Click this picture to evaluate my assignment
⇓
Scarlet
Letter is as story of Sin, Crime and Punishment
Prepared
by- Divya Choudhary
Course-
M.A.
Semester-
3
Paper
no. - 10
Paper
name- American Literature
Enrolment
no - PG15101007
Batch-
2015-17
Email
id- choudharydivya400@gmail.com
Submitted
to- Smt. S. B. Gardi Department of English
Maharaja Krishnakumarsinhji Bhavnagar University
THE SCARLET LETTER AS THE STORY OF
SIN, CRIME AND PUNISHMENT
In
the second coming, it is said "To be without sin, shame and regret is to
be more than human." In the Bible, it has been written "Thou salt not commit adultery." It is god's seventh instruction
and those who violate it are sinners.
The Scarlet Letter takes us to the early days
of Puritan society. This book has derived its title from the custom which was
strictly practiced by the Puritan settles. Whenever a woman was caught in
adultery, she had to wear the letter 'A' embroidered in Scarlet color on her
dress. Scarlet color symbolises blood, death, child birth and life. The scarlet
letter is a book which deals with the values of the sin of adultery in the
lives of three people most affected by it. These three people are Hester
Prynne, Arthur Dimmesdale and Chillingworth. The couple of forbidden lovers and
the wounded husband. It is an outrage of one individual against another and
against the social code of ethics. This story is a story of sin too. That is
why Hester and Dimmesdale who have committed adultery cannot be forgiven. The
novel begins with a scene where a young woman. Hester Prynne is standing at the
scaffold in the summer morning in the summer morning in the market place in
Boston. She has committed adultery and stands in disgrace and tries to hide the
scarlet letter 'A' on her bosom by
holding her child close. Hawthorne defines Hester Prynne as "The woman was
tall, with a figure of perfect elegance, on a large scale. She had dark and lavish
hair, so glossy that it threw off the sunshine with a glow, and a face which
besides being beautiful from regularity of feature and richness of appearance,
had the impressiveness belonging to a marked brow and deep black eyes."
People see Hester as a morally despoiled woman and expressed hatred. The chief
minister and Dimmesdale urge her to confess the name of her lover who should be
sharing her but Hester remains silent. Seeing his wife on the scaffold, he
decides to conceal his identity and quickly puts his finger to his lips to warm
Hester against the betraying the slightest sign of recognition. When Hester is
taken back to the prison, a doctor visits her which turns out to be his husband
Chillingworth. He tries many a times to know the name of Hester's lover but
does not get successful and gets frustrated. Hester and Dimmesdale then plan to
go to other place and decide to leave on election arrive. When the sermon gets
over, people walk out of the church and Dimmesdale walks in. He asserts his
guilt and shows everyone 'A' engraved on his chest and then dies. As Chillingworth
couldn't take revenge, he dies of frustration. Here we can say that Dimmesdale
is a greater sinner than Hester. He tries to conceal his crime from the public.
He goes against the purity of his profession his conscience allows him no rest
and he gets troubled constantly by his soul. He adds hypocrisy to his sin. He
can't sit or study peacefully. He becomes restless and can't sleep peacefully.
He remains awaked at night, writes sermons, and keeps fast. 'A man must be true
confessor' is a puritan belief. He goes deeper and deeper into the pit of sin.
The secret of his sin burns within him, which prompts him to confess yet he is
afraid to reveal himself for what he is. Chillingworth is a greater offender.
He was absent from Hester's life for seven years. In this case, we can say that
a person needs love and so Hester fell in love with Dimmesdale. He is a person
who is devoted to cold science. The way in which he broods over revenge and
marks down highs victim and drives him steadily to self-destruction is made
very creditable when he learns of Hester's shame, he dewiest his very identity
and pursues revenge. 'Sinful father feels more pain than sinful mother.'
Whenever we talk about sin, we talk about punishment. God also gave punishment
to his children Adam and Eve. By
giving birth to the child, she crossed broke the moral order of the society
according to the puritan society. Though Dimmesdale loved Hester, he could not
cross the Puritan culture moral order of the society. They both are self
conscious. Hester is the first sinner. Other people become happy when Hester is
punished as they have conditional mind and they do not feel her feelings.
'Sinful
mother is happier than a sinful father.' When Dimmesdale comes to meet Hester
in secret place or you have to accept us in daylight in front of
everyone." The forest is shown as dark forest. She is tempered there and
so she goes there. For people, it is a punishment to go in the dark, deep
forest. Hester goes with the child and when she comes out, she is not the same
Hester. It is due to the dark forest, she could change the sign A'. Hester
returns. She has to. Her sin lies in New England. Hester chooses to return to
New England to live the moral life: "But there was a more real life for
Hester Prynne, here in New England than in that unfamiliar region where Pearl
had found a home. Here had been her sin; here her regret and here was yet to be
her penitence." Pearl constantly
reminds her mother Hester about her sin or crime which was done in past. When
they are living in the forest, Pearl tells Hester: "Mother, the sunshine
does not love you. It runs away and hides itself, because it is afraid of
something on your bosom. It will not feel from me, for I wear nothing on my
bosom yet." She can be said a born misfit of the infantile world. The
shadow of parent's sin can be seen forcing over the child of Hester.
CONCLUSION: -
The Scarlet Letter is a
tragic story of sin, crime and Punishment which can be learnt by the actions of
all the characters, the crime they committed and the situations they face. The
act of adultery is certain a crime against the individual. Same way, it is also
a crime against society as it involves the violation of the moral code
formulated and honoured by the society. Hawthorne has given the concept of sin
and evil which is a puritan heritage. Sin and crime was the endless theme in
this novel and the consequences of guilt as primarily psychological in nature.
Hester's charm is shown by a sense of guilt. The story shows the concept of
sin, crime and Punishment through Hester's life and Dimmesdale's inner guilt.
⇑
Click this picture to evaluate my assignment
Please post your comments and suggestions in the comment section.
Thank You....
