THE SCARLET LETTER: THE PRINCIPAL FOCUS OF THE

NARRATIVE:
--Historically, the events are set in Boston in the time of the Puritans: Puritans
were a Protestant group that emerged in 16th-century England with the goal of
reforming or purifying the Church of England of all remaining Roman Catholic
teachings and practices. In the early 17th century (1629-1642), thousands of
English Puritanscolonized North America, almost all in New England; they
played a leading role in establishing the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1629.
During the crossing, the Puritan leader Winthrop preached a sermon entitled "A
Model of Christian Charity", in which he told his followers that they had entered
a covenant with God according to which he would help them to prosper if they
maintained their commitment to God. In doing so, their new colony would
become a "City upon a Hill", meaning that they would be a model to all the
nations of Europe as to what a properly reformed Christian community should
look like.
In Hawthorne’s novel, however, the Massachusetts community is depicted as
austere, intolerable and conformists; the townspeople of Boston, particularly
women, are seen to be displeased with Hester’s punishment that commands her to
wear all her life the letter “A” on her chest as a token of her adultery; they wished
a tougher sentence could have been inflicted on her, such as death or at least
branding her forehead with the letter. Hawthorne meaningfully opens his novel
with a description of the prison to underline the reproduction of the very punitive
system that the migrant Puritans supposedly left back in Europe.
Witchcraft in Colonial New England: Puritan fears, beliefs, and institutions
fueled the witch hunt in towns like Salem; Puritans believed that African
Americans and Native Americans living within the colonies were true witches,
because they were considered inherently evil creatures, unable to control their
connection to Satanic wickedness. Women were primarily suspected to be
witches, since the Puritans believed that females were more susceptible to make
a choice to enter a covenant with Satan as their fragile bodies could not protect
their souls. The Salem witch trials were a series of hearings and prosecutions of
people accused of witchcraft in colonial Massachusetts between February 1692
and May 1693. Thirty people were found guilty, 19 of whom were executed by
hanging (14 women and five men).
In the novel, Hawthorne alludes toAnne Hutchinson, whose personal ideas
regarding faith and sin caused he to be persecuted in seventeenth-century Boston.
Hutchinson’s name is mentioned in relation to the rosebush which grows beside
the prison door, behind which Hester is imprisoned for her sin of adultery; the

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rosebush could have ‘sprung up under the footsteps of the sainted Anne
Hutchinson’, Hawthorne writes. The rosebush is contrasted with the prison door
that is described as an ‘ugly edifice”, symbolizing grace and freedom in
opposition to austere punishment and confinement that the ugly prison door stands
for.
Anne Hutchinson was known for her outspoken opinions and boldness, and so the
literary connection to the character Hester that Hawthorne makes is significant;
the connection ennobles Hester despite the colony's views of her as a sinful
woman.Hester, like Anne Hutchinson, stand by their good actions in the face of
social condemnation. Despite being a social outcast, Hester continued to be
solicited for her needlework, providing services to the very community that
condemned her.
--Thematically, the novel is a condemnation of Puritan hypocrisy and
intolerance or a dramatization of appearance (public life) and reality (inner
personal feelings). It also deals with the burden of guilt, just punishment,
repentance and forgiveness
Puritan hypocrisy and intolerance
Hawthorne doesdepict the New England Puritans, for the most part, as ignorant
rabble, condemning their provincial bigotry. The Puritan community of Boston,
where the story takes place, was not as righteous and perfect as the people claimed
to be: the first thing they did was to build a place to punish people for wrongdoing;
the prison is sealed with a heavy door “studded with iron spikes,” symbolizing the
separation of the supposedly good society from those who did not conform. In the
first chapter, Hawthorne describes the Boston community as “A throng of
bearded men, in sad-colored garments and gray” implying through this
somberappearance their severe and unforgiving outlook. The townspeople,
especially the women, scorned and mocked Hester for what she had done and
wished that her punishment could have been worse. The women wish that Hester
had got a harsher sentence, at least being branded on her forehead or even killed.
Another point that is brought up in the novel many times through Dimmesdale is
the idea that a hidden sin is worser than one that is publicly displayed. Ever since
Hester Prynne put the scarlet letter on her chest she felt no intense feelings of guilt
or repentance; she was showing her sin and hiding her feelings.On the contrary,
the congregation kept their beliefs that Dimmesdale would never do anything
sinful, even as he pleaded his guilt; he had tried multiple times to get Hester to
admit that he was Pearl’s father and even tried multiple times to admit to his sin
publicly, yet the townspeople would not listen. The Puritans were so hardheaded

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that some of them even denied the scarlet letter he had scarred on his chest because
he was believed to be a good priest.
The last example of Puritan hypocrisy occurs in the very last line of the novel: the
message engraved onto Hester’s and Dimmesdale’s tombstone, “On a field, sable,
the letter A, gules”. On a black field, the letter “A” is boldly red. In a truly pure
setting, the congregation should be a royal color (red) and the stains should have
been sable (black). Hawthorne chose to represent the congregation the way he did,
as a black field, not only to imply their hypocrisy but also to show their imperfect
condition—that they were not as “pure” as they claimed.
Appearance versus reality
There are plenty of examples of appearance versus reality in The Scarlet Letter
by Nathaniel Hawthorne. The most significant one is the fact that the pious
minister, Arthur Dimmesdale, is actually an adulterer who had an illicit affair with
a married woman. The war between his soul or spirit and his body rages on and
causes him to degenerate physically. He is a sensitive man to begin with, and then
the constant conflict between what he knows he should do (public confession
and repentance) and what he does (private punishment and condemnation)
causes his body to deteriorate.
“I have laughed, in bitterness and agony of heart, at the contrast between what
I seem and what I am!”
The contrast between, as Dimmesdale says, between “what I am and what I seem’
clearly shows the duality of appearance versus reality.
Another instance of the dual life Dimmesdale leads is presented in Chapter
Twenty. As he walks back into town, he sees things--or thinks he sees things
differently; it is unlikely that anything in town has really changed. He sees things
because:
No man, for any considerable period, can wear one face to himself, and another
to the multitude, without finally getting bewildered as to which may be the true.
Here again Dimmesdale finds it hard to lead a double life, as no man ‘can wear
one face to himself, and another to the multitude’.
Another example of appearance versus reality in the novel is the relationship
between Roger Chillingworth and Arthur Dimmesdale. The people, of course,
are thrilled that their beloved but weakened pastor is now living in such close
proximity to a doctor; however, we know that Chillingworth is also Hester's
husband and has an agenda of revenge. Eventually the people sense that
something is not right, but they do not know why:
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it truly seemed that this sagacious, experienced, benevolent, old physician, with
his concord of paternal and reverential love for the young pastor, was the very
man, of all mankind, to be constantly within reach of his voice.
What they see and what he is are quite different, and appearance certainly
does not reflect reality.
Finally, the puritans themselves are a great example of appearance versus
reality. While this is a community which claims to be "pure," the citizens
certainly do not act like what they claim to be. The women scorn Hester but
continue to give her their sewing projects, and when she delivers their things, they
scorn and insult her. While they claim to be Christians, they teach their children
to vilify both Hester and Pearl.
The most vivid example of this is the crowd as they speak about Hester at the
beginning of the novel. These women claim to be Christians, but this is an
example of their conversation about Hester:
“The magistrates are God-fearing gentlemen, but merciful overmuch—that is a
truth,” added a third autumnal matron. “At the very least, they should have put the
brand of a hot iron on Hester Prynne’s forehead. Madam Hester would have
winced at that, I warrant me. But she—the naughty baggage—little will she care
what they put upon the bodice of her gown! Why, look you, she may cover it with
a brooch, or such like heathenish adornment, and so walk the streets as brave as
ever!”
There is no compassion, no sympathy, and no grace; there is only condemnation,
scorn, and bitterness. These are not the hallmarks of Christians.
The scarlet letter
The scarlet letter is a burden she will wear until her death, and in life, “giving up
her individuality, she would become the general symbol at which the
preacher and moralist might point, in which they might vivify and embody
their images of woman’s frailty and sinful passion.”

Hester is supposed to wear the scarlet letter for the rest of her life, after she has
been found guilty of adultery. She does take it off for a brief moment in the forest
when she meets Dimmesdale, the forest representing a freer space for passion in
contrast to the civilized space of the community that is based on the very
repression of this passion. Then she takes it off when she goes to Europe to start
a new life. However, Hester feels that she must punish herself for her sinful act so
she goes back to Boston and re-wears the scarlet letter.
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The scarlet letter is an important part of her identity, shame, sin, and grace.At first,
the scarlet letter is symbolic of Hester's sin and shame. She commits adultery and
has a child as a result. The letter 'A' is sewn into her clothing, literally marking
her as an adulterer. But Hester refuses to let the scarlet letter be completely
dictated by others. She continues to wear the letter because she is also determined
to transform its meaning through her good actions and her own self-perception—
she wants to be the one who controls its meaning.to transform its meaning through
her good actions and her own self-perception—she wants to be the one who
controls its meaning.
In a sense, the letter becomessomething she herself owns. She embroiders it
herself and makes it beautiful, which makes the punishment her own. She
takes ownership of that letter, transforming it into a symbol for her identity.
Later, the scarlet letter comes to stand not for the word 'Adultery', but for
'Able' because Hester works hard;even the townspeople begin to admire her for
her grace and charity, which begins to alter the meaning of the scarlet letter in
their own minds.
Finally, the letter ‘A’gets another meaning: the Native Americans who come to
watch the Election Day pageant think it marks her as a person of importance and
status. Now it means grace, and it is something to be admired.
In sum, Hester has transformed the symbolic meaning of the letter ‘A’ through
her attitude and her actions, and by being such a utilitarian woman in the face of
what could have been an awful and debilitating punishment.

PASSAGES AND IMPORTANT CHAPTERS

The Prison Door
-- Hawthorne’s Puritan Boston is introduced: “a throng of bearded men, in sad-
colored garments and gray”; they are waiting for the door of their small prison
house to open.

--The prisondoor separates the prisoners from the free citizens, the jail fromthe
town; in putting up a heavy prison door “studded with iron spikes,” they have
bound themselves as much as they havebound their prisoners.
--There is a rose bush, growing among the plants surrounding the prison. As some
had suggested about its origin, “it had sprung up under the footsteps of the
sainted Ann Hutchinson, as she entered the prison-door.” Ann Hutchinson
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was an early antinomian, believing she was bound to the lawssolely of God and
not of society. She was persecuted by theBoston Puritans in the first years of the
Massachusetts BayCompany’s existence for rejecting their judgmental and
austeremoral theology. After spending time in jail, she was expelledfrom the
colony and eventually killed in a massacre by NativeAmericans in New Rochelle,
New York.
The Market-Place
--The grim demeanor of the Puritans would suggest that the perpetrator of some
drastic crime was about to appear: “the grim rigidity that petrified the bearded
physiognomies of these good people would have augured some awful business in
hand.”
-- Hawthorne mentions Mistress Hibbins, widow of the magistrate, who is
widelyrumored to be a witch—we will encounter her again later.
--Past & Present: a sharp contrast between Hester’s memories of her girlhood in
England--remembrances of her family life, childhood and marriage—and her
miserable and shameful life as she stands on the scaffold exposed to public
condemnation of her adultery in Puritan Boston.

The Recognition
--a new figure is introduced: This is her husband. Emerging from the wilderness,
accompanied by a native guide, comes a small man “with a furrowed visage” and
one shoulder higher than the other. Hester and her husband recognize each other,
and a silent drama is played out within them. Feigning only casual interest, Master
Prynne asks a bystander about Hester as though she were a stranger
and discovers the circumstances of her shame.
--John Wilson, the most revered minister in the colony, exhorts Hester to reveal
her lover’s name, even placing his hand on Dimmesdale’s shoulder as he does so.
--Arthur Dimmesdale is everything the other Puritan authorities are not; he is
young, sensitive, sympathetic, tenderly spiritual, and wholly lacking in cruel
instincts. Whereas Wilson and Bellingham are stern and unforgiving,
Dimmesdale is childlike and kind.
--Why does Hester preserve Dimmesdale’s secret?
Clearly, she does so, in part, out of respect for his good works, but more so
because Dimmesdale must confess on his own. It is a question of the free will of
all.

The Interview
--Once out of the public eye, Hester lapses into a state of intense emotional
distress, and, as a man of science, who but her husband is called to attend her.

The leech

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Doctors in the Puritan settlement were often referred to as leeches, sincethey often
employed actual leeches in the treatment of patients;drawing blood was one of the
most commonly employedremedies. Chillingworth is a leech in both senses of the
word:He is a doctor, and he is a parasite.
Hester and Chillingworth: Hester asks Chillingworth for forgiveness for her and
Dimmesdale; forgiving them will make him a better man, because the revenge has
turned him into a kind of fiend.

Chillingworth and Dimmesdale: Roger Chillingworth is Reverend

Dimmesdale's torturer and secret enemy. He gradually torments the sensitive
reverend after he learns about Dimmesdale's affair with Hester. Roger
Chillingworth initially recognizes that something is suspicious about Dimmesdale
and pays particularly close attention to the reverend's affliction and mysterious
illness. He suggests that Dimmesdale has a spiritual ailment that has been
manifesting itself on Dimmesdale’s physical body. Dimmesdale becomes
increasingly angry and defensive, and says that in that case, it’s only a matter
between him and God.

Chapter 5, “Hester and Her Needle”

Hester’s preference to stay in Boston after she leaves the prison:

Hester’s motive for remaining, at least as she explains it to herself, is “half a truth,
half a self-delusion.” She believes that, by remaining, she has some hope of
redeeming herself; but, without acknowledging it, she also remains because she
cannot bear to part from
Dimmesdale. He alone in the world can share her shame, and can understand her
suffering. She regards herself to be “connected in a union” with him—to be, in
fact, his true wife.

Where did Hester go after she left the prison?

Hester and Pearl take up residence in a modest, isolated home on the outskirts of
town. While the land there is barren, and the prospects poor, Hester is blessed
with exceptional skill in embroidery. Hesteris able to earn a meager living; she
has not only skill but vision and taste when it comes to creatinggarments; her work
is considered beautiful. Furthermore, even though she herself is not far from
poverty, Hester gives money to the poor, even to those who are better off than
she, andspends her time fashioning simple clothing for them.

“Pearl.”
Pearl is growing into a young girl, into a character in the novel. observes Pearl’s
growth and development with concern and finds her a disturbingly remote,
unsympathetic girl. Not exactly cold, Pearl experiences whimsical delight as well

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as truly violent rage; but there is no love in her. She possesses grace and a
mercurial personality and is potentially wild and unruly. Rules and discipline are
meaningless to her, yet
she is not malicious. Hester is frightened by Pearl’s strangeness; she finds her
daughter unintelligible, an enigma. Time and again Hawthorne compares Pearl to
a fairy child, a changeling,an imp, or witch-child. Pearl is not fully human,
because she does not experience rooted human emotions; it is as though she lives
in a dream.Pearl is both the chief recipient of Hester’s love and the emblem of her
sin. Dressed in livid red, Pearlappears to be “the scarlet letter endowed with
life” and so the theme of Pearl’s identification with the letter is deepened and
extended in this chapter.

The Minister's Vigil

In chapter 11, Dimmesdale does practice self-flagellation in which he essentially
whips himself with a scourge: usually a handle to which is attached many small,
leather tails, each with one or more barbs that would stick in the skin, causing
greater pain and bleeding.
Because Dimmesdale is incapable of confessing that he was Hester's lover and
that he is Pearl's father — the one act necessary to his salvation — he substitutes
self-punishment. He beats himself with a bloody whip and keeps frequent all-
night vigils during which his mind is plagued by frightening visions. On one such
night while he is seeking peace, Dimmesdale dresses carefully in his clerical
clothes and leaves the house.

Chapter Eighteen: A Flood of Sunshine

Summary
Dimmesdale allows himself to be overcome by Hester's arguments for leaving,
and he resolves to go with her. He is happy once he makes the decision to go, and
he feels that a burden of guilt has been lifted from his shoulders. Hester, in a
moment of passion, says, "Let us not look back." She then undoes the scarlet
letter and tosses it from her, watching it land only a few feet from the stream
which would have carried it away.
Hester tells Dimmesdale that he must get to know Pearl so that he can love her
the way she does. She calls Pearl, who is standing in a ray of sunshine. The
narrator then compares Pearl to a nymph and calls her a wild spirit. He tells us
that the animals were not afraid of her, and even a wolf allowed her to pat its head.
Pearl has decorated herself with wild flowers, both in her hair and on her clothing.
When she sees the minister, she approaches slowly.
Analysis
The image of the forest as the wild place where passion can flow returns in this
chapter. Hawthorne writes about Hester, "She had wandered, without rule or
guidance, in a moral wilderness ... as vast ... as the untamed forest." Boston,
trying to keep a civilized community over against the wild, remains bordered on

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three sides by the forest, making the wild and its amorality a constant threat to the
Puritan society. The townspeople truly believed in the evil of the woods—
knowing the godless nature of the wild—and thus retained their insularity in their
desire to preserve their settlement’s values. But it is in the woods that people find
forgiveness for their sins inside the community, as Hester and Dimmesdale
discover in their nighttime meeting.
In line with this forest imagery, Hawthorne compares Hester's passion to the
movement of a brook's water and its seeming sadness (a metaphor that has
recurred throughout the novel). The idea of a sad brook, slowly going into the
forest, indicates that Hester is lost and does not know where she will end up. In
this chapter she makes the decision to follow the brook deeper into the wilderness.
In the woods, she is invigorated, brought to a new sense of life, so much so that
she lets her hair down and throws away the scarlet letter.
As the title of the chapter indicates, the sunshine motif is an obvious symbol for
redemption and life, but it was blocked earlier by a desire to hide the truth—
namely, Dimmesdale's place as Pearl's father. In this chapter, however, Hester
finally disposes of the scarlet letter, and Dimmesdale takes his place as Pearl's
father, welcoming her with love. The sunshine breaks through the darkness of lies,
shame and ignorance, and for a brief moment, light shines on this newly
reconciled, peaceful family.

The Ending
Hester has convinced herself that she should remain in New England, despite all
the bad things that have happened to her. After enduring the public shame and
humiliation of being exposed as an adulteress, Hester could be forgiven for
wanting to get out of the colony immediately and never look back. But she does
not leave the colony in The Scarlet Letter because, she reasons, the scene of her
guilt should also be the scene of her punishment. Furthermore, Hester has really
nowhere else to go. As a young woman without any visible means of support, it
would be very difficult to leave even if she wanted to.
Dimmesdale, leaving the church after his sermon, sees Hester and Pearl standing
before the town scaffold. He impulsively mounts the scaffold with his lover and
his daughter, and confesses publicly, exposing a scarlet letter seared into the
flesh of his chest. He falls dead, as Pearl kisses him.
When Hester dies, she is buried next to Dimmesdale. The two share a single
tombstone, which bears a scarlet “A.” A motto carved on the headstone they
share ensures that their punishment follows them even into death: “on a field,
sable, the letter A, gules.” This motto is a verbal representation of the scarlet letter
(“sable” means black and “gules” means reddish).