Hypocrisy In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter

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Literature may not always help one become successful in their chosen career as math and science often does, but it does teach readers about shaping values and living a good life. These are often more important than making an abundance of money. In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, many themes are addressed: guilt, revenge, confession (accountability) and hypocrisy. Through reading the novel, the reader often reflects on the effects these matters have on his or her own life. In this book, Roger Chillingworth shows the effects of revenge on his life and the character of Dimmesdale brings to light the consequences of hidden guilt. Additionally, the theme of hypocrisy is addressed not with just one main character, but through many major and minor characters throughout the novel. One of the first cases of hypocrisy happens early in the novel. While many of the townspeople await Hester’s emergence from prison, a small group of women converse about the unfairness of Hester’s punishment. In one instance, one of the women says “this woman has brought …show more content…
They feel that Hester is not raising Pearl in the Puritan faith. To keep her daughter from being taken away from her, Hester must address the Governor. When Hester approaches the Governor’s mansion, Hawthorne describes the house as very elaborate with many expensive trinkets as well as priceless artwork. He says “the brilliancy might have befitted Aladdin’s palace rather than the mansion of a grave old Puritan ruler” (Hawthorne 113). The irony is that the Governor is judging Hester on how she lives out her Puritan faith, yet he does not live like a Puritan. Puritans are very somber and live a very simple, plain life. He has an expensive home and lives elaborately. The Governor’s hypocrisy comes into play when he judges Hester for not living a Puritan life while he does not live a Puritan
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