The Public Ignominy of Sin
Puritan society of the colonial era was one of the most demanding and strict when dealing with one’s peers. In a constant struggle to be faithful to God and to perform good works that would ensure status as Elect, members of Puritan society faced much pressure to be exemplary citizens. However, not all of these Puritans were able to follow all of the demanding moral codes and procedures all of the time. It is human nature to sin, as no humans are perfect, but the degree of sin is measured individually. Hester Prynne in The Scarlet Letter suffered immensely for her sin as an adulteress, and her child from this sin, Pearl, suffered as well. But none suffered as did the secret father of Pearl, Arthur Dimmesdale, the town reverend who kept his secret bottled inside for seven years. The torment he endured from Roger Chillingworth, Hester’s anonymous husband, caused the destruction of his character and inevitable death. The story dealt a great deal with the idea of sin, the punishment that comes from it, and the repentance that some undergo to cleanse themselves of that sin. In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, the author uses the scaffold scenes to depict the idea of private versus public sin.
Seven years pass, and still Arthur Dimmesdale has not come forth to declare his partnership in Hester’s sin. Arthur has been in severely declining health brought on by the emotional torment he suffers from not forthcoming with the information concerning himself and Hester. Such is the reason for the second scaffold scene. The first scaffold scene brought upon the idea that private repentance for this sin was the wisest course of action, but Reverend Dimmesdale feels differently. He can no longer continue to live knowing that he is the father of Pearl but has been nothing but a stranger to her for her entire life. Also, Roger Chillingworth, Hester’s husband, knows that Arthur is the father and due to the circumstances that the townspeople feel that Arthur should be with Roger, his physician, all the time, Roger is able to torment Arthur everyday unyieldingly. It is now presented to the reader that Arthur cannot earn salvation by keeping this secret hidden from the world, that he must publicly acknowledge his crime, acknowledge his daughter and lover if he is to seek atonement for his sin. Once upon the scaffold, in the darkest of night, he lets out a cry, heard by Pearl and Hester, who were returning home after spending most of the night at the deathbed of Governor Bellingham. Together the three stand united upon the scaffold, and for the first time Arthur “publicly” is acknowledged for his sin, although the only one to see them in the midst of the night was Roger Chillingworth who was already aware of the fact that the father was Arthur. Although Arthur is not publicly recognized as a sinner by anyone other than those that can already identify him as one, this is the crucial turning point in which Arthur summons the strength to come forth and knows that if he doesn’t, it will be the end of him. The great scarlet letter in the sky is the other public recognition that comes forth from the second scaffold scene. It is the voice that suffices for Arthur’s silence. Unfortunately for Arthur’s cause, the great letter A is interpreted to stand for angel, as Governor Bellingham had passed away earlier in the evening. The second scaff
Some topics in this essay:
Hester Arthur,
Arthur Dimmesdale,
Pearl Cleary,
Hester Pearl,
Prynne Puritan,
Arthur Roger,
Scarlet Letter,
Chillingworth Hester’s,
Arthur Arthur,
Governor Bellingham,
scaffold scene,
scarlet letter,
arthur dimmesdale,
publicly recognized,
father pearl,
roger chillingworth,
sin arthur,
public sin,
publicly recognized sin,
governor bellingham,
hester pearl,
versus public sin,
private versus public,
roger chillingworth hester’s,
sin kept private,
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Approximate Word count = 1460
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)
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