Nguyen, Thuc

Thuc Nguyen
30 September 2012
The Importance of Roles in Society and The Scarlet Letter
Nathaniel Hawthorne, in The Scarlet Letter, tells the story of a young woman named
Hester, of whom has to face a number of challenges, one of which involves bringing up her very
intelligent, devils child Pearl into a world of which condemns their very existences. Her
refusal to confess who the father, the charming minister Dimmesdale, is leads to her husband,
Chillingworth, doing his best to get to the bottom of the situation. This series of events occurs
due to the fact that these characters reside in a Puritan-dominated area, restricted by laws and
condemned by the masses. Casting aside their unfortunate circumstances, one sees that
Hester, Pearl, Dimmesdale, and Chillingworth play essential roles in both the novel and their
society. Hester and Pearl can be seen as evil beings and personifications of guilt and sin.
Dimmesdale represents the imperfect ideals of Puritanism and how guilt affects someone,
while Chillingworth becomes the impetus for change in the characters, playing the role as the
vengeful one who puts the plot into action. Society needs these types of people as a way to
evaluate itself, learn from its mistakes, and develop better moral standards.
While the reader may pity Hester and her situation, it is still extremely clear that she
commits a sin that cannot be erased, in the form of Pearl. And be the stern and sad truth
spoken, that the breach which guilt has once made into the human soul is never, in this mortal
state, repaired. It may be watched and guarded; so that the enemy shall not force his way again
into the citadel, and might even, in his subsequent assaults, select some other avenue, in
preference to that where he had formerly succeeded. But there is still the ruined wall, and,
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near it, the stealthy tread of the foe that would win over again his unforgotten triumph (18.4).
Hawthorne explains, in this quote, how a sin manifests ones soul and that, no matter how
much they try, the sinner cannot deny the fact that it exists. Hester, in a sense, plays the direct
evil role, as she is the one who has wronged; the only reasons in letting her stay alive during the
course of this story are: to get the other perpetrators identity and to let her be an example of
what not to do in that particular society. Thus the young and pure would be taught to look at
her, with the scarlet letter flaming on her breast,at her, the child of honorable parents,at
her, the mother of a babe, that would hereafter be a woman, at her, who had once been
innocent, as the figure, the body, the reality of sin (5.1). By taking on this evil role, Hester is
a lesson to the people, the leaders way of enforcing order and control over the rest of the
population. This has a negative impact overall in terms of Puritanism, but many societies do rely
on punishment, public or private, in order to establish their laws and codes of conduct. Pearls
role in this is that she constantly reminds Hester of her mistake, and this is important as Hester
herself needs to realize that she has done wrong. Children have always a sympathy in the
agitations of those connected with them; always, especially, a sense of any trouble or
impending revolution, of whatever kind, in domestic circumstances; and therefore Pearl, who
was the gem on her mother's unquiet bosom, betrayed, by the very dance of her spirits, the
emotions which none could detect in the marble passiveness of Hester's brow (21.4). Pearl, in
this quote, acts out on her passive mothers emotions, becoming the Hester that could have
been if the sin had not been committed. She is the manifestation of the evil that has penetrated
Hesters soul, and the author does not hold back in describing Pearls huge interest in Hesters
scarlet letter. SInce she has to take care of Pearl, Hester will always have to look back on her
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actions and review herself. This is beneficial to those who have strayed from the right path in
life, as having to take care of a living conscience will broaden and improve their perspectives
and own definitions of right and wrong.
Dimmesdale, having so much respect and popularity due to both his character and
occupation, hides a dark secret and thus shows the flaws within his society and the Puritans
themselves. "If thou feelest it to be for thy soul's peace, and that thy earthly punishment will
thereby be made more effectual to salvation, I charge thee to speak out the name of thy fellow-
sinner and fellow-sufferer!" (3.26). Here Dimmesdale is shown expressing his opinions on sin,
how one suffers from it, as well as how Hester should confess, and the irony within this
statement reflects the hypocrisy that lies in their Puritan environment. It is obvious that
Dimmesdale has done wrong, but he refuses to acknowledge that fact until very late in the
novel, all the while continuing his job as a minister, a trusted person whom everyone goes to
for help and advice. Even Pearl recognizes that his character is askew: "What a strange, sad
man is he!" said the child, as if speaking partly to herself. "In the dark night-time, he calls us to
him, and holds thy hand and mine, as when we stood with him on the scaffold yonder! And in
the deep forest, where only the old trees can hear, and the strip of sky see it, he talks with
thee, sitting on a heap of moss! And he kisses my forehead, too, so that the little brook would
hardly wash it off! But, here, in the sunny day, and among all the people, he knows us not; nor
must we know him! A strange, sad man is he, with his hand always over his heart!" (21.10-12).
The reader is forced to consider how such a respected, popular man can act so unaccordingly;
seeing as how Dimmesdale and others in a position of religious importance are the heart of the
society, one can then relate this minister to the Puritans and their own wrongdoings. They
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dont fully understand the unethical aspects of their actions, nor do they even acknowledge
that their customs or beliefs may be slightly askew. A society of which operates like
Dimmesdale would most likely end up like him as well, therefore proving how crucial it is to pick
out these flaws and embrace them in order to grow morally as a community. Dimmesdales
guilt in committing this sin follows through and causes his end, demonstrating what would
likely happen if one were to not accept guilt before it is too late. "Hadst thou sought the whole
earth over," said he, looking darkly at the clergyman, "there was no one place so secret, no
high place nor lowly place, where thou couldst have escaped me,--save on this very scaffold!"
(23.18). Right after confessing his sins in the above quote, the shock and stress Dimmesdale
undergoes leads to him having a heart attack. He is not wrong in going up to the scaffold in
order to let everyone know of his evil, but he is wrong in that he chose to do so after too long
a period of time. The guilt that slowly took over his soul as well as his physical being became
too much, demonstrating why society needs to learn, again, from these types of people and
acknowledge its own issues to be able to find a solution before all hope is lost.
Chillingworth plays his own special role in this fiasco, one of which centers around
revenge and its gradual consumption of the human spirit. " With the superstition common to
his brotherhood, he fancied himself given over to a fiend, to be tortured with frightful dreams,
and desperate thoughts, the sting of remorse, and despair of pardon; as a foretaste of what
awaits him beyond the grave. But it was the constant shadow of my presence!the closest
propinquity of the man whom he had most vilely wronged!--and who had grown to exist only
by this perpetual poison of the direst revenge! Yea, indeed!he did not err!there was a fiend
at his elbow! A mortal man, with once a human heart, has become a fiend for his especial
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torment!" (14.18). Instead of exposing the minister for who he is immediately, Chillingworth
chooses a slow and steady approach in making Dimmesdale confess himself. Hawthorne makes
Chillingworth come up with this plan to show to the reader the utmost evil that exists within
the man, as well as providing Chillingworth with an elaborate plan just so he can satisfy his own
vengeance. One then ponders on the consequences of constantly brooding over negative
thoughts instead of forgiving and letting go, as well as thinking about why the author chose to
fashion such a character. It is then that a quote used earlier (23.18) is implemented in
furthering the following points. If Chillingworth were not to be in the plot, or if he were not
transfixed on getting revenge, then, ultimately, character development would have been
delayed and there would have been no real resolution. It is through Chillingworth, or rather, his
actions, that Dimmesdale gains the courage to confess, through her husband that Hester is able
to muster up the strength to confront Dimmesdale, and it is, in the end, through Chillingworth
that Pearl is able to identify the cause of Dimmesdales physical ailments. One may say that
Chillingworth is the man who played the largest role in the resolution, as his determination is
the greatest push that puts the rest of the characters into play. Society most definitely needs
these role types; without those who push for success or strive towards a certaing goal, there
would not be a society in the first place.
Hawthorne uses a variety of dark romanticism as well as naturalist thinking in terms of
writing The Scarlet Letter, but his ancestry influenced his opinions and tones towards the
characters, due to the fact that his family played a large role in an unreasonable scrutinization,
treatment, and execution of a large group of people. Hester, Pearl, Dimmesdale, and
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Chillingworth represent essential roles in society, whether they be good or evil, an embodiment
of a certain ideal or concept, or just an impetus for the growth of others.