Themes

Themes are the fundamental and often universal ideas explored in a literary
work.
SIN, KNOWLEDGE, AND THE HUMAN CONDITION

Sin and knowledge are linked in the Judeo-Christian tradition. The Bible
begins with the story of Adam and Eve, who were expelled from the Garden of
Eden for eating from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. As a result of
their knowledge, Adam and Eve are made aware of their humanness, that
which separates them from the divine and from other creatures. Once
expelled from the Garden of Eden, they are forced to toil and to procreate—
two “labors” that seem to define the human condition. The experience
of Hester and Dimmesdale recalls the story of Adam and Eve because, in
both cases, sin results in expulsion and suffering. But it also results in
knowledge—specifically, in knowledge of what it means to be human. For
Hester, the scarlet letter functions as “her passport into regions where other
women dared not tread,” leading her to “speculate” about her society and
herself more “boldly” than anyone else in New England. As for Dimmesdale,
the “burden” of his sin gives him “sympathies so intimate with the sinful
brotherhood of mankind, so that his heart vibrate[s] in unison with theirs.” His
eloquent and powerful sermons derive from this sense of empathy. Hester
and Dimmesdale contemplate their own sinfulness on a daily basis and try to
reconcile it with their lived experiences. The Puritan elders, on the other hand,
insist on seeing earthly experience as merely an obstacle on the path to
heaven. Thus, they view sin as a threat to the community that should be
punished and suppressed. Their answer to Hester’s sin is to ostracize her.
Yet, Puritan society is stagnant, while Hester and Dimmesdale’s experience
shows that a state of sinfulness can lead to personal growth, sympathy, and
understanding of others. Paradoxically, these qualities are shown to be
incompatible with a state of purity.
THE NATURE OF EVIL

The characters in the novel frequently debate the identity of the “Black Man,”
the embodiment of evil. Over the course of the novel, the “Black Man” is
associated with Dimmesdale, Chillingworth, and Mistress Hibbins, and
little Pearl is thought by some to be the Devil’s child. The characters also try to
root out the causes of evil: did Chillingworth’s selfishness in marrying Hester
force her to the “evil” she committed in Dimmesdale’s arms? Is Hester and
Dimmesdale’s deed responsible for Chillingworth’s transformation into a
malevolent being? This confusion over the nature and causes of evil reveals
the problems with the Puritan conception of sin. The book argues that true evil
arises from the close relationship between hate and love. As the narrator
points out in the novel’s concluding chapter, both emotions depend upon “a
high degree of intimacy and heart-knowledge; each renders one individual
dependent . . . upon another.” Evil is not found in Hester and Dimmesdale’s
lovemaking, nor even in the cruel ignorance of the Puritan fathers. Evil, in its
most poisonous form, is found in the carefully plotted and precisely aimed
revenge of Chillingworth, whose love has been perverted. Perhaps Pearl is
not entirely wrong when she thinks Dimmesdale is the “Black Man,” because
her father, too, has perverted his love. Dimmesdale, who should love Pearl,
will not even publicly acknowledge her. His cruel denial of love to his own
child may be seen as further perpetrating evil.
IDENTITY AND SOCIETY

After Hester is publicly shamed and forced by the people of Boston to wear a
badge of humiliation, her unwillingness to leave the town may seem puzzling.
She is not physically imprisoned, and leaving the Massachusetts Bay Colony
would allow her to remove the scarlet letter and resume a normal life.
Surprisingly, Hester reacts with dismay when Chillingworth tells her that the
town fathers are considering letting her remove the letter. Hester’s behavior is
premised on her desire to determine her own identity rather than to allow
others to determine it for her. To her, running away or removing the letter
would be an acknowledgment of society’s power over her: she would be
admitting that the letter is a mark of shame and something from which she
desires to escape. Instead, Hester stays, refiguring the scarlet letter as a
symbol of her own experiences and character. Her past sin is a part of who
she is; to pretend that it never happened would mean denying a part of
herself. Thus, Hester very determinedly integrates her sin into her life.

Dimmesdale also struggles against a socially determined identity. As the

community’s minister, he is more symbol than human being. Except for
Chillingworth, those around the minister willfully ignore his obvious anguish,
misinterpreting it as holiness. Unfortunately, Dimmesdale never fully
recognizes the truth of what Hester has learned: that individuality and strength
are gained by quiet self-assertion and by a reconfiguration, not a rejection, of
one’s assigned identity.

rising action. Dimmesdale stands by in silence as Hester suffers for the “sin” he helped to
commit, though his conscience plagues him and affects his health.
Transcript of Denouement in The Scarlet Letter. Throughout the book Arthur Dimmesdale's
guilt is overwhelming for himself. ... After the death of Dimmesdale Hester and Pearl decide to
leave Boston for Europe to escape the harsh puritan community.Jul 5, 2015
CONFLICT

Chillingworth and Dimmesdale. A third kind of literaryconflict exhibited in The Scarlet Letter is
man vs. man, which is when one character is in conflict with another character. In this case,
Roger Chillingworth has pitted himself against Arthur Dimmesdale. Chillingworth is Hester's
husband.

What Is Conflict?
Conflict might not be something you want to have in your life, but it is essential in a novel. Conflict
with your roommate is bad; conflict in literature is good!
Conflict in literature is when one character is at odds with another character, with him/herself, with
nature, or with society. Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter provides examples of three of
these kinds of conflicts. We don't have time to cover every single conflict in the story, but let's take a
look at a few of the major ones.

Hester Against the World

One kind of literary conflict is man vs. society which, in addition to illustrating the gender bias of the
English language, means one character in the story is in conflict with a larger culture or society.
Hester, in this case, is pitted against the people of her town - or, rather, they are pitted against her.
The story opens as the town is gathered in front of the prison, waiting for Hester to be placed on
display for public scorn as punishment for having committed adultery. Among the conversation of
these gathered locals, we hear things like, 'This woman has brought shame upon us all, and ought to
die.' That pretty clearly establishes the conflict in question!
In the face of this scorn from society, Hester remained strong. We are told that she stood in front of
this crowd 'with a burning blush, and yet a haughty smile, and a glance that would not be abashed.'
She acknowledges that she has done something wrong in her burning blush, but with her smile and
her unabashed glance, she refuses to allow the people to crush her with contempt.
She bears this out in her actions, too, quietly making a living for herself with her fine needlework.
She devotes herself to her work, to her child, and to serving the poor and helping the sick in any way
she can. She is so persistent in her good works that people begin to suggest that perhaps her
scarlet letter 'A' stands for angel instead of adultery.

Dimmesdale: His Own Worst Enemy

Arthur Dimmesdale, the town minister with whom Hester committed adultery, provides us with an
example of another kind of conflict. Dimmesdale labors under a man vs. self literary conflict.
Dimmesdale knows of his own guilt in tandem with Hester's, but he hides it inside. He goes on acting
the part of a pious minister, and the duplicity tears him apart.
He becomes pale and weak as this inner conflict takes a physical toll on him. We learn that he hides
a 'bloody scourge' in his closet. A scourge is a kind of whip used for hitting people. Some extreme
religious zealots would use a scourge to inflict injury upon themselves as an act of repentance,
which is what Reverend Dimmesdale is doing. This gives a very literal expression for his conflict with
himself.
This conflict rages on within Arthur Dimmesdale for seven years. He wearies himself and wastes
away physically as he is plagued mentally and emotionally. He speaks of the 'unutterable torment' of
one who hides sin within instead of confessing it, and he acts out that agony through his self
mutilation.
At the end of the story, we see him finally win a victory over his inner conflict as he at last climbs
upon the town scaffold and admits fully his guilt to all those gathered there. He dies afterward, but he
calls it a 'death of triumphant ignominy,' thus implying that his public ignominy (or disgrace) is for
him a triumph - he has victory at last over this battle that has raged within himself.

The conflicts of the characters in The Scarlet Letter are resolved, ironically, on

the scaffold, a setting which foreshadowed conflict in Chapter I.  Yet, there are
two scenes in which the scaffold appears after the initial scaffold scene, so
interpretations of the resolutions of the characters' conflicts differ.

In Chapter XII, The Reverend Dimmesdale goes out at night and steps onto
the scaffold, driven "hither by the impulse of that Remorse which dogged him
everywhere."  While he stands on this scaffold, Hester and Pearl pass by; he
calls to them--"we will stand all three together!"--and has them join hands with
him there.  As they do so,
there came what seemed a tumultuous rush of new life, other life than his
own, pouring like a torrent into his heart, and hurrying through all his veins, s if
the mother and the child were communicating their vital warmth to his half
torpid system.  The three formed an electric chain.

Arthur Dimmesdale acknowledges the link among them and admits to his sin,
resolving his conflicting emotions.  He promises Pearl that he will stand again
with them at Judgment Day.  His earlier shriek demonstrates further
Dimmesdale's urge to expose himself.  Chillingworth appears in this scene, as
well.

However, a more complete resolution of the conflicts of the characters,

especially that of Dimmesdale vs. Chillingworth, comes in the scaffold scene
on Election Day in Chapter XXIII.  In this chapter, the fates of the characters
are sealed.  Arthur Dimmesdale mounts the scaffold in daylight this time.
Roger Chillingworth pleads with Dimmesdale not to mount the scaffold and
admit his guilt because he knows if Dimmesdale does admit his sin, he will no
longer have any hold upon the minister. Nevertheless, Dimmesdale confesses
that he is a sinner, tears open his shirt, and reveals a letter A upon his chest;
Hester and Pearl stand beside him as family, Pearl kisses her father and "a
spell was broken" as she becomes more human, less sprite-like since her
passion has been subdued with Dimmesdale's confession. Chillingworth, with
a "blank countenance out of which the life seemed to have departed," cries,
"Thou hast escaped me!"  Now, he has no purpose, and shortly thereafter, he
dies.

With the acknowledgement of all the main characters' sins, the conflicts are
resolved.  Hester and Pearl depart for Europe, but after some time, Hester
returns to Boston and resumes wearing the scarlet letter as it has become too
much her identity.  Still, it ceases to be a stigma and becomes, instead,
something "to be sorrowed over."  Hester dies and is buried at a space from
an old grave made after Election Day.  She is, at last, united with her love.

MORAL The Scarlet Letter:  Moral and Social Themes                

In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, there are many moral and social themes develped
throughout the novel.  Each theme is very important to the overall effect of the novel.  In essence, The
Scarlet Letter is a story of sin, punishment and the importance of truth. One theme which plays a big role
in The Scarlet Letter is that of sin and its effects.  Throughout the novel there were many sins committed
by various characters.  The effects of these sins are different in each character and every character was
punished in a unique way.  Two characters were perfect examples of this theme in the novel.  Hester
Prynne and The Reverend Dimmesdale best demonstrated the theme of the effects of sin.                 
            One character who demonstrated the effects of sin was Hester Prynne.  Hester Prynne commits
adultery with the Reverend Dimmesdale.  Because this act resulted in a child, she was unable to hide her
wrongdoing while Dimmesdale’s analogous sin went unnoticed.  Her punishment for her crime was to
spend a few hours on the scaffold to face public humiliation, and she was forced to wear the letter “A” on
her clothes for the rest of her life.  Hester’s punishment for her sin was distinguished in that the results of
her actions were for the most part external.  Hawthorne describes what Hester’s punishment was like
when he states, “In all her intercourse with society, however, there was nothing that made her feel as if
she belonged to it. Every gesture, every word, and even the silence of those with whom she came in
contact, implied, and often expressed, that she was banished.”(p.44) Although Hester was somewhat
emotionally damaged through public humiliation and alienation, Hester was actually internally content at
the fact that she was paying for her crime. The consequences which Hester faced for her actions were the
result of her admission of guilt.  This proved to be much less harsh then the internal punishment which
Dimmesdale faced.