How is sin a theme in the scarlet letter

This is also one of the major themes of The Scarlet Letter. Sexual relations without marriage are still frowned upon.

During the Puritan period in Boston, society has strict rules for such cases of which Hester becomes an unwitting victim. Dimmesdale and the governor punish her and her daughter to live outside the town near the forest because of her non-conformity. Therefore, the theme of conformity and non-conformity to religion looms large in the background of the sin. Criticism of Puritanism is another major theme of the novel, The Scarlet Letter.

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 nature of guilt and its public and individual status is laid bare in The Scarlet Letter. The status of the guilt committed by Hester and her public punishment plays havoc with her life. Does wearing the scarlet letter allow Hester to make up for her sin, or is it the act of living charitably that serves as penitence?

Does Dimmesdale's confession cleanse his soul? Whether a sin is committed secretly or not, it ends up affecting everyone. Cite This Page.

Logging out…. Logging out It may be, we shall see flowers there; more beautiful ones than we find in the woods. Related Characters: Hester Prynne speaker , Pearl speaker. Page Number and Citation : Cite this Quote. Chapter 8 Quotes. After putting her finger in her mouth, with many ungracious refusals to answer good Mr.

Wilson's questions, the child finally announced that she had not been made at all, but had been plucked by her mother off the bush of wild roses that grew by the prison-door. Related Characters: Pearl , John Wilson. Related Symbols: Pearl. Chapter 11 Quotes. Would not the people start up in their seats, by a simultaneous impulse, and tear him down out of the pulpit which he defiled? Not so, indeed! They heard it all, and did but reverence him the more.

They little guessed what deadly purport lurked in those self-condemning words. Related Characters: Arthur Dimmesdale.

Chapter 12 Quotes. I shall, indeed, stand with thy mother thee one other day, but not to-morrow! Chapter 15 Quotes. He has done me worse wrong than I did him! Chapter 16 Quotes. It runs away and hides itself, because it is afraid of something on your bosom I am but a child. It will not flee from me, for I wear nothing on my bosom yet! Chapter 17 Quotes. The judgment of God is on me," answered the conscience-stricken priest.

Whither leads yonder forest track? Backwards to the settlement, thou sayest! Yes; but onward too! Deeper it goes, and deeper, into the wilderness, less plainly to be seen at every step! There thou art free! So brief a journey would bring thee from a world where thou hast been most wretched, to one where thou mayest still be happy!

Is there not shade enough in all this boundless forest to hide thy heart from the gaze of Roger Chillingworth? Chapter 18 Quotes. But Hester Prynne, with a mind of native courage and activity, and for so long a period not merely estranged, but outlawed, from society, had habituated herself to such latitude of speculation as was altogether foreign to the clergyman.

Hawthorne explores the theme of female independence by showing how Hester boldly makes her own decisions and is able to take care of herself. She also has practical responsibilities that force her to be independent: she has to earn a living so that she and her daughter can survive, and she also has to raise a headstrong child as a single parent. These unusual circumstances make Hester comfortable standing up for herself, such as when she violently objects to Governor Bellingham trying to take Pearl away.

The descriptions of Pearl also suggest that female independence is antithetical to happiness. Guilt is a major theme in The Scarlet Letter , and appears primarily in the psychology of Arthur Dimmesdale. Dimmesdale is tormented both by guilt at his sinful act of fathering an illegitimate child, and then by the guilt of failing to take responsibility for his actions and having to hide his secret.

If anything, his sense of guilt is what makes him so vulnerable to being manipulated by Chillingsworth. Through the character of Dimmesdale, Hawthorne suggests that guilt is not necessarily virtuous if it is not accompanied by an effort to change or redeem oneself. Hester and Dimmesdale are drawn to each other by desires that cannot be controlled by the rules of social, legal, and religious institutions.

They follow their impulses, which leads to conception and reproduction. The relationship between Hester and Dimmesdale explores the tension between natural desires, and the ways in which society tries to control human nature by imposing rules and laws.

Similarly, Pearl, a product of natural impulses, exhibits a personality that aligns her with nature, rather than society. This location highlights the tension between nature and society. In a space that is still untamed and not ruled by social conventions, Dimmesdale and Hester can speak openly with each other, and even dare to imagine a future in which they might be able to break free and find happiness together.