Sin and Personal Growth in The Scarlet Letter Essay

The Scarlet Letter was written by Nathaniel Hawthorne and was first published in 1850. Hawthorne’s purpose for The Scarlet Letter was to show how anybody can sin, and that sin should be used as an example to learn from. Hawthorne also made clear that good can come from sin and that sin can help a person grow. Hester Prynne is the main character of the book. She is still young when she has her child, Pearl. She is a strong and determined, and uses her past sin, and the â€Å"A† as something to learn from rather than something to be ashamed of. After the shame of getting the â€Å"A,† she moved into the outskirts of town and became a seamstress. The way she was able to move on from her sin and continue her life, even after being scorned and†¦show more content†¦He is known by several different names in the book, two of which are, â€Å"the leech,† and â€Å"the stranger.† He is known at first as â€Å"the stranger† because he shows up unexpectedly, and the Puritans do not know him. The name â€Å"the stranger† is also used to make him seem untrustworthy and possibly dangerous. After being called â€Å"the stranger,† he becomes known as â€Å"the leech.† In those times, doctors used leeches to suck out blood that was thought to be infected, with the intention of curing someone with a disease. Chillingworth being called a leech contrasts this because he sucks out the life out of Dimmesdale in order to take revenge on him for helping Hester to be unfaithful. Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale is an intelligent and emotional man who moved from England to Boston. He is Hester’s lover and Pearl’s father, although they are the only ones who know it. He is deeply convicted by the fact that Hester has to deal with public shame every day while he is almost worshiped despite the same sin. He is a great speaker and he convicts many hearts with his sermons, which, towards the end of the book, mainly concern sin and its power over the heart. He eventually becomes sick with his own hypocrisy. He has constant thoughts and dreams of confessing his sin to everyone, although he never does until rightShow MoreRelatedThe Scarlet Letter By Nathaniel Hawthorne1153 Words   |  5 Pages i. 1. The Scarlet Letter, written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, is a romantic novel that takes place in sixteenth century Boston, Massachusetts. 2. As a romantic novel, it focuses on the various relationships between the characters and the drastic experiences caused by the scarlet letter between the four main characters being Hester Prynne, Arthur Dimmesdale, Roger Chillingsworth, and Pearl Prynne, with the condemnation of the Puritan society 3. The unknown narrator follows the novel’s main antagonistRead MoreThe Importance Of Human Punishment In Nathaniel Hawthornes The Scarlet Letter1380 Words   |  6 PagesNathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter explores how the human condition and sin clash. 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