Guilt In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter

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The author of The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne, had many ancestors who were Puritans. His Grandfather William Hathorne, a judge, prosecuted a woman accused of adultery. Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote The Scarlet Letter about this time period when society’s views were conservative and primarily church based. Hawthorne expressed his guilt and shame for his ancestor’s deeds throughout the novel. He used his characters to convey how guilt and its long-lasting effects are common amongst the human race.
In the beginning of the novel, Hester was accused of adultery; therefore, she was imprisoned and ostracized by her town. In the book titled, The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne stated, “The chain that bound her here was of iron links, and galling …show more content…
He was as guilty as Hester; however, he didn’t confess and let Hester take full blame. This took a toll on his well-being, “While thus suffering under bodily disease and gnawed and tortured by some black trouble of the soul, and given over to the machinations of his deadliest enemy, (. . .) He won it, indeed, in great part by his sorrows” (Hawthorne, 93). Dimmesdale was hurting himself both physically and emotionally because of the built up guilt from sleeping with Hester. Hawthorne used Dimmesdale to show how society ignores the guilt and sorrow they feel, but that same guilt ends up hurting people more. People, like Arthur, would rather the guilt eat them alive than face it straight on. Hawthorne wanted to show the audience having a guilty conscience and keeping guilt secret has a negative effect on your body and soul. “While standing on the scaffold, Dimmesdale was overcome with a great horror of mind, as if the universe were gazing at a scarlet token on his naked breast, right over his heart. This spot there was the gnawing and poisonous tooth of bodily pain” (Hawthorne 100). As Dimmesdale stood on the pedestal he realized the significance of confessing his sins and the great relief it has but also the burden it has. This shows how a person’s viewpoint and standing of guilt can change throughout their lifetime. This is another example of …show more content…
Chillingworth stated, “‘Mine was the first wrong, when I betrayed thy budding youth into false an unnatural relation with my decay’” (Hawthorne 27). Chillingworth felt guilty because he forced Hester to marry him knowing she didn’t love him. When Hester committed adultery he realized it was his fault she became so unhappy with the marriage which ultimately resulted in the misdemeanor. In the beginning of the novel, Nathaniel Hawthorne portrayed Chillingworth as a remorseful being; however, his demeanor changed to revengeful as the book progressed. Nathaniel Hawthorne stated, “(. . .) then might Roger Chillingworth have passed with them for the arch-fiend, standing there, with a smile and scowl, to claim his own. So vivid was the expression or so intense the minister's perception of it, that it seemed still to remain painted on the darkness (. . .)” (Hawthorne, 107-108). Chillingworth’s persona changed because he was overcome by the guilt he dealt with by hurting those around him. Nathaniel Hawthorne uses this character to show more negative effects of containing
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