Scarlet Letter Power Of Love

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Nihal Kamath
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In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, he formulates a compelling argument for the power of love. Several times throughout the novel, the narrator states that “[we] love more readily than [we] hate”, and that “hatred will even be transformed into love.” While this does occur in the novel, love also serves another purpose in the novel: helping the reader understand the identities of certain characters. The actions and treatment of certain characters towards others helps define their personality within the novel, and determines whether love leads to misery or satisfaction. Characters such as Robert Chillingworth display a complete lack of love, portraying them as cold and merciless. It is telling that these characters seem to be unhappy throughout the novel. On the other hand, characters such as Hester and Pearl appear to exemplify the meaning of love, and as a result, their story results in an ending that, while it is not exactly jubilant, is at least fulfilling. Over the course of the novel, Hawthorne demonstrates the power that love can have in the form of the main character, Hester Prynne. According to the narrator, Hester is “a well-spring of human tenderness, unfailing to every real demand, and inexhaustible by the …show more content…
He uses the character of Hester Prynne to demonstrate what the power of love can accomplish, depicting her journey from someone who was discriminated against by society to someone who is respected for her actions. Similarly, he uses Roger Chillingworth to portray the effect that no love can have on people, as Chillingworth is a cold and ruthless character completely focused on revenge, which ultimately leads to his demise. Through these two characters, Hawthorne manages to show the power that love can have on your identity, and manages to do so while providing a compelling narrative involving

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