The Scarlet Letter: The Letter "A"

.
             Many see the "A" as something evil, as something for which Hester should be deeply ashamed about. But Hester accepts her punishment and because of the letter is able to build her character, making her courageous and strong willed. This "A" in a way, guides Hester and allows her to be who she is destined to be. It guides her to helping others, such as Dimmesdale, and to make the right choices. Helping her raise her child, Pearl, and to teach her what is right. Pearl, unlike many, is enchanted with the letter A; she plays with it constantly, throwing flowers at it and laughing. But throughout the novel, Hester seems to try to forget about the letter and try to live a normal life, but Pearl stops this and because of her Hester is always being reminded of her punishment. Dimmesdale, Hester's lover, is the only one apart from Hester who knows about the relationship between the two. Therefore, because of the incident, Dimmesdale also blames the act of adultery on himself and so he makes his own letter over his heart. Serving as a symbol that he shares the same pain as Hester and that Hester shouldn't be the only one who suffers. Dimmesdale suffers incredibly because of the letter A, due to the fact that he is afraid, primarily from Roger Chillingsworth, Hester's husband who came from Europe looking to get revenge on the Hester's lover. Thus Dimmesdale, who lives with him because Chillingsworth is helping him out with his heart condition which he acquired from his suffering, suffers everyday due to the fact that he needs to confess what he has done. Causing Hester to be afraid, that his lover and his husband live together and that it is highly dangerous. And that Chillingsworth is seeking revenge on Hester's lover, and to many it seems that he wants to kill that person.
             Although the letter "A" develops a problematic situation between Dimmesdale and Chillingsworth, it still doesn't lose its significance, but instead it changes it into several things.