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Abi Srikant

Mrs. Willson

APLAC Period 6

28 November 2017

Sin in The Scarlet Letter

Puritan Society in the 17th century was a period of little tolerance and harsh punishment. Puritans

believed that all humans were born sinners and that a select few would be saved by God. Sinning during

one’s lifetime entailed harsh punishment, resulting in public humiliation, torture, and sometimes even

death. However, as explored by Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, this understanding of sin is

both superficial and unduly negative, overly simplifying the complexity and power of sin. In the novel,

Hawthorne criticizes Puritan society’s false understanding of sin through the actions of Hester Prynne,

Arthur Dimmesdale, and Roger Chillingworth, revealing that although sin is not necessarily always evil,

it is powerful enough to transform one’s identity.

Hester Prynne’s suffering during her punishment gives her an opportunity to learn from her past

sin and empower herself, transforming her into a woman of strength and courage. Although Pearl is a

living representation of her past sin, Hester welcomes her, saying, “‘God gave me this child! … She is

happiness- she is my torture, nonetheless! Pearl keeps me here in life! Pearl punishes me too! … She is

the scarlet letter … endowed with a million-fold the power of retribution for my sin’” (103). In Hester’s

eyes, Pearl is far more powerful a punishment than the scarlet letter on her breast, because Pearl prompts

her love as well as her repentance. In accepting Pearl as her own, Hester is forced to accept her sin as

well, rather than distance herself from it as Puritan society would expect of her. In this way, the suffering

caused by Pearl allows her to grow as a result of her sin, contrary to Puritan belief of the wholly evil

nature of sin. In addition, Hester’s isolation during her punishment allows her to transform: “Such

helpfulness was found in her, - so much power to do, and power to sympathize … [many people] said that

[the scarlet letter] meant Able; so strong was Hester Prynne, with a woman’s strength” (146). Although

the scarlet letter’s intention was to shame her and beat her down, Hester finds strength in her punishment.
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The pain and humiliation that she endures teach her to stand up to the ills of society and empower herself;

as a result of her punishment, she develops into a stronger and more learned woman. This is precisely the

opposite of the scarlet letter’s objective, representing Hester’s ability to defy societal norms and develop

into a woman of courage and power.

In addition, Arthur Dimmesdale’s act of sin, and his repentance for its hypocrisy, transforms his

sense of morality and allows him to better understand the true nature of sin in his Puritan society. At first,

the effects of his original sin seem to worsen his character by bleeding into his everyday life: “He had

yielded himself with deliberate choice … to what he knew was deadly sin. And the infectious poison of

that sin had been thus rapidly diffused throughout his moral system” (199). Although he is a minister,

well-respected and considered holy by all the townspeople, his instances of sin seems to be becoming

more regular. Ironically, a single incident of sin has the ability to transform someone as well-respected as

Dimmesdale; this reveals the universal nature of sin’s power and criticizes the Puritan belief that a select

few are exempt from its reach. However, once Dimmesdale recognizes his sin, he is able to accept and

learn from it: “But this very burden it was that gave him sympathies so intimate with the sinful

brotherhood of mankind” (129). Dimmesdale originally suffers internally because he is unable to forgive

himself for his sin. However, once he comes to accept it, he is better able to understand others’ sin and

empathize with other sinners. He thus comes to a realization that sin is not as one-dimensional as

portrayed by Puritan society; a single sin does not define an individual. It is this understanding, and

forgiveness, of sin that allows him to deliver more effective sermons on sin to his people. Even though it

initially has negative consequences, Dimmesdale’s sin ultimately allows him to better interpret sin and its

effect on himself and his society.

Although not involved in the original deed himself, Hester and Dimmesdale’s sin affects

Chillingworth so powerfully that he allows it to transform him into a sinner. Referring to Chillingworth,

Dimmesdale says, "‘That old man's revenge has been blacker than my sin. He has violated, in cold blood,

the sanctity of a human heart. Thou and I, Hester, never did so!’" (176). While Hester and Dimmesdale

committed sin, their continued repentance allowed them to better themselves as a result. In contrast,
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Chillingworth used their sin as motive for revenge on Dimmesdale. His lifelong pursuit of Dimmesdale

depicts not only his twisted heart, but also the power that sin has over him. While the negative effect of

sin on Chillingworth is parallel to Puritan understanding of sin, the portrayal of him as an anomaly

reveals the inaccuracy of this understanding. In addition, Chillingworth allows this to infect his character

to the point where his presence itself becomes malicious. Hester says that “‘the continual presence of

Roger Chillingworth, -the secret poison of his malignity, infecting all the air about him … these bad

opportunities had been turned to a cruel purpose’” (174). This is reflective of how Chillingworth has

allowed sin to completely take him over. His obsession with vengeance warrants a connection with “The

Black Man”, associating him with the worst possible sins: hatred and revenge. This transformed

personality- evil, ugly, and tenacious- stands in stark contrast to Chillingworth’s initial character: an

intellectual, calm, and quiet physician. The immense change in character portrays the power of sin to

transform, sometimes for the worse. It is particularly ironic that while Hester and Dimmesdale committed

the actual sin, the person most negatively affected was Chillingworth. This illustrates the capacity of a sin

to affect even those who are seemingly unrelated to it, further emphasizing its power.

Through a narration of the lives of Hester, Dimmesdale, and Chillingworth, Hawthorne unmasks

the true nature of sin by discussing the issues with the shallow Puritan understanding of sin. He contrasts

the ability of sin to result in good with its ability to take over one’s character for the worse, thus

portraying sin’s versatile power. He also illustrates the universal nature of sin by proving its ability to

affect even those most unlikely to sin. By criticizing Puritan beliefs of sin, Hawthorne highlights the

complexity of sin, and its ability to transform any individual, either for better or for worse.