In The Name of God

Themes in The Scarlet Letter

Women and Femininity

 Throughout Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, we can find feminine traits such as passion
and emotion struggle in Boston’s Puritan society. Critics agree that Hawthorne’s narrative criticizes
Puritan traditions, but it also pays particular attention to the unrecognized potential of women and
femininity. The narration and characterization of Hester Prynne reveal a strong inclination toward
sympathy and appreciation for femininity under the pressures of traditional patriarchy. Women
might be the weaker gender, but, the way Hawthorne sees it, they have plenty of power.

 Hester is presented as an independent entity throughout the text; she is not a mere extension of
the man or men in her life. Her introduction into the story begins with her walk from the prison to
the scaffold, baby Pearl in her arms, to stand in front of the entire town.

 She doesn’t reveal the identity of Pearl’s father and her husband is equally anonymous in Boston,
so she and her sin alike belong to none but herself. Without a man to take responsibility over her,
the Puritans have no choice but to accept that she is capable of complete autonomy, even under
the burden of her sentence and her child; she proves this when she fights successfully to keep her
daughter in her custody.
 Her sewing is also a symbol of her individualism. By becoming the town seamstress, she
also imposes herself as a vital member of the community. Her dream for a brighter
future is not so much about the destruction of the Puritan system, but more about the
starting afresh with a new one, one in which femininity and emotion will not be
repressed or looked down on.
 Yet, Hester is never ashamed of her femininity and lives out the rest of her life set apart
from the rest of society, but still influencing people with her gentle but confident ways,
content with her place between society and nature. Although Hawthorne’s narrative
carries veins of criticism for Puritan morality, it becomes a deeper and grander
argument when that Puritan morality is put in contrast with the potential strength in
femininity. Even under the burden of Hester’s sentence or rather, because of it – she
sets an example as a woman who is “able,” enduring a repressive and judgmental world
but knowing a better one is eventually to come.

 Moreover; the Feminine Resilience is highly shown in the novel. The public shaming act
of Hester Prynne and her resilience to go through the social isolation is another major
embodiment in the novel. It seems that Hawthorne has unconsciously placed his weight
on the feministic side. The projection of Hester as an epitome of an individual having
suffered unjustly shows that The Scarlet Letter is not merely criticism but also a
condemnation of the moral code of that time. It shows that feminine resilience is not
merely a myth; it is a fact as well. Hester Prynne’s long-suffering shows that she has
suffered more than an ordinary man could have in such circumstances.
Sin and Guilt
Hester
The most obvious example of this theme involves the affair between Hester Prynne and Arthur Dimmesdale.
Hester commits the sin of adultery. Because adultery was forbidden by the seventh commandment, the Puritans
considered it punishable by the death of both parties. In sparing Hester's life, her judges believe they are acting
with justice and mercy. They likely considered that she thought her husband was dead and that her partner, who
chose not to reveal his identity, should share part of the responsibility.
Dimmesdale
Hawthorne also explores this theme through Dimmesdale's actions and character. On one level, Dimmesdale's sin
of failing to admit that he is Pearl's father causes him immense guilt. On another level, his shame is reinforced by
the irony of his situation: as he grows more tortured over his weakness and inability to admit the truth of his
affair with Hester, he becomes more respected and revered by the townspeople for his apparent holiness. His
hypocrisy in accepting the townspeople's respect is sinful and adds to his guilt.
Chillingworth
Chillingworth's sin may be the greatest of all, as Dimmesdale tells Hester after she reveals the truth about
Chillingworth's identity. Dimmesdale says, "We are not, Hester, the worst sinners in the world. There is one worse
than even the polluted priest! That old man's revenge has been blacker than my sin. He has violated, in cold
blood, the sanctity of a human heart. Thou and I, Hester, never did so!" Hawthorne suggests that Chillingworth's
sin is the worst of all because his actions were born of malice, and he felt no guilt for seeking revenge. Although
Hester and Dimmesdale sinned as well, they felt tremendous guilt. Therefore, the theme of sin and guilt is closely
related to the theme of the nature of evil.
Criticism of Puritanism
 Criticism of Puritanism is another major theme of the novel, The Scarlet Letter.
Hester’s crime is as huge as that of Dimmesdale. However, one is caught and
sentenced, while the other is free. Dimmesdale hides his secret due to his position
and status. When Hester is released, it is stated by the anonymous narrator that
even the Puritan code of law would be dismayed to see this sort of justice.
 It is because the law is mixed with the Bible commandments and human
judgment, both are wrongly used. The contrast of nature and Puritan laws further
sheds light on the type of society where discrimination in case of punishment exists
in letter and spirit, though not on the surface.

 This is a strong criticism of the Puritanism that an innocent child suffers only due
to the supposed sins of her parents. The Scarlet Letter presents a critical view of
Puritanism. The Puritans appear as shallow hypocrites whose opinion of Hester
and Pearl improves only when they become more of an asset to the community,
most notably when Hester becomes a seamstress and Pearl inherits a fortune
from Chillingworth.
Hypocrisy

 A hypocrite is a person who pretends to have virtues, moral or religious beliefs,

principles, etc., that he or she does not actually possess, especially a person whose actions
refute stated beliefs.
Dimmesdale has to wake up and receive the adulation of his community for being basically a
saint on earth. It's exhausting.
 But seriously, Dimmesdale is living a lie—and that is exhausting. You have to be on your
guard constantly, so no one finds out that you're lying (sinner). A “true priest” would not
hide his sin from his congregation, as Dimmesdale does. The fact that Dimmesdale hides his
own sin while expounding on Hester's sin, which is actually the same, makes Dimmesdale a
hypocrite.
 In The Scarlet Letter, hypocrisy is one of the worst sins that a man can commit. Just as
adultery produces a physical mark on Hester's body (the baby), hypocrisy produces a
physical mark on Dimmesdale's body. And only Pearl can see through him—so, when he
finally confesses, she can love him for who he is: her father. In the end, our reputations are
less important than our lives.
The Scarlet Letter | Symbols

• The letter shows the world that Hester committed adultery, and so it is a mark of her sin
and disgrace. In a larger sense, the scarlet letter represents Hester's identity, who she is to
herself and to others, which shifts during the course of the book. The symbol is echoed
in Pearl (the living embodiment of the A, dressed in one scene to match the letter),
the A that Pearl fashions with seaweed and puts on her chest, and finally the A on the
gravestone that links Hester's grave and Dimmesdale's.
• The Puritans mean for the scarlet letter to be a symbol of Hester's shame. But the narrator
describes the letter as a "mystic symbol" that means many things. The letter does represent
Hester Prynne's adultery, but as she grows and changes in the novel, the letter's symbolism
evolves as well. For example, it comes to mean "able" when she becomes a successful
seamstress. In the end, the letter comes to symbolize Hester's triumph over the very forces
that meant to punish her.

• However, it is fascinating to note that the same letter becomes a symbol of innocence and
penance character of Hester by the end of the story. This symbol also shows how objects
transform their symbolic meanings based on lifestyle, circumstances, and choices.
The Scaffold

• The scaffold symbolizes guilt, public confession, and punishment for a crime or a sin. It appears at
three carefully balanced places in the book: at the beginning, the exact middle, and at the end.
In Chapter 2 the Puritans force Hester to stand on the scaffold and be humiliated by the
community. The narrator writes: "In fact, this scaffold constituted a portion of a penal machine.
... The very ideal of ignominy [disgrace] was embodied and made manifest in this contrivance of
wood and iron. There can be no outrage, methinks, against our common nature,—whatever be
the delinquencies of the individual,—no outrage more flagrant than to forbid the culprit to hide
his face for shame; as it was the essence of this punishment to do. In Hester Prynne's instance,
however, as not infrequently in other cases, her sentence bore, that she should stand a certain
time upon the platform."
• The second appearance comes in the middle of the book. In Chapter 12 Dimmesdale mounts the
scaffold in "this vain show of expiation." He shrieks aloud, but, despite his conviction that
someone will awaken and so his confession will finally be made, no one hears him, and his
punishment remains private rather than public. This event, of course, comes at night, linking the
scaffold to the symbols of sunlight and shadow or night.
• The third appearance of the scaffold is in Chapter 23, when Dimmesdale, joined by Hester
and Pearl, finally makes his public confession. This confession comes in the light of day and to the
people of the town, finally releasing Dimmesdale's guilt just before he dies.
Sunlight and Shadow

Sunlight and shadow are two important symbols in the book as a whole; the shadow
symbol is sometimes linked to night. In Chapter 8, for instance, Dimmesdale stands in
the shadow in the governor's garden when the question of Pearl's custody is
discussed, as he conceals his sin. Hester stands in the sunlight, having revealed her
sin to the public.
By taking Dimmesdale's hand, Pearl is symbolically recognizing that he is her father.
Dimmesdale, however, is far from ready to admit that he was Hester's lover and
Pearl is their daughter. The sunlight shines on Hester and Dimmesdale in the forest
when they agree to flee to England, as though the decision is blessed. Therefore,
sunlight stands for God's grace and love; the shadows represent secrecy, absence of
love, and lack of truth.