A READER- RESPONSE CRITICISM OF NATHANEIL HAWTHORNE’S SCARLET
LETTER
Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote The Scarlet Letter, which was first published in 1850. It is
regarded as a classic moral study and a work of American literature. Hester is made to wear a
scarlet letter A that is intricately stitched in gold thread. It depicts the numerous oppositions in
the book, such as those between order and transgression, civilization and wildness, and
adulthood and childhood, as both a badge of shame and a wonderfully crafted human item. The
separation between appearance and reality is further reinforced by society's efforts to rein in wild
enthusiasm. The community's supposedly most respectable members are frequently its most
corrupt, whilst the apparent sinners are frequently its most upright members.
Intriguing analogies between social oppression and psychological repression are also
crafted in the book. A society that needs to demonize and alienate its alleged sinners exhibits
pathology through Dimmesdale's sense of torture over his guilty secret as well as the physical
and psychological symptoms of his depression. Personal integrity is eventually able to rebel
against social domination. The Scarlet Letter, maybe more than any other book, masterfully
captures the rise of individualism and self-reliance in America from its Puritan and conformist
foundations.
The letter "A" initially stands for "adultery," when the community's perceptions of Hester
shift, many people later give the letter meanings like "able" or "angel." The letter demonstrates
Hester's aristocratic or "authoritarian" standing to Governor Bellingham's aide.
The story takes place in a Puritan New England town. Hester Prynne, a young woman
who had an unmarried kid, is the primary character. Hester thinks she is a widow, but Roger
Chillingworth hides his identity and shows up in New England while still very much alive. He
discovers that his wife is being punished for her adultery by being compelled to wear the scarlet
letter A on her dress. Chillingworth becomes fixated with identifying Hester's lover after she
declines to reveal his identity.
Chillingworth begins tormenting him when he finds out that the guy in question is Arthur
Dimmesdale, a pious young priest who is the head of those urging her to identify the child's
father. Dimmesdale is sicker and sicker from guilt. Hester is shown to be a self-sufficient heroine
who never genuinely repents for having an affair with the pastor since she believes that their
deed was blessed by their intense love for one another. Although she is initially mocked, over
time many of her detractors are silenced by her compassion and decency.
The tension grows as the reader has a strong suspicion that Dimmesdale is the father and
wonders whether Chillingworth has come to the same conclusion or if Dimmesdale would keep
his identity a secret. Although only Hester has been formally exiled, Dimmesdale, Hester, and
Chillingworth all maintain hidden ties with one another, causing them to live apart from one
another in the community. This dramatic irony, in which the reader is aware of each character's
hidden motives but neither the reader nor the characters are aware of the other's genuine
emotions, heightens the suspense.
In the end, Chillingworth's relentless quest for vengeance degrades him morally. Before
passing away in Hester's arms, Dimmesdale openly admits his adultery after being broken by his
own sense of remorse. Only Hester is capable of facing the future head-on as she gets ready to
move to Europe with her daughter, Pearl, and start a new life. Years later, Hester makes her way
back to New England, where she keeps her scarlet letter on display. She passes away and is
buried next to Dimmesdale; their shared grave marker reads, "ON A FIELD, SABLE, THE
LETTER A, GULES."
Hawthorne's portrayal of Hester as a courageous lady deserving of respect is not always
plain. Some readers are led astray by his propensity for obscurity and the now-outdated gender
stereotypes described in The Scarlet Letter into believing that Hester is weak and her actions are
unfathomable. However, upon closer inspection, even those activities that initially appear to be
puzzlingly self-defeating show Hester's power. Hawthorne advises that Hester steal the letter A,
making it her own, and changing it into a symbol that represents her numerous talents rather than
her adultery. We may question why Hester stoically wears the symbol of her adultery on her
chest rather than pulling it off. Hawthorne contends that by choosing to remain in town, Hester
demonstrates that she need not flee her past in order to go past it. We may question why Hester
continues to associate with those who have treated her so poorly. There is a subtext of approval
even when the narrator criticizes Hester's acts outright. A clear impression that the narrator
comprehends and values the reasons Hester has changed, for instance, tempers his supposed
condemnation of her growing coldness and independence.
The fundamental theme of The Scarlet Letter is sin and punishment, and how Hester
Prynne, the main heroine, has been punished for her sin of adultery. The scarlet letter is supposed
to represent humiliation, but it instead becomes a powerful emblem of identification for Hester.
Shaming and social stigma are key themes in The Scarlet Letter, as evidenced in both
Prynne's public humiliation and Dimmesdale's inner shame and fear of exposure.
I think yes, I believe that everyone has distinct ways of expressing romanticism to their
loved ones. Based on Scarlet Letter Romance, according to Hawthorne, occurs "somewhere
between the actual world and fairy-land, where the Actual and the Imaginary may meet and each
permeate itself with the character of the other." In real life, you cannot live a world with a fairy
land. Fairy tale doesn’t exist.
I’ve learned from the text that sometimes we may feel and experienced a dream
like story. A imaginative elements that will convey through romances like in a fairy tale land.
But, in the mere fact you may experience a fairy tale life but in the middle and in the ending you
will be back into a realistic life that you can rely on and give your best shot
