“The founders of a new colony, whatever Utopia of human virtue and happiness they might originally project, have invariably recognized it among their earliest practical necessities to allot a portion of the virgin soil as a cemetery, and another portion as the site of a prison” (42). Thus, in the first chapter of The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne introduces the major theme of his magnum opus: sin (alongside death) is an invariable experience of the human condition, rooted at the very origins of society. In a world where sinning is inevitable – within the scope of The Scarlet Letter, a world which begins at a prison-door – Hawthorne suggests that what matters most is not so much the sin itself but what follows; that is, its consequences and how one handles them. He explores this concept to a full extent through the chief characters of Hester Prynne, Arthur Dimmesdale, and Roger Chillingworth, taking a transcendentalist approach which relies heavily on the emblematic significance of nature, events, and other characters. Through symbolism, characterization, and plot, Hawthorne develops a dark romance which demonstrates that while sin, inherent in humanity, may lead to doom and despair, it may also readily lead into transcendence.
Roger Chillingworth, because he chooses to follow the transgression which sets off the novel’s action with wrath and vengeance, is the worst affected of the three main characters by sin; by immersing himself in it, he gradually becomes the very symbol of sin – the devil incarnate. From his initial appearance in the book, Chillingworth appears to be beyond civilized humanity: he arrives out of the wilderness “at the outskirts of the crowd...clad in a strange disarray of civilized and savage costume” (54). The moment he sees Hester on the scaffold, “a writhing horror [twists] itself across his features, like a snake gliding swiftly over them” (55); the image of the snake overtaking his appearance reflects the evil overtaking Chillingworth. Furthermore, the narrator states that physicians, “in their researches into the human frame...[lose] the spiritual view of existence” (107), an opinion which coincides with Chillingworth’s role in the book as he probes “deep into the patient’s bosom” (111) with no heed to “the sanctity of the human heart” (178).
The sinfulness of Chillingworth is most evident in his appearance. Hawthorne takes a transcendentalist approach in using the physical nature of his characters as an indication of their moral nature. When Chillingworth arrives in Boston, he has a “slight deformity of the figure” (55) suggesting a defect within. After a period of time focusing his entire self upon revenge, the Puritans perceive “something ugly and evil in [Chillingworth’s] face” (113). His eyes acquire a glimmer “like one of those gleams of ghastly fire that darted from Bunyan’s awful door-way in the hillside” (116). Precisely halfway through the novel, Chillingworth is likened to “the arch-fiend” (141), and by the end of the novel, “so dark, disturbed, and evil was his look, [he seemed to come from] the nether regions” (231).
As such, in the course of the story, Chillingworth’s preoccupation and struggle for dominion over Arthur Dimmesdale’s soul associates him with Satan. Chillingworth becomes the personification of evil.
That Arthur Dimmesdale strikes a friendship with Chillingworth, allowing “something inimical to his peace [to] thrust itself into relation with him” (117), indicates the Reverend’s moral weakness against sin. His sensitivity is represented in his appearance: he is described as a “pale, young man...[with] melancholy eyes, and a mouth which was...tremulous” (59). The dimness, or frailty, which defines the pastor and even lends him the name “Dimmesdale,” withholds him from confessing his sin, and his ensuing guilt merely furthers his weakness, as is evidenced by the steady declination of his health. Thus, the book suggests that moral weakness perpetuates itself. Because Dimmesdale is weak, unable to confess his sin and open himself to punishment, he traps himself into private guilt and pervasive suspicion. “Trusting no man as his friend, he could not recognize his enemy when the latter actually appeared” (117); thus he easily falls prey to Chillingworth, who in turn weakens his spirit even further.
Yet even as Chillingworth carries out his plans for vengeance, Dimmesdale is urged to moral strength by his daughter Pearl – herself, the physical manifestation of sin. It is ironic that even as Chillingworth, evil personified, endeavours to ruin Dimmesdale, sin personified in the character of Pearl continually urges the Reverend to publicly confess and thereby, as seen in “The Revelation of the Scarlet Letter,” escape from not only his own private guilt but from the torture carried out on him by Chillingworth.
The essential difference between Chillingworth and Pearl is that Chillingworth, from his very introduction in the novel, is characterized by secrecy, whereas Pearl becomes an emblem of openness; while Chillingworth hides his identity and his purpose, Pearl comes into existence in the public eye, is the concern of “leading inhabitants” (90), and advocates honesty throughout. Thus in having Pearl consistently encourage Dimmesdale to do that which is ultimately his spiritual and mental salvation – that is, acknowledge that she is his sin, as well as Hester’s – Hawthorne suggests a vital step in escaping a life of detrimental guilt: confession. Furthermore, Pearl herself undergoes a transformation after Dimmesdale’s confession:
“Pearl kissed [Dimmesdale’s] lips. A spell was broken...As her tears fell upon her father’s cheek, they were the pledge that she would grow up amid human joy and sorrow, nor for ever do battle with the world, but be a woman in it” (234).
The conclusion hints that the “elf-child” (239) leads a pristine and noble life afterwards. Thus the story, through the relation between Dimmesdale, Chillingworth, and Peal, demonstrates that sin kept in secrecy is perpetual sin, whereas sin acknowledged and repented of has at least the potential to become something greater.
The transcendence of and from sin is exemplified in the central character of Hester Prynne who rises from a “malefactress” (46) to a “legend” (239) within her community. As with the other characters, Hawthorne first suggests the strength of Hester’s spirit in her appearance: she is described as having a “figure of perfect elegance, on a large scale” (47), with “a marked brow and deep black eyes” (48). The spectators at the marketplace, expecting to “behold her dimmed...were astonished...to perceive how her beauty shone out” (48). The author ironically likens Hester on the scaffold with her baby to the “image of Divine Maternity” (50). In short, her outward appearance hints that Hester will transform her situation from one of humiliation and sin into one of beauty and goodness. There is an indication of strength and defiance in her physical aspect.
The singular aspect of Hester’s appearance – “the point which drew all eyes” (48) – is the scarlet letter “A,” which quickly becomes the central symbol of the novel. At the beginning of the story, it is clearly a symbol of Hester’s shame and punishment. Placed upon her as a penalty, Hawthorne makes it clear that the scarlet letter punishes its wearer: “the spot never grew callous; it seemed, on the contrary, to grow more sensitive with daily torture” (77).
However, the scarlet letter very quickly comes to represent the shame and sin of the town at large. Being “a specimen of her delicate and imaginative skill” (73) in needlework, the scarlet letter, and the notion of sin which it symbolizes, manifests itself in the aspects of town life embellished by her handiwork. Her embroidery appears on “individuals dignified by rank [and] wealth” (74), corpses as well as mourners, and infants. Thus, Hawthorne suggests the infusion of sin in society. This is further indicated by the fact that Hester becomes the focal point of the town’s shame: “clergymen [pause] in the street to address words of exhortation...around the poor, sinful woman” (76); in church, she finds “herself the text of the discourse” (76). In wearing the scarlet letter, Hester Prynne becomes an emblem of general human transgression.
As thus a mark, not only of her own public shame, but also the private shame of others, the scarlet letter permits its wearer “knowledge of the hidden sin in other hearts” (77). Though “inclosing her in a sphere by herself” (48), the token admits her to a world of sympathetic understanding not otherwise possible. This ironic position held by Hester as one who is an outcast yet intimately connected with every member of society is further illustrated in her choice of home: a cottage “within the verge of the peninsula, but...out of the sphere of social activity” (72), situated just between civilization and wilderness. The cottage symbolizes her connection to sin, as embodied in the wilderness; at the same time, she maintains her connection with Puritan Boston, rather than escaping into the “dark, inscrutable forest...where the wildness of her nature” (71) would have free rein.
Hester’s singular strength lies in the fact that she is able to bear such a position. Her greatest challenge is accepting the punishment and shame of her sin without falling into anger or despair as either Chillingworth or Dimmesdale. In her struggle to keep Governor Bellingham from taking Pearl from her, even though “the warfare of Hester’s spirit, at its epoch, was perpetuated in Peal” (82) and thus the child serves always as a constant reminder to Hester of her sin and shame, it is apparent that Hester strives to reconcile herself with her transgression rather than cower from it. This fact is demonstrated further in her refusal to leave Boston, as well as her decision, years later, to resume “of her own free will” (240) the wearing of the scarlet letter.
Thus, Hester transcends the stigma of the scarlet letter through courage in undertaking – and wisdom in realizing that she must undertake – penitence. The scarlet letter transforms Hester into a woman of sympathy and humility, and through Hester’s patient acceptance of it, she transforms the scarlet letter as well, such that it is eventually “looked upon with awe, yet with reverence too” (240).
The Scarlet Letter is a dark romance spun around the notion of sin. Through detailing the choices made by the central characters, and the consequences thereof, the narrator provokes thought on how to handle oneself in a world in which sin is inevitable. Through the character of Roger Chillingworth, who transforms into the devil incarnate, Hawthorne demonstrates the danger in following the path of vice. Dimmesdale’s fragile life attests to the condition of moral weakness. Finally, Hester Prynne is a display of strength in the face of sin. Through the story of these three transgressors, Hawthorne suggests that, although humanity is tainted with sin, there is a possibility of transcending the invariable sinfulness of the mortal state to attain a deeper understanding of, and sympathy for, the human condition – this is the “sweet moral blossom” (43) of The Scarlet Letter.
Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Scarlet Letter. New York: Modern Library, 2000.
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