The Puritan Community in The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel...

The Puritan Community in The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne The Scarlet Letter, a novel by Nathaniel Hawthorn takes place in Boston of 1640 of Puritan community. It shows a dark, gray, violently moral society found as a kind of Puritan Utopia. The main characters in the story are Hester Prynne, Arthur Dimmesdale, and Roger Chillingworth. This novel illustrates the effects of sin on the heart and minds, how a persons downfall may be caused by the destructive human emotions of hidden guilt and revenge. In The Scarlet Letter, hidden sin destroys Dimmesdale, obsession of revenge causes downfall of Chillingworth, and exposed guilt and sin turns Hester into stronger woman than she was before. Arthur Dimmesdale faces the†¦show more content†¦Still not being able to commit his crime to public eats away at every fiber of Dimmesdales being. On Election Day, he stands on the scaffold with Hester and Pearl, the daughter between them, to finally denounce his sin of adultery with Hester. He admits his wrongdoing, and then he dies in Hesters arms, freed from the debilitating burden of his secret. Dimmesdale kept his sin inside till he is entirely destroyed and couldnt heal himself. In addition to Arthur Dimmesdale, another character of the story is Roger Chillingworth. He confronts downfall by setting his goal to seek revenge on Dimmesdale, which turns him into evil. Chillingworth responds to Hesters betrayal by sacrificing everything he has. First, he gives up his independence. Chillingworth soon becomes obsessed with his new mission in life that once he targeted Arthur Dimmesdale as a possible partner, he dedicates all of his time becoming his confidant in order to destroy Dimmesdales sanity. The obsession turns him from a peaceful scholar into a fiend. He gives up his true identity as Roger Prynne to truly corrupt Dimmesdale and to be by his side everyday. Second he pays enormous price for his vengeance, his own life. After spending so much time dwelling on his revenge, he forgets that he still has a chance to lead his life of his own. So accordingly, after Dimmesdales death, he dies less than aShow MoreRelatedAntifeminist and Feminism within The Scarlet Letter1388 Words   |  6 PagesAntifeminist and Feminism within The Scarlet Letter In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s â€Å"The Scarlet Letter† Hester Prynne is accused and convicted of adultery. During the puritan era women in this society had specific obligations and rights they had to maintain. By Hester having an affair and acting unladylike the community disapproved of her actions causing everyone to isolate her in her town. 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