a daughter named Pearl. As a punishment, Hester has to wear a cloth with a scarlet letter ‘A’ on her chest that stands for ‘Adulteress’ for all her lifetime. Meanwhile, Hester’s husband, Roger Chillingworth, who has been missing for two years come back and knows about his wife cheating on him. He tells Hester to keep his true identityRead MoreDimmesdale Is The Worst Sinner914 Words   |  4 PagesThe worst sinner In the novel The Scarlet letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, it is about a young woman named Hester Prynne, who has committed adultery and gave birth to a daughter named Pearl. As a punishment, Hester has to wear a cloth with a scarlet letter ‘A’ on her chest that stands for ‘Adulteress’ for all her lifetime. Meanwhile, Hester’s husband, Roger Chillingworth, who has been missing for two years come back and decides to take a revenge on Hester’s lover. Throughout the novel, ChillingworthRead MoreThe Scarlet Letter : The Puritan Time Period1283 Words   |  6 PagesThe Scarlet Letter The Puritan time period is considered one of the holiest time periods of all time since they live a godly life. Nathaniel Hawthorne proves this statement wrong by telling the story of Hester Prynne, Arthur Dimmesdale, and Roger Chillingworth. â€Å"She never battled with the public, but submitted, uncomplainingly, to its worst usage; she made no claim upon it, in requital for what she suffered; she did not weigh upon its sympathies.† (123) (This quote has no bearing on the openingRead MoreSins inThe Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne Essay1517 Words   |  7 Pagesâ€Å"Be true! Be true! Be true! Show freely to the world, if not your worst, yet some trait whereby the worst may be inferred† (Hawthorne). As this sentence is read in the The Scarlet Letter, the reader will realize that the main theme of the book is the sentence above. Throughout the book, secret sin damages the lives, soul, and the integrity of the main characters. However, it could have easily been ev aded through open confession of their sins. Nathaniel Hawthorne’s purpose in writing this novel isRead MoreSymbolism From The Scarlet Letter867 Words   |  4 PagesEmalee McCracken Mrs. Voshell Honors English 10 21 December 2016 Symbolism in The Scarlet Letter There are many forms of symbolism found in The Scarlet Letter. Hawthorne, the author uses his many forms of symbolism to project a lesson or moral created throughout the story. Even each of the main characters has a different moral representation. Guilt, repentance, purity, and strength each are shown through the eyes of a different character. Pear, Hester Prynne, Chillingworth, and Reverend DimmesdaleRead MoreThe Gift of Evil in The Scarlett Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne764 Words   |  4 PagesGifts Of Evil In the book The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne there are many characters who have committed sins. In Puritan community they followed the word of god and banned all sins. These sins in The Scarlet Letter were look as The Black Mans work meaning satans work. The sins committed were harmful and hurtful to people and their souls. Hester and Mr. Dimmesdale committed adultery with bearing a child named Pearl. But Roger Chillingworth committed the worst sin by using his gifts for evilRead MoreAnalysis Of The Scarlet Letter By Nathaniel Hawthorne Essay1037 Words   |  5 Pagesmentality that they are average and no worse than others can actually make them bitter and unsuccessful. In the book The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne a puritan society is plagued by hypocrisy and sin. The three main characters Hester Prynne, Roger Chillingworth, and Arthur Dimmesdale are all endowed with a deep underlying sin. Out of the three Dimmesdale is the worst sinner in the town because he is a coward for not admitting his sin. Dimmesdale is not only the most complex character in theRead More Greatest Sinner in Nathaniel Hawthornes The Scarlet Letter Essay1267 Words   |  6 PagesThe Greatest Sinner in The Scarlet Letter      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Mankind is prone to some degree of sin. A question that has always plagued mankind is how one can achieve redemption from sin. Any sin becomes compounded when the perpetrator does not take responsibility for it. In the book The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, perhaps the greatest sinner was Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale.    Many of Hawthornes works center around what is right or wrong, and the consequences of breaking the basic