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Satan, Sin and the Scarlet Letter
Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter is a novel about the effects of sin in the Puritan society. The Puritans regarded sin very highly. ... Arthur Dimmesdale was a priest who committed adultery and proceeded to preach about the importance of redemption while he himself could not bring himself to confess his sin. Roger Chillingworth appears to be a victim of sin, but as the novel progresses, he proves otherwise. Chillingworth committed the worst sin in Hawthorne’s eyes, he devoted seven year of his life to revenge which Hawthorne viewed as the “unpardonable sin.” Although all of the characters in the Scarlet Letter were sinners – it was Roger Chillingworth who was the worst sinner.
The book begins with Hawthorne setting the stage for sin by informing the audience that the first two things a colony builds are a prison and a cemetery. Hester Prynne then emerges from a prison clutching an illegitimate child in her arms and bearing the letter ‘A’ on her chest, for adultery. Immediately, the audience connects Hester with sin. ... But throughout the novel, every character acknowledges their sin and seeks forgiveness, except Roger Chillingworth. Sin even seems to strengthen Hester as she becomes somewhat of a martyr throughout the book. Hester’s sin was a sin of passion which she openly acknowledged by wearing the scarlet letter ‘A’ on her chest. Hester was bore the lavishly embroidered letter proudly. She had no reason to hide her sin, as Pearl and the letter were there to constantly remind her of it.
Approximate Word count = 1239
Approximate Pages = 5
(250 words per page double spaced)
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