Pity in The
Scarlet Letter
Doug, Priya, Rubina, Nick, and
Emily
Thesis
In The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Hester
should not pitied by the reader because she becomes an
individualistic and strong person after accepting her sin;
on the other hand, Dimmesdale should be pitied by the
reader because he suffers silently, is psychologically
preyed upon by Chillingworth, and reaches his demise.
HESTER
Romantic Individualism
Quote: “On the breast of her gown, in fine red cloth surrounded
with an elaborate embroidery and fantastic flourishes of gold
thread, appeared the letter A.” (Chapter 2, Page 61)
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She embraced the A instead of taking society’s view about it
She pushes the the guard away to walk alone
Rose Bush
Inner Strength
Quote: “The scarlet letter was her passport into regions where
other women dared not tread. Shame, Despair, Solitude!
These had been her teachers—stern and wild ones—and they
had made her strong...” (Ch. 18, pg 240)
● Still has “haughty smile” despite shame; she’s able to endure
● Enclosed in her own sphere, but still perseveres
● Symbolically, society forgives her since she accepted her sin
DIMMESDALE
Self-Inflicted Physical Punishment
“His inward trouble drove him to practices more in accordance with the
old, corrupted faith of Rome than with the better light of the church in
which he had been born and bred. In Mr. Dimmesdale’s secret closet,
under lock and key, there was a bloody scourge. Oftentimes, this
Protestant and Puritan divine had piled it on his shoulders; laughing
bitterly at himself the while, and smiting so much the more pitilessly
because of that bitter laugh. ” (Page 171)
★ his inner pain drove him to practices more familiar of the old corrupted
Catholic Church
★ locked inside Dimmesdale's closet was a bloody whip
★ whipped himself with it while laughing bitterly, causing himself to be even
more brutal for his bitter laughter
★ fasted as an act of penance
Psychological Punishment
“Poor, miserable man! what right had infirmity like this to burden
itself with crime? Crime is for the iron-nerved, who have their
choice...to endure it...this feeble and most sensitive of spirits could do
neither, yet continually did one thing or another, which intertwined, in
the same inextricable knot, the agony of heaven-defying guilt and vain
repentance.” Ch. 12 p. 176
● Dimmesdale and Chillingworth’s parasitic relationship
● Dimmesdale has no one to turn to except God
● After meeting Hester in the woods and planning to run to Europe,
Dimmesdale almost loses his self-control and reveals his secret
Tragic Demise
Quote: “in the name of Him, so terrible and so merciful, who gives me
grace, at this last moment, to do what-for my own heavy sin and
miserable agony-I withheld myself from doing seven years ago,
come hither now, and twine thy strength about me!” (chapter 23,
page 303)
- glad that he has one last chance to make up for his sin.
- despite his weakness, he gets himself onto the scaffold in front of
the town to express his sorrow and misery.
- expresses the pain he has been in due to his failure to act upon his
sin earlier along with Hester and from the guilt of hiding it for so
long.