Human Nature in the Scarlet Letter (Book Analysis)

📌Category: Books, The Scarlet Letter
📌Words: 482
📌Pages: 2
📌Published: 26 January 2022

A person’s nature is simply the cause of societal pressures and the treatment by others. Nathenial Hawthrone’s The Scarlet Letter depicts the aftermath of an affair between Hester Pyrnne, a townswomen  formerly married to Roger Chillingworth, and Arthur Dimmesdale, the community’s minister for the church. The affair resulted in a pregnancy which exposed Hester for her sin. Upon the community’s acknowledgement of her actions, Hester was the only one to take the blame, leading to a life of isolation and torment. At the same time, Dimmesdale continues with his life but experiences inner guilt, while the husband, Roger Chillingworth, sought out revenge for the betrayal. Although Arthur Dimmesdale displays many moments of hypocrisy and weakness, Chillingworth deserves harsher judgements as he devoted his pure existence to revenge, resulting in a man whose purpose is found in malavonance, although he lacks a substantial reason for his extreme actions. 

The act of cheating can bring much despair and anger to those considered the victim, but Chillingworth is divergent, in relation to similar ideology, invalidating the passion behind his acts and questioning his rationale. Chillingworth outwardly understands and acknowledges that his marriage with Hester was never out of love and devotion to one another. Contrarily, Chillingworth exploited a girl, practically a whole generation younger in age, and, “tricked [her]... into an unnatural marriage,” where Hester’s mental well-being can best be described as, “a house large enough for many guests, but lonely and cold” (Hawthorne). Hester sacrificed her entire being just to please the words and values of a generation which has passed; her betrayal emphasized her desire to break free from Chillingworth’s dominance. Through their pseudo marriage, Chillingworth has no validity or sanctioned argument to justify himself. Nevertheless, Chillingworth did endure a reality of true devotion to another, only it was a stranger in which he planned to inflict the world’s misery and torture upon. Chillingworth plotted no evil against Hester, rather, “a man who has wronged [them] both,” but Chillingworth’s newly found enemy is unknown in his eyes (Hawthorne). Hester chose to keep the father of the child in question to the public, so Chllingworth basically admits to allotting his being to finding this, most considered, sinful man and making him suffer. Theoretically Chillingworth’s revenge should only be pointed at Hester because of their prior relations; however, Chillingworth’s relationship with Hester is belittled to nothing as he cares deeply about his social status and accomplishing communal acceptance to carry out his plans. While Chillingworth was aiding to and interviewing Hester in her jail cell, he asks one thing of her, to never, “tell [her] soul that [she] ever called [him]  husband…[as Chillingworth] wants to avoid the dishonor that comes to the husband of a cheating woman. Or perhaps [he] has other reasons” (Hawthrone). One of his first thoughts is to keep his presence unknown to the public eye. Chillingworth pictured societal depiction as highly influential in one’s behaviors and opportunity; given this, his goal of entanglement with the community was to find the mystery father. In short, Chillingworth’s aspiration to cause a stranger torment is unwarranted for he never experienced true betrayal to take on his devilish character.

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