Isolation In The Scarlet Letter

Words: 683
Pages: 3
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Clare Smith
16 March 2015
American Lit
Dr. Dodworth
(SL) Critical Response #1: The Theme of Isolation
In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, one of the most prominent themes is isolation. It is a theme before the novel's plot even begins, which is shown when the reader learns that Hester Prynne has been shipped off alone to the Americas by her husband. It is assumed that, because he did not follow after her, he was lost at sea. While he was believed to be dead, Hester commits her crime of adultery with the minister, Reverend Dimmesdale. When the crime is discovered, she is branded with a scarlet letter "A" that she must wear constantly on her chest. The letter "A" literally and figuratively stands for Hester's crimes and causes her …show more content…
She, like her mother, is forced to live in the outskirts of town, but is also rejected by society for her strangeness. Pearl is abnormally perceptive of their puritan society and the people in it. Because of this, the townspeople believe that she is a demonic entity. Even her own mother is not entirely sure of her humanity, as displayed in this quote, "'Child, what art thou?' cried the mother. 'Oh, I am your little Pearl!' answered the child. But, while she said it, Pearl laughed and began to dance up and down with the humorous gesticulation of a little imp, whose next freak might be to fly up the chimney" (Hawthorne 87). Through these judgements, Pearl becomes isolated from the town more than she would have been with just the relation to her …show more content…
His reasoning behind the isolation, however, is completely different than the minister's. While Dimmesdale withdrew from society as a punishment for himself, Chillingworth did it so he could find the identity of the second adulterer. To achieve this goal, Chillingworth poses as a physician. When Dimmesdale's health begins to decline and Chillingworth begins to care for him, he discovers Dimmesdale's secret. It is at this point that Chillingworth withdraws from society, making it his goal to torment the minister and to keep him alive to bear his
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