|
While Hester tries to make the
best out of her situation, Dimmesdale becomes weaker by letting guilt and grief
eat away at his conscience. Dimmesdale punishes himself by believing that he can
never be redeemed. He feels that he will never be seen the same in the eyes of
God, and that no amount of penitence can ever return him to God's good graces.
He is so touchy on this subject that when Hester says his good deeds will count
for something in God's view, he exclaims, There is no substance in it! It is
cold and dead and can do nothing for me! (202). Dimmesdale also believes that
his sin has taken the meaning out of his life. His life's work has been
dedicated to God, and now his sin has tainted it (202). He feels that he is a
fraud and is not fit to lead the people of the town to salvation. The feeling is
so oppressive that the chance of escaping his work and leaving with Hester and
Pearl makes him emotionally (and probably mentally) unstable. He walks through
the town with twice as much energy as normal, and he barely stops himself from
swearing to a fellow deacon (229). When an old lady approaches him he can not
remember any scriptures whatsoever to tell her, and the urge to use his power of
persuasion over a young maiden is so strong that he covers his face with his
cloak and runs off (230).
The largest cause of Dimmesdale's
breakdown is the fact that he keeps his sin a secret. As God's servant, it is
his nature to tell the truth, so the years of pretending are especially hard on
him. His secret guilt is such a burden that instead of going with Hester to
England and perhaps having a chance to live longer, he chose to stand, confess
and perish on the scaffold (268). Ultimately, Chillingworth responds to his
wife's betrayal by sacrificing everything in order to seek revenge. After he
discovers that his wife bore another man's child, Chillingworth gives up his
independence. He used to be a scholar who dedicated his best years to feed the
hungry dream of knowledge, but his new allegiance becomes finding and slowly
punishing the man who seduced his wife (74). He soon becomes obsessed with his
new mission in life, and when he targeted Reverend Dimmesdale as the possible
parent, he dedic! ates all of his time to becoming his confidant in order to get
his retribution (127). Vengeance was also one of the reasons that Chillingworth
gives up his identity. The only way he can truly corrupt Dimmesdale is to live
with him and be by his side all day, every day. The only possible way to do that
is to give up his true identity as Roger Prynne, Hester's husband, and become
Roger Chillingworth. Since the only person who knew his true identity is sworn
to silence, he succeeds for a long time in tricking Dimmesdale until Hester sees
that he was going mad and finally revealed Chillingworth's true identity (204).
His largest sacrifice is by far,
his own life. After spending so much time dwelling on his revenge, Chillingworth
forgets that he still has a chance to lead a life of his own. So accordingly,
after Dimmesdale reveals his secret to the world, Chillingworth dies less than a
year later because he has nothing left to live for (272). In conclusion,
Hawthorne's use of characterization gives the book a classic feeling by showing
Hester, Dimmesdale, and Chillingworth's feelings indirectly through acts. The
novel revolves around two major symbols: light and darkness and the scarlet
letter. The book is filled with light and darkness symbols because it represents
the most common battle of all time, good versus evil. When Hester and her
daughter are walking in the forest, Pearl exclaims: Mother, the sunshine does
not love you. It runs away and hides itself, because it is afraid of something
on your bosom. Now see! There it is, playing, a good way off. Stand you here,
and let me run and catch it. I am but a child. It will not flee from me, for I
wear nothing on my bosom yet (192). Hester tries to stretch her hand into the
circle of light, but the sunshine vanishes (192). She then suggests that they go
into the forest and rest (193). This short scene actually represents Hester's
daily struggle in life. The light represents what Hester wants to be, which is
pure.
The movement of the light
represents Hester's constant denial of acceptance. Hester's lack of surprise and
quick suggestion to go into the forest, where it is dark, shows that she never
expected to be admitted and is resigned to her station in life. Another way
light and darkness is used in symbolism is by the way Hester and Dimmesdale's
plan to escape is doomed. Hester and Dimmesdale meet in the shadows of the
forest with a gloomy sky and a threatening storm overhead when they discuss
their plans for the future (200). The gloomy weather and shadows exemplify the
fact that they can't get away from the repressive force of their sins. It is
later proven when Dimmesdale dies on the scaffold! instead of leaving with
Hester and going to England (269). A final example occurs by the way Hester and
Dimmesdale can not acknowledge their love in front of others. When they meet in
the woods, they feel that, No golden light had ever been so precious as the
gloom of this dark forest (206). This emotion foretells that they will never
last together openly because their sin has separated them too much from normal
life. The scarlet letter also takes many different forms in the novel. The first
and clearest form that the letter
A takes is Adulteress. It is
apparent that Hester is guilty of cheating on her husband when she surfaces from
the prison with a three-month-old-child in her arms, and her husband has been
away for two years (53). Hence, the people look at the letter elaborately
embroidered with gold thread and see a hussy who is proud of her sin (54). The
second form that it takes is Angel. When Governor Winthrop passes away, a giant
A appears in the sky. ! People from the church feel that, For as our good
Governor Winthrop was made an angel this past night, it was doubtless held fit
that there should be some notice thereof! (16). The final form that the scarlet
letter take is Able. Hester helped the people of the town so unselfishly that
Hawthorne wrote: Such helpfulness was found in her,--so much power to do, and
power to sympathize,--that many people refused to interpret the scarlet A by it
s original significance. They said that it meant Able; so strong was Hester
Prynne, with a woman's strength (167). In closing, one of the most important
reasons that The Scarlet Letter is so well known is the way Hawthorne leaves the
novel open to be interpreted several different ways by his abundant use of
symbolism.
|
