... Hawthorne points out that the former is true of all people in the novel The Scarlet Letter. In this novel, there are three main characters who commit evil and sinful acts, but each act is at a different degree of sinfulness. For example the sins get worse as the story goes on. These three sinners, in the eyes of the puritan community are the beautiful Hester Prynne, the esteemed Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale, and the cold-hearted doctor, Roger ... until he finds what he is looking for, but not with destroying Dimmesdale's life even more. Hawthorne illustrates this event when he remarks, "N...

• Word Count: 1211
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

... the theme of a war between passion and responsibility throughout The Scarlet Letter. Hester Prynne, Arthur Dimmesdale, and Roger Chillingworth are all each individually caught in a struggle between passion and responsibility. However, it is Roger Chillingworth who best manifests this internal struggle. As a result of Pynne's and Dimmesdale's affair, Chillingworth becomes torn between his responsibilities to them and his selfish desire to seek revenge on them. Chillingworth's desire for ... former self. Chillingworth's ugliness is magnified after he is consumed by sin. The townspeople an...

• Word Count: 1082
• Approx Pages: 4
• Has Bibliography