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Consequently “The Scarlet Letter” was published one year later. It was only intended to be a lengthly short story, however the extra money a novel would bring in was needed (Introduction XVI). In addition to financial worries, another influence on the story is Hawthorne’s rejection of his ancestors. His forefathers were strict Puritans, and John Hathorne, his great-great-grandfather, was a judge presiding during the Salem witch trials (Biographical note VII). Hawthorne did not condone their acts and actually spent a great deal of his life renouncing the Puritans in general. Similarly, “The Scarlet Letter” was a literal “soapbox” on which to stand and tell the world that the majority of Puritans were cold and unfeeling. For example, before Hester emerges from the prison she is being scorned by a group of women who feel that she deserves a larger punishment. Instead of only being made to stand on the scaffold and wear the scarlet letter on her chest, they suggest that she have it branded on her forehead or that she be put to death (51). Perhaps the most important influence on the story is the author’s interest in “the dark side” (Introduction VIII). Unlike the transcendentalists of the era, Hawthorne “confronted reality, rather than evading it” (VII). Likewise, “The Scarlet Letter” deals with adultery, which caused much scandal when it was first published (XV). The book revolves around sin and punishment, a far cry from the writers of the time. Writers such as Emerson and Thoreau did not write about such issues. This background, together with a believable plot, convincing characterization, and important literary devices enables Nathaniel Hawthorne to develop the heart as a prison as the central theme in “The Scarlet Letter.” The scaffold scenes are the most substantial situations in the story because they unify “The Scarlet Letter” in two influential ways. First, every scaffold scene reunites the main characters of the novel. In the first scene, everyone in the town is gathered in the market place because Hester is being questioned about the identity of the father of her child (52). In her arms is the product of her sin, Pearl. Dimmesdale is standing beside the scaffold because he is Hester’s pastor and it is his job to convince her to repent and reveal the father’s name. A short time later, Chillingworth unexpectedly shows up in the crowd of people who are watching Hester. In the second scaffold scene Dimmesdale is standing on top of the scaffold alone in the middle of the night. He sees Hester and Pearl walk through the market place on their way back from Governor Winthrop’s bedside (158). Chillingworth appears later standing beside the scaffold, staring at Dimmesdale, Hester, and Pearl. In the final scaffold scene, Dimmesdale walks to the steps of the scaffold in front of the whole town after his Election day sermon. He tells Hester and Pearl to join him yet again on the scaffold (264). Chillingworth then runs through the crowd and tries to stop Dimmesdale from reaching the top of the scaffold, the one place where he cannot reach him. Another way in which the scenes are united is how each illustrates the immediate, and prolonged effects that the sin of adultery has on the main characters. The first scene shows Hester being publicly punished on the scaffold. She is being forced to stand on it for three hours straight and listen to people talk about her as a disgrace and a shame to the community. Dimmesdale’s immediate response to the sin is to lie. he stands before Hester and the rest of the town and proceeds to give a moving speech about how it would be in her and the father of the child’s best interest for her to reveal his name. Though he never actually denies being the father he holds his silence which is just as bad as denying the truth. With quotes like this one, “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-simmer and fellow-sufferer” Dimmesdale becomes the worst of hippocrates (67). Chillingworth’s first reaction is one of shock, but he quickly suppresses this feeling. Because the first sight of his wife in two years is of her being punished for being unfaithful to him, he is naturally surprised. However, his surprise does not last long because Chillingworth’s cold calculating personality does not allow him to show this emotion. Pearl’s existence is the most immediate effect of Hester and Dimmesdale’s sin. She is the lasting symbol reminder of their love and of their troubles. The second scaffold scene occurs several years later and shows the effects after time has had a chance to play its part. It begins with Dimmesdale climbing the stairs of the scaffold in the middle of the night. At this point that is the closest he can get to confessing his sin. This shows how pitiful Dimmesdale has become due to his guilt. This guilt can be seen when he perceives the light from a meteor as the letter A, and also when he screams aloud fearing the universe is staring at a scarlet token on his breast. Dimmesdale then sees Hester and Pearl and asks them to join him on the scaffold. Hester had been measuring the governor for the robe in which he is to be buried. Hester’s talent as a seamstress has been noticed by the everyone in town. Ironically, her first well known piece of work was the scarlet letter that she wore on her chest. This scaffold scene also shows how Pearl has developed mentally in her situation. She constantly asks Dimmesdale if he will be joining Hester and herself on the scaffold tomorrow at noon and accuses him of not being true(162). Neither Hester nor Dimmesdale ever told Pearl who her father was, but she figures it out by the way he always holds his hand over his heart. Chillingworth’s derangement is evident in this scene as well. His contempt for Dimmesdale is so acute that he risks his cover when he gives him a look so vivid as to remain painted on the darkness of night. The third scaffold scene is the climax of the book, it is the last glimpse into the minds of the main characters and it is also the last time that all of them are alive. At this point in time, Dimmesdale’s fixation on his sin has utterly corroded him to the point of death. After he gives his election day sermon, he goes to the scaffold and asks Hester and Pearl to join him because he is so weak that he can hardly support himself (265). He finally exposes the truth and tells the townspeople of how he deceived them all these years. The only good that comes out of conceding his guilt is that he passed away with a clear conscience. Hester Prynne’s characterization is shown in this scene as well because for the first time she is not in control of her emotions. Her dream of escaping to England with Dimmesdale is lost when he decides to confess his sin. Pearl’s greatest transformation occurs here when for the first time she shows normal human emotion. After Dimmesdale confesses, she kisses his lips and starts crying, “The great scene of grief...had developed all her sympathies; and as her tears fell upon her father’s cheek, they were the pledge that she would grow up amid human joy and sorrow, nor forever do battle with the world, but be a woman in it” (268). Ultimately, Chillingworth takes a turn for the worse when Dimmesdale confesses. Because Chillingworth had based his entire life on getting revenge on Dimmesdale, his life was rendered meaningless. On that account, Hawthorne uses the scaffold scenes both as a unifying device for the characters, and also as a climactic venue to end the novel. The main characters sharply contrast each other in the way they react to the sin committed by Hester and Dimmesdale. Hester becomes stronger, more enduring, and even more sympathetic. She becomes stronger because she is forced to carry the full burden of the actions of two people. Being a single mother at that time in her situation would take a strong person to say the least. Hester had her hands full enough with just tending to Pearl’s basic needs. Raising Pearl however, proved to be more difficult. Hawthorne gives an accurate description of Pearl with this passage, “The child could not be made amenable to rules. In giving her existence, a great law had been broken; and the result was a being whose elements were perhaps beautiful and brilliant, but all in disorder; or with an order peculiar to themselves, amidst which the point of variety and arrangement was difficult or impossible to be discovered (91). Hester’s endurance is proven when she wins back the hearts of the townspeople. Instead of running away she stayed and accepted their insults and intolerance. It took her many years but after showing her worth through sewing skill and much community service Hester was able to completely win over the townspeople. They even went so far as to refer to the scarlet letter as “the cross on a nun’s bosom” (169). Hester also becomes more sensitive to the feelings and needs of other people. She feels that her own sin gives her “sympathetic knowledge of the hidden sin in other hearts” (87). So even though the people she tried to help, “often reviled the hand that was stretched forth to succor them,” she continued her services because she really cared (85). While Hester tries to make the best out of her situation, Dimmesdale becomes weaker by letting guilt and grief eat away at his conscience. Dimmesdale punishes himself by believing that he can never be redeemed. He feels that he will never be seen the same in the eyes of God, and that no amount of penitence can ever return him to God’s good graces. He shows this pessimism to Hester by scolding her when she tells him that his good deeds will count for something, Dimmesdale exclaims, “There is no substance in it! It is cold and dead and can do nothing for me!” (202). This also shows that Dimmesdale believes his sin has taken the meaning out of his life. His life’s work has been dedicated to God, and now his sin has tainted all of this hard work. He feels that he is a fraud and is not fit to lead the people of the town to salvation. The feeling is so oppressive that when he gets the chance to leave his life and escape with Hester and Pearl to England he almost forgets himself. He walks through town with twice as much energy as normal, and he barely stops himself from swearing to a member of the congregation. When an old lady approaches him he can not remember any scriptures whatsoever to tell her, and the urge to use his power of persuasion over a young maiden is so strong that he covers his face with his cloak and runs off (230). The largest cause of Dimmesdale’s breakdown is the fact that he keeps his sin a secret. As God’s servant, it is his nature to tell the truth, so the years of pretending are especially hard on him. His secret guilt is such a burden that instead of going with Hester to England and perhaps having a chance to live a normal life, he chooses to confess his sin and die on the scaffold. Ultimately, Chillingworth responds to his wife’s betrayal by sacrificing everything in order to seek revenge on her secret lover. He used to be a scholar who dedicated his best years, “to feed the hungry dream of knowledge,” but his new quest becomes finding and punishing the man who seduced his wife. He soon becomes obsessed with his new mission in life, and when he targeted Reverend Dimmesdale as the possible parent, he dedicates all of his time to becoming his confidant in order to get his retribution. Vengeance was also one of the reasons that Chillingworth gives up his identity as Roger Prynne. The only way he can truly corrupt Dimmesdale is to live with him and be by his side every day. Because the only person who knew his true identity is sworn to silence, he succeeds for a long time in tricking Dimmesdale until Hester sees that he was going mad and finally revealed Chillingworth’s true identity. Chillingworth paid the ultimate price for exacting such a revenge. His quest for revenge consumed the man that he was and accordingly he dies one year after Dimmesdale because he has nothing left to live for. In conclusion, Hawthorne’s use of characterization gives the book a unique feel by showing the feelings of Hester, Chillingworth, Dimmesdale, and Pearl indirectly through acts and symbolism. “The Scarlet Letter” revolves around two major symbols: light and darkness, and the scarlet letter. The book is filled with light and darkness symbols because it represents the most common battle of all time, good versus evil. When Hester and her daughter are walking in the forest, Pearl exclaims, “Mother, the sunshine does not love you. It runs away and hides itself, because it is afraid of something on your bosom. Now see! There it is, playing, a good way off. Stand you here, and let me run and catch it. I am but a child. It will not flee from me, for I wear nothing on my bosom yet (192)!” Hester tries to stretch her hand into the circle of light, but the sunshine vanishes. She then suggests that they go into the forest and rest. This short scene actually represents Hester’s daily struggle in life. The light represents what Hester wants to be, which is pure. The movement of the light represents Hester’s constant denial of acceptance. Hester’s lack of surprise and quick suggestion to go into the forest, where it is dark, shows that she never expected to be accepted and is resigned to her station in life. Another way light and darkness is used in symbolism is in the way Hester and Dimmesdale’s plan to escape is doomed. Hester and Dimmesdale meet in the shadows of the forest with a gloomy sky and a threatening storm overhead when they discuss their plans for the future (200). The gloomy weather and shadows exemplify the fact that they cannot get away from the repressive force of their sin. This fact is later reiterated when Dimmesdale dies on the scaffold after confessing. The final instance of light and dark occurs because Hester and Dimmesdale cannot acknowledge their love in front of others. When they meet in the woods, they feel that, “No golden light had ever been so precious as the gloom of this dark forest” (206). This statement is foreshadowing that they will never last together openly because their sin has separated them too much from normal life. The scarlet letter takes many different forms in the novel. The first and most obvious is that of adultery. It is apparent that Hester is guilty of adultery when she surfaces from the prison with a three-month-old child in her arms, and her husband has been away for two years. Hence, the people look at the letter elaborately embroidered with gold thread and see a “hussy” who is proud of her sin. The second form that the letter A takes is “Angel.” When Governor Winthrop passes away, a giant A appears in the sky. People from the church feel that, “For as our good Governor Winthrop was made a angel this past night, it was doubtless held fit that there should be some notice thereof!” (16). The final form that the scarlet letter takes that of Hester being “Able.” Hester helped the people of the town so unselfishly that Hawthorne wrote, “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 significance. They said that it meant Able; so strong was Hester Prynne, with a woman’s strength” (167). In closing, one of the most important reasons that “The Scarlet Letter” is so well received is the way Hawthorne leaves the novel open to be interpreted several different ways by his abundant use of symbolism. His background, together with a believable plot, convincing characterization, and important literary devices enables Nathaniel Hawthorne to develop the theme of the heart as a prison. Hawthorn describes the purpose of the novel when he says, “Be true! Be true! Be true! Show freely to the world, if not your worse, yet some trait whereby the worst may be inferred!” (272). The theme is beneficial because it can be put into terms in today’s society. “The Scarlet Letter” is a book that will be timeless, because it deals with alienation, sin, punishment, and guilt, emotions that will continue to effect every generation to come. Bibliography: Word Count: 2922
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