Guilt And Absolution In The Scarlet Letter

Temptation, the root of all sin, is derived when morality is overshadowed by evil. In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s book The Scarlet Letter, guilt and absolution are portrayed through the three main characters; Hester Prynne, Arthur Dimmesdale, and Roger Chillingworth. Throughout the entirety of novel, these characters commit sin that contradict with and inflict infamy upon their religion. As a result of falling captive to the arousement of adultery, Hester was publicly humiliated and was forced to bear the letter “A” upon her chest to symbolize the immorality of partaking in the events. Roger Chillingworth is conveyed as a delightful, considerate, and law abiding citizen; however, he is the complete contradictory. In the novel, Chillingworth's

As the story unfolds, readers may believe that Hester’s act of adultery should be considered the most horrendous sin. However, Hawthorne’s description of Chillingworth’s actions states, “‘Let, therefore, thy husband be to the world as one already dead, and of whom shall ever come. Recognize me not, by word, by sign, by look! Breathe not the secret, above all, to the man thou wottest of. Shouldst thou fail me in this, beware! His fame, his position, his life, will be in my hands. Beware!’” (Hawthorne 120). While Hester’s wrongdoing is advocated through an act of devotion, Chillingworth aimed to seek vengeance and administer misery and adversity in Hester and Dimmesdale’s lives. Chillingworth’s obsession leads him to physically and mentally eradicate Hester in order to retaliate against the woman who cheated on him. On the contrary, readers may believe that

Chillingworth becomes devoted to avenging his marriage, this blurred his thoughts, compelling him to commit sinful wrongdoings. Soon after discovering Dimmesdale was the man Chillingworth had been looking for, he abused his power as a physician to impose agony into Dimmesdale’s life. Chillingworth truly affirms that the dreadful acts he inflicts upon Dimmesdale are not immoral; his beliefs are shown when Hawthorne says, “‘What evil have I done the man?’ asked Roger Chillingworth.” (Hawthorne 268). The revenge Chillingworth carries out seems justified to him, but the cruelty and abusive torment he puts Dimmesdale through is unethical. While Chillingworth mainly focuses his efforts on making Dimmesdale suffer, he does not cease to continue mentally consuming Hester’s heart. Hawthorne conveys Chillingworth’s abuse my stating, “‘I have left thee to the scarlet letter," replied Roger Chillingworth. "If that have not avenged me, I can do no more!’” (Hawthorne 272). Even though Hester had not caused Chillingworth any great disservices, he continued to threaten her and insured that he will prevail over her if she rebels in an attempt to thwart him. Chillingworth will stop at nothing to achieve his vengeance and in the process he implemented misery into Dimmesdale and Hester’s