The Scarlet Letter Paper

The Scarlet Letter paper

In his novel, The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne said "We are sinners all alike." Well, sin got the best of Hester Prynne and Arthur Dimmesdale. Hester was married and Arthur was a minister in a New England town. Instead of staying true to their beliefs and promises, they fell secretly in love with each other and by their actions they had a child by the name of Pearl. The townsmen knew of Hester Prynne's crime and her punishment was to wear the badge of shame, the scarlet letter.

Although they were both shameful, they were both mature enough to realize their faults. In the novel, Hester and Pearl made a trip to the Governor's Hall. For this would be the first time Hester, Pearl, and Mr. Dimmesdale would be in the same room together. One of the men that were among Mr. Dimmesdale told Hester to give up her child to someone with knowledge because she wouldn't know how to care for it. Hester's reply revealed to the readers that she had learned for the badge and to teach her child to be wiser in her actions. Of all people, she had asked Mr. Dimmesdale to stand up for her and he did. He said that God has given her the child to learn from and the knowledge to raise Pearl to the right standings. From this moment on, Mr. Dimmesdale developed more guilt in his heart and mind than ever before. He became sick and confessed that he was a lie to the community as a deacon of the Heavenly Father.

For Hester, her weakness was the "Badge of Shame". From wearing it on her chest and receiving the attitudes, remarks, and humiliation, she grew stronger. She realized what a mess she made with her former family-to-be, community, and the dishonor that her child received. After the reveal of Pearl's father at the location of her embarrassment, Hester quietly made her way out of town and live a life without remorse. As for Mr. Dimmesdale, he took his life right after he owned up to the secret he had been living with for seven years. Death seems to be the easy way out now days when mistakes are made, but it takes the strong-willed people to realize what they have done and try to clear their life up again.

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