A
Can people
become better
human beings
through their
sins?
Symbolism:
Scarlet
Letter
Character:
Hester
Quote 1: "But , throught
the remainder of Hester's
life, there were
indincations that the
recluse of the scarlet
letter was the object of
love and interest with
some inhabitant of
another land" (Page 246).
Quote 2: Gazing at Pearl,
Hester Prynne often
dropped her work upon
her knees, and cried out,
iwth an agony she would
fain have hidden, but
which made utterance for
itself, betwixt speech and
a groan, -"O Father in
Heaven - if Thou art still
my Father, - what is it
this being which I have
brought into the world"
(Page 88).
Quote 3: Earlier in life,
Hester had vainly
imagined that she herself
might be the destined
prophetess, but had long
since recognized the
impossibility that any
mission of divine and
mysterious truth should
be confided to a woman
stained with sin, bowed
down with shame, or even
burdended with a life-long
sorrow" (Page 247).
Summary: Over the
course of the Hester's
life, signs thatt Hester
has turned her life
around through
charitable donations
and actions are shown.
She begins to realize
that through the
isolation and
punishment of her sin
she has become a better
indovidual .
Symbolism:
Pearl
Quote 1: "Is Hester
Prynne the less
miserable, think you,
for that scarlet letter
on her breast?" (Page
125).
Quote 2: Individuals in
private life,
meanwhile, had quite
forgiven Hester
Pyrnne for her frailty;
nay, more, they had
begun to look upon the
scarlet letter as the
token, not of that one
sin, for which she had
bourne so long and a
dreary a penance, but
her many good deeds
since" (Page 151).
Quote 3: Such helpfulness
was found in her, -so
much power to do, and
power to sympathize, that many people refused
to interpret the scarlet A
by its original
signification: They said it
meant Able; so strong
was Hester Prynne, with
a woman's strength"
(Page 150).
Summary: By the time
the novel ends, the scarlet
letter Hester wears
condemning her for her
sin had transformed into
a sing of strength for
many women. Everyone
in the community had
forgiver her for her
actions of the past and
began to see her as a role
model for themselves.
Character:
Dimmesdale
Quote 1: "Above all,
the warfare of
Hester's spirit, at
that epoch, was
perpetuated in
Pearl" (Page 84).
Quote 2: "But she
named the infant
Pearl, as being of great
price, -purchased with
all she had, -her
mothers only treasure!"
(Page 82).
Quote 3: "And there
stood the minister,
with his hand over his
heart; and Hester
Prynne , with the
embroidered letter
glimmering on her
bosom; and little Pearl,
herself a symbol, and
the connecting link
between those two"
(Page 144).
Summary: Pearl is
Hester's symbol of
love. Through Pearl,
Hester is first off not
put to death and is
able to protect her
thorughout her
childhood. While
Pearl is growning up,
Hester is becoming a
better person.
Quote 1: To Hester's
eye, the Reverend Mr.
Dimmesdale exhibited
no symptom of
positive and vivacious
suffering, except that,
as little Pearl had remarked, he kept his
hand over his heart"
(Page 177).
Quote 2: Some
affirmed that the
Reverend Mr.
Dimmesdale , on the
very day when
Hester Prynne first
wore her ignominious
badge, had begun a
course of penance"
(Page 242).
Quote 3: Knowing what
this poor fallen man had
once been, her whole soul
was moved by the
shuddering terror with
which he had appealed to
her—the outcast
woman—for support
against his instinctively
discovered enemy" (Page
148).
Summary: As
Dimmesdale grows
older his agony and
shame grow with
him tearing him
apart. He loved
Pearl and Hester
with all his heart
and finally came
clean of his sins on
the scaffold in one of
the closing scenes.
Reflection:
The central question of "Through sin can people become better human beings" minus the answer, is where the true
meaning of this novel comes into play. Hawthrone provides many examples of characters such as Hester and
Dimmesdale as well as the symbols of the Scarlet Letter and Pearl, that make the reader believe people can become better
individuals through their own sins. Throughout the novel the author reveals a changed figure in Hester and how others
view the Scarlet Letter. When he states that "the remainder of Hester's life, there were indications that the recluse of the
scarlet letter was the object of love and interest" he shows how she as an human being has transformed for the better
(Page 246). Over the course of the story line Hester had reflected on her sins and sorrow, and through that she was able to
change. Some found "such helpfulness in her, -so much power to do, and power to sympathize, -that many people refused to
interpret the scarlet A by its original signification: They said it meant Able; so strong was Hester
Prynne , with a
woman's strength" (Page 150). There are even those who questioned whether "Hester
Prynne the less miserable, think you,
for that scarlet letter on her breast?" (Page 125). She seemed better off with the Scarlet Letter, it isolated her from
everyone for quite a number of years and allowed her to think about how to turn her life around. What started out as a
sin everyone in the community looked down upon Hester, turned out to revolutionize Hester's everyday life and turn her
into an icon for the women of the town to look up to.
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