Hypocrisy In The Scarlet Letter

Situations where humans become uncomfortable have always defined what their true character can be.Throughout Hawthorne’s stories, a common theme had been displayed of placing his character’s within difficult situations that eventually affected their viewpoints of those around them. In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, “Young Goodman Brown,” “Minister’s Black Veil,” and “Rappaccini's Daughter,” the forces of conformity and hypocrisy had an effect on the character’s lives that resulted in testing their faith and created moral dilemmas.
The core of Puritan beliefs had derived from following God, working hard, and not acting out of societal normalities. Conformance to the standards of Puritan lifestyle became important for all members …show more content…
The narrator observes, “In order to purify the body and render it the fitter medium of celestial illumination… as an act of penance” (Hawthorne 99). Since Dimmesdale suffered private punishment, the forces to conform to society and the church existed only within himself. Dimmesdale combats this by whipping himself till he had achieved moral purity to feel as if he could become a worthy human being. As Dimmesdale continued to suffer through his torment and began to lose his confidence in his job and faith. He longed for a solution to forgive himself for the sins he has committed and able to help the lost souls that come to him for redemption. Dimmesdale expresses to Hester, “What can a ruined soul, like mine, effect towards the redemption of other souls” (Hawthorne 131)? As Dimmesdale professed to Hester, he felt that he committed hypocritical acts to the worshipers of Salem. He revealed that he could not do his job and worship correctly knowing that his tainted soul helped others in their redemption. Dimmesdale’s urgency to feel whole and conform to the Puritan moral standards became a main issue for his character. Attempting to live as someone else can turn extremely exhaustive for both mind and spirit to achieve. Dimmesdale felt this pain for …show more content…
Young Goodman Brown faces theses choices within the short story “Young Goodman Brown” as he goes through the forest to push the limits of humanity. After traveling through the forest for with the “traveler,” Brown decided to rest before exploring the dark side of the world. The traveler tempts him by offering, “‘Come, Goodman Brown… take my staff, if you are so weary” (Hawthorne 2). The Devil, who concealed himself as a traveler, attempted to conform Brown to worship him all throughout the story by using a multitude of arguments. By growing increasingly tired, the Devil offered his staff to help him along farther in the forest. Traveling through a forbidden place with the Devil unsurprisingly left Brown as a changed man for the worst. As they walked through the forest, the Devil showed Brown that everyone who he knew and loved had worshiped the Devil all along. The Devil pointed out, “A female figure… who had taught him his catechism in youth” (Hawthorne 3). As the Devil showed Brown that the people whom he depended on for moral and religious council conformed to him; Brown felt that he had no morals to guide him. By showing Brown that Goody Cloyse had conformed to his worship, Brown felt that everyone he knew turned into a hypocrite to what they preached. As Brown grew to greater levels of hysteria, everything took a turn for the worst at

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The Scarlet Letter Hypocrisy