Name: Budhiditya Shankar Das
Course: M.A (English)
Topic: The Scarlet Letter as the
story of Sin, Crime and Punishment
Semester: 03
Roll No. : 07
Paper No.: 10
Paper Name: The American
Literature
Submitted to: Dr. Dilip Barad,
Smt. S.B.Gardi
Department of English,
Maharaja Krishnakumarsinhji
Bhavnagar University
THE SCARLET LETTER AS THE STORY OF SIN, CRIME AND PUNISHMENT
In the second coming, it is said "To be without sin,
shame and regret is to be more than human." In the Bible, it has been
written "Thou salt not commit adultery." It is god's
seventh instruction and those who violate it are sinners.
The Scarlet Letter takes us to the early days of
Puritan society. This book has derived its title from the custom which was
strictly practiced by the Puritan settles. Whenever a woman was caught in
adultery, she had to wear the letter 'A' embroidered in Scarlet color on her
dress. Scarlet color symbolises blood, death, child birth and life. The scarlet
letter is a book which deals with the values of the sin of adultery in the
lives of three people most affected by it. These three people are Hester
Prynne, Arthur Dimmesdale and Chillingworth. The couple of forbidden
lovers and the wounded husband. It is an outrage of one individual against
another and against the social code of ethics. This story is a story of sin
too. That is why Hester and Dimmesdale who have committed adultery cannot be
forgiven. The novel begins with a scene where a young woman. Hester Prynne is
standing at the scaffold in the summer morning in the summer morning in the
market place in Boston. She has committed adultery and stands in disgrace and
tries to hide the scarlet letter 'A' on her bosom by holding her
child close. Hawthorne defines Hester Prynne as "The woman was tall, with
a figure of perfect elegance, on a large scale. She had dark and lavish hair,
so glossy that it threw off the sunshine with a glow, and a face which besides
being beautiful from regularity of feature and richness of appearance, had the
impressiveness belonging to a marked brow and deep black eyes." People see
Hester as a morally despoiled woman and expressed hatred. The chief minister
and Dimmesdale urge her to confess the name of her lover who should be sharing
her but Hester remains silent. Seeing his wife on the scaffold, he decides to
conceal his identity and quickly puts his finger to his lips to warm Hester
against the betraying the slightest sign of recognition. When Hester is taken
back to the prison, a doctor visits her which turns out to be his husband
Chillingworth. He tries many a times to know the name of Hester's lover but
does not get successful and gets frustrated. Hester and Dimmesdale then plan to
go to other place and decide to leave on election arrive. When the sermon gets
over, people walk out of the church and Dimmesdale walks in. He asserts his
guilt and shows everyone 'A' engraved on his chest and then dies. As
Chillingworth couldn't take revenge, he dies of frustration. Here we can say
that Dimmesdale is a greater sinner than Hester. He tries to conceal his crime
from the public. He goes against the purity of his profession his conscience
allows him no rest and he gets troubled constantly by his soul. He adds
hypocrisy to his sin. He can't sit or study peacefully. He becomes restless and
can't sleep peacefully. He remains awaked at night, writes sermons, and keeps
fast. 'A man must be true confessor' is a puritan belief. He goes deeper and
deeper into the pit of sin. The secret of his sin burns within him, which
prompts him to confess yet he is afraid to reveal himself for what he is.
Chillingworth is a greater offender. He was absent from Hester's life for seven
years. In this case, we can say that a person needs love and so Hester fell in
love with Dimmesdale. He is a person who is devoted to cold science. The way in
which he broods over revenge and marks down highs victim and drives him
steadily to self-destruction is made very creditable when he learns of Hester's
shame, he dewiest his very identity and pursues revenge. 'Sinful father
feels more pain than sinful mother.' Whenever we talk about sin, we talk
about punishment. God also gave punishment to his children Adam and Eve.
By giving birth to the child, she crossed broke the moral order of the society
according to the puritan society. Though Dimmesdale loved Hester, he could not
cross the Puritan culture moral order of the society. They both are self
conscious. Hester is the first sinner. Other people become happy when Hester is
punished as they have conditional mind and they do not feel her feelings.
'Sinful mother is happier than a sinful father.' When
Dimmesdale comes to meet Hester in secret place or you have to accept us in
daylight in front of everyone." The forest is shown as dark forest. She is
tempered there and so she goes there. For people, it is a punishment to go in
the dark, deep forest. Hester goes with the child and when she comes out, she
is not the same Hester. It is due to the dark forest, she could change the sign
A'. Hester returns. She has to. Her sin lies in New England. Hester chooses to
return to New England to live the moral life: "But there was a more real
life for Hester Prynne, here in New England than in that unfamiliar region
where Pearl had found a home. Here had been her sin; here her regret and here
was yet to be her penitence." Pearl constantly reminds her mother
Hester about her sin or crime which was done in past. When they are living in
the forest, Pearl tells Hester: "Mother, the sunshine does not love you.
It runs away and hides itself, because it is afraid of something on your bosom.
It will not feel from me, for I wear nothing on my bosom yet." She can be
said a born misfit of the infantile world. The shadow of parent's sin can be
seen forcing over the child of Hester.
CONCLUSION: -
The Scarlet Letter is a tragic story of sin, crime and
Punishment which can be learnt by the actions of all the characters, the crime
they committed and the situations they face. The act of adultery is certain a
crime against the individual. Same way, it is also a crime against society as
it involves the violation of the moral code formulated and honoured by the society.
Hawthorne has given the concept of sin and evil which is a puritan heritage.
Sin and crime was the endless theme in this novel and the consequences of guilt
as primarily psychological in nature. Hester's charm is shown by a sense of
guilt. The story shows the concept of sin, crime and Punishment through
Hester's life and Dimmesdale's inner guilt. (Choudhary)
Choudhary, Divya. Blog. 12 November 2016.
<http://divyachoudhary19.blogspot.in/2016/11/scarlet-letter-is-as-story-of-sin-crime.html>.
Good note
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