The Scarlet Letter Essay -- Literary Analysis, Nathaniel Hawthorne

Sin. The word itself is synonymous with evil, shame, and a host of other negative connotations. Everyone sins. Still, each individual copes with his or her sin uniquely. Do they burrow their ignominy inside or do they confess their wrongdoing? Which one is more preferable over the other? Author Nathaniel Hawthorne takes a stab at answering some of these profound life questions in The Scarlet Letter. Through the events that occur in the lives of the characters Roger Chillingworth, Arthur Dimmesdale and Hester Prynn, Hawthorne conveys his opinion that confessing and repenting sin is better than hiding sin. Roger Chillingworth’s character serves to represent the detrimental side effects that are conceived in a life as a result of continuing in sin without confessing. Chillingworth realizes what he has become due to his sinful vengeance when he says, â€Å"No life had been more peaceful and innocent than mine; few lives so rich with benefits conferred. Dost thou remember me? Was I not, though you might deem me cold, nevertheless a man thoughtful for others, craving little for himself, -kind, true, just, and of constant, if not warm affections? And what am I now? I have already told thee what I am! A fiend!† (Hawthorne 118). Roger is enslaved by his desire for revenge towards Dimmesdale, and in doing so, transforms himself from a wise, peaceful man, into a revenge-driven monster. In fact Hawthorne writes that, â€Å"This unhappy man had made the very principle of his life to consist in the pursuit and systematic exercise of revenge†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (177). During Arthu r’s death scene Roger has, â€Å"†¦a blank, dull, countenance, out of which life seemed to have departed† (Hawthorne 175). He also explains that, â€Å"†¦old Roger Chillingworth’s deceas... ...nt as each of the men feel in their own hearts. While Dimmesdale’s extreme depression most likely causes his fatal disease, Chillingworth’s vengeful attitude towards Arthur mutates him into a gargoyle whose sole purpose is to frighten away any joy that may exist in Dimmesdale’s life. On the other hand, Hester emerges victorious in the denouement of the tale, counseling countless other hurting women and successfully raising a daughter, Pearl. There is no doubt that Hawthorne utilizes the incidences in the lives of Arthur, Hester and Roger to illustrate that keeping your sin from the rest of the world is not the way to go, and that, to receive the most from life, like Hester, you must confess your sin. In the words of Nathaniel Hawthorne-â€Å"Be true! Be true! Be true! Show freely to the world, if not your worst, yet some trait whereby the worst may be inferred!† (177).