The Scarlet Letter: Light Vs Dark

“The door of the jail being flung open from within, they’re appeared, in the first place, like a black shadow emerging into the sunshine…” Hester Prynne broke the unwritten law by presenting her sin in the light. When she stood on the scaffold, she stood proud. “Those who had before known her, and had expected to be hold her dimmed and obscured by a disastrous cloud, were astonished, and even startled, to perceive how her beauty shone out

“On the summer morning when our story begins it’s course, that the women, of whom there were several in the crowd, appeared to take a peculiar interest in whatsoever penal infliction might be expected to ensue.” The women of the time period make it a point to be there when others are being punished. When Hester stood on the scaffold the goodwives argue over what the punishment should be. The women sound disgusted of her sin, and try to speak strongly against it, letting others know how they feel about sinning. Is this one-way to try to cover up the sins they have committed? “…the soul of the sufferer be dissolved, and flow forth in a dark, but transparent stream, bringing all its mysteries into the daylight.” This quote was talking about how, when you have sinned, it will be brought out into the light. Meaning that no one is safe, and the stress that you carry from your sin, one day will be brought out for all to see.

…” The people of the town poked and yelled at the situation. Could this merely be away of trying to cover up their own indiscretions? As the story goes on, Hester does not stay as proud. Instead she starts to avoid the light. Because of her sin and the scarlet letter, Hester is no longer pure; therefore she is not seen in the sun. Hawthorne states, "It was only the darkened house that could contain her. When sunshine came again, she was not there." Pearl stated, “The sunshine does not love you. It runs away and hides itself…”

Some topics in this essay:
Hester Prynne, Hester Pearl, Mistress Hibbins, Minister Dimmesdale, Hester Dimmesdale, Light Dark, scarlet letter, Scarlet Letter, “the sunshine love, love runs hides, sunshine love runs, light sin, share sin, runs hides, hester prynne, hester pearl, punished hester, throughout story, stood scaffold, love runs,