to pry into the man’s private and personal life. He also finds with glee that the young pastor was also publicly marked as a sinner during his early life. In such events, he succeeds in tormenting a decent person merely trying to make emotional amends towards God and his community. The war ends only when Hester and Dimmesdale stop suffering from guilt and no longer have to bear the weight of their “Scarlet Letter” as Dimmesdale bears his Scarlet Letter to his followers. Because the Puritans see that such a righteous and holy man such as their beloved pastor could be branded with an “A”, they start to see that Hester may not be such an evil person. On top of that, her charity work made people think the “A” on her chest meant “Able”, especially those who were not present when she was publicly shamed on the scaffold. Chillingworth loses in the end because he no longer holds in his hand the chips in which to blackmail and torture two honest and good people. Chillingworth in the end also realizes what he has become. From the one knowledge loving scholar to the embodiment of evil, he finally realizes the guilt he must bear for his mistreatment of those who once put faith in him.It may not have been a picture perfect storybook ending, but justice was served in the end. This justice is usually evident in literature and as Henry Gaedon says, “...Evil wins the battle, but Good wins the war.” If only it was so in the here and now, we would be living in a much better place. ...
