Hester Prynne: Hester was put in this story to remind all of us that we have sinned but have hypocritically persecuted others when they have sinned. She is given the role of a martyr throughout the story because she is one of the few people who have actually shown the community that she has sinned. She is criticized throughout the book for what she has done but her presence in the community reminds its members that they are all sinned at some point in time. As the book progresses, Hester seems to turn away from her truthfulness by keeping the secrets that Dimmesdale is her lover and Chillingworth was her husband. That is why the darkness falls on her in the woods when she is with Pearl searching for Dimmesdale. She morphs from a passionate and joyful person into a solemn and strict one as she hides these secrets. She closes herself off by wearing keeping her hair covered and keeping the “A” on throughout the book and only taking it down and the letter off when she is in the woods with Dimmesdale where all of her secrets seem to vanish. However, Pearl forces her mother to put up her hair and attach her letter to her bosom until she and Dimmesdale confess. Although she has changed into a stern and somber person, Hester’s kindness and charity work influence some of the Puritan people to change the meaning of her “A” from “adulterous” to “able.” Once Dimmesdale dies, she leaves the community but returns because she cannot leave that her past behind.
Pearl: Pearl is a character who is seen as a symbol of Hester and Dimmesdale’s sin. She is not a normal child and is often said to be elflike and nymphisch. These descriptions show her in a magical light that makes her seem older and mysterious. Although she acts as almost any seven year old would, Hawthorne portrays her in a way that makes her seem unnatural, even though she is the purest and most truthful character in the book who is often associated with nature. Even when she was a very young child, Pearl was obsessed with Hester’s “A.” She is constantly reminding Hester of the “A’s” presence and asking why Hester wears it and what it means. Although Pearl is only seven years old, many of her actions seem wise beyond her years. She is the only character who prods Dimmesdale to confess and tell the community that he is truly her father; she knows what Dimmesdale must do in order to be freed from his guilt but he chooses to ignore her so that he doesn’t hurt his followers. When Hester, Dimmesdale, and Pearl are in the woods, Pearl runs away and washes off the kiss that Dimmesdale gave her. She is trying to make Dimmesdale realize that he cannot accept her in nature but not in society. She wants to show him that he has to choose which life he lives; he has to choose to completely live his lie or confess but he cannot choose the middle ground. This is also the reason that she forces Hester to put her hair up and put the “A” back on before she will come to her. She is trying to remind Hester that she is still a sinner and that she needs to tell the secrets that she hides. Hawthorne portrays Pearl as Hester and Dimmesdale’s living conscience who is trying to tell them what they need to do. Once Dimmesdale finally listens to Pearl and confesses, she accepts him as her father and kisses him so that “a spell was broken,” (pg. 251). At this point she has completed her task and goes on to live a normal life and get married. Pearl does not become normal until the very end of the book; before that point in time she is portrayed as elflike as she tries to convince Dimmesdale and Hester to admit the truth about their relationship.
Arthur Dimmesdale: Dimmesdale is a very dynamic and important character throughout the entire book. In the beginning of the book, we are lead to believe that he is a very scholarly and well liked clergyman. Although this is true, there is much more to this man. As the book progresses, we find that he if Pearl’s father and that the sin he committed with Hester is greatly bothering him. He is forced to hide his guilt because he doesn’t want to hurt his followers. Hawthorne shows Dimmesdale’s guilt and how it is destroying him by showing Dimmesdale’s health and its decline throughout the book. Dimmesdale walks around with his hand over his heart as a sign that he is trying to cover up his sin and keep people from “looking into his heart.” Almost ironically, Dimmesdale’s sermons get better and the congregation thinks that he is getting holier as he suffers from his guilt. One night, Dimmesdale’s guilt is driving him so crazy that he goes out and stands on the scaffold where Hester was forced to stand as part of her punishment for committing adultery. He stands on the scaffold and wants people to see him but wants this to be private at the same time. Hester and Pearl walk by and he calls them to stand up on the scaffold with him. He holds Pearl’s hand and feels better because he is in his true element and he isn’t hiding his sin anymore. He also has help bearing the weight of what he has to deal with at that time and that is why he doesn’t want Pearl to let go of his hand. As they are standing on the scaffold, a meteor shower occurs and the whole town is lit up. This seems to be a preview of what it would look like if all three of them were standing on the stage to confess. Then a brilliant “A” appears in the sky as if to show that the two who committed adultery and their offspring are standing ready to confess. However, the people interpret this “A” to mean “Angel” for their governor who died and went to heaven. While in the woods, Dimmesdale tries to give Pearl a kiss but she runs away and washes it off. She is trying to show Dimmesdale that he either needs to accept her as his daughter or shun her but he cannot be picking and choosy about which side he takes. Because he is so wishy-washy and only shows his true self when he is alone with Hester and Pearl, he could be labeled as a hypocrite. His hypocritical ways also extend into his sermons and how he is supposed to be teaching the people how to be good and holy when he isn’t good and holy himself. In the end when Dimmesdale confesses, he is finally freed from his guilt and is freed from his suffering by his death. Only at the end of the book does he finally take Pearl’s advice and realize that confessing is the only way that he can escape his guilt.
Roger Chillingworth: Roger Chillingworth is clearly put in this story to show how obsession and constant sin will destroy a person. When Chillingworth comes in at the beginning of the book, he talks to Hester and assures her that he will find her lover and torture him. He knew that “outing” the lover would only take away his guilt so he decides to quietly and “innocently” torture the man. Once he finds Dimmesdale, he “befriends” him and stays around so that he can make Dimmesdale suffer. As the years go by, he hides the fact that he was Hester’s husband from everyone else. He becomes more and more obsessed with making Dimmesdale suffer and this ends up consuming his life. When Hester meets with Chillingworth, she says she is amazed at how evil he is and how old he has become. Hawthorne uses this scene to show how obsession will destroy a person both physically and spiritually. Chillingworth continues to torture Dimmesdale until moments before his death. He tries to stop Dimmesdale from confessing in the end but is unable to. He dies within a year of Dimmesdale’s death because his obsession is gone and he finds no other point in living.
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Hester Prynne: Hester was put in this story to remind all of us that we have sinned but have hypocritically persecuted others when they have sinned. She is given the role of a martyr throughout the story because she is one of the few people who have actually shown the community that she has sinned. She is criticized throughout the book for what she has done but her presence in the community reminds its members that they are all sinned at some point in time. As the book progresses, Hester seems to turn away from her truthfulness by keeping the secrets that Dimmesdale is her lover and Chillingworth was her husband. That is why the darkness falls on her in the woods when she is with Pearl searching for Dimmesdale. She morphs from a passionate and joyful person into a solemn and strict one as she hides these secrets. She closes herself off by wearing keeping her hair covered and keeping the “A” on throughout the book and only taking it down and the letter off when she is in the woods with Dimmesdale where all of her secrets seem to vanish. However, Pearl forces her mother to put up her hair and attach her letter to her bosom until she and Dimmesdale confess. Although she has changed into a stern and somber person, Hester’s kindness and charity work influence some of the Puritan people to change the meaning of her “A” from “adulterous” to “able.” Once Dimmesdale dies, she leaves the community but returns because she cannot leave that her past behind.
CHARACTER CHAIN:
Roger Chillingworth: Hester's long absent husband who becomes the greatest sinner by coldly seeking revenge.
(Chillingworth is the husband of)
Hester Prynne:
Publically confesses her adultery. She wears the scarlet letter as her punishment.
(Chillingworth is the secret tormenter of)
&
(Hester loves)
Arthur Dimmesdale:
Secretely confessed adulterer who punishes himself because of his hidden guilt.
(Hester & Dimmesdale: parents of Pearl)
Pearl: Human embodiment of the scarlet letter and her parent's sin.
Pearl: Pearl is a character who is seen as a symbol of Hester and Dimmesdale’s sin. She is not a normal child and is often said to be elflike and nymphisch. These descriptions show her in a magical light that makes her seem older and mysterious. Although she acts as almost any seven year old would, Hawthorne portrays her in a way that makes her seem unnatural, even though she is the purest and most truthful character in the book who is often associated with nature. Even when she was a very young child, Pearl was obsessed with Hester’s “A.” She is constantly reminding Hester of the “A’s” presence and asking why Hester wears it and what it means. Although Pearl is only seven years old, many of her actions seem wise beyond her years. She is the only character who prods Dimmesdale to confess and tell the community that he is truly her father; she knows what Dimmesdale must do in order to be freed from his guilt but he chooses to ignore her so that he doesn’t hurt his followers. When Hester, Dimmesdale, and Pearl are in the woods, Pearl runs away and washes off the kiss that Dimmesdale gave her. She is trying to make Dimmesdale realize that he cannot accept her in nature but not in society. She wants to show him that he has to choose which life he lives; he has to choose to completely live his lie or confess but he cannot choose the middle ground. This is also the reason that she forces Hester to put her hair up and put the “A” back on before she will come to her. She is trying to remind Hester that she is still a sinner and that she needs to tell the secrets that she hides. Hawthorne portrays Pearl as Hester and Dimmesdale’s living conscience who is trying to tell them what they need to do. Once Dimmesdale finally listens to Pearl and confesses, she accepts him as her father and kisses him so that “a spell was broken,” (pg. 251). At this point she has completed her task and goes on to live a normal life and get married. Pearl does not become normal until the very end of the book; before that point in time she is portrayed as elflike as she tries to convince Dimmesdale and Hester to admit the truth about their relationship.
Arthur Dimmesdale: Dimmesdale is a very dynamic and important character throughout the entire book. In the beginning of the book, we are lead to believe that he is a very scholarly and well liked clergyman. Although this is true, there is much more to this man. As the book progresses, we find that he if Pearl’s father and that the sin he committed with Hester is greatly bothering him. He is forced to hide his guilt because he doesn’t want to hurt his followers. Hawthorne shows Dimmesdale’s guilt and how it is destroying him by showing Dimmesdale’s health and its decline throughout the book. Dimmesdale walks around with his hand over his heart as a sign that he is trying to cover up his sin and keep people from “looking into his heart.” Almost ironically, Dimmesdale’s sermons get better and the congregation thinks that he is getting holier as he suffers from his guilt. One night, Dimmesdale’s guilt is driving him so crazy that he goes out and stands on the scaffold where Hester was forced to stand as part of her punishment for committing adultery. He stands on the scaffold and wants people to see him but wants this to be private at the same time. Hester and Pearl walk by and he calls them to stand up on the scaffold with him. He holds Pearl’s hand and feels better because he is in his true element and he isn’t hiding his sin anymore. He also has help bearing the weight of what he has to deal with at that time and that is why he doesn’t want Pearl to let go of his hand. As they are standing on the scaffold, a meteor shower occurs and the whole town is lit up. This seems to be a preview of what it would look like if all three of them were standing on the stage to confess. Then a brilliant “A” appears in the sky as if to show that the two who committed adultery and their offspring are standing ready to confess. However, the people interpret this “A” to mean “Angel” for their governor who died and went to heaven. While in the woods, Dimmesdale tries to give Pearl a kiss but she runs away and washes it off. She is trying to show Dimmesdale that he either needs to accept her as his daughter or shun her but he cannot be picking and choosy about which side he takes. Because he is so wishy-washy and only shows his true self when he is alone with Hester and Pearl, he could be labeled as a hypocrite. His hypocritical ways also extend into his sermons and how he is supposed to be teaching the people how to be good and holy when he isn’t good and holy himself. In the end when Dimmesdale confesses, he is finally freed from his guilt and is freed from his suffering by his death. Only at the end of the book does he finally take Pearl’s advice and realize that confessing is the only way that he can escape his guilt.
Roger Chillingworth: Roger Chillingworth is clearly put in this story to show how obsession and constant sin will destroy a person. When Chillingworth comes in at the beginning of the book, he talks to Hester and assures her that he will find her lover and torture him. He knew that “outing” the lover would only take away his guilt so he decides to quietly and “innocently” torture the man. Once he finds Dimmesdale, he “befriends” him and stays around so that he can make Dimmesdale suffer. As the years go by, he hides the fact that he was Hester’s husband from everyone else. He becomes more and more obsessed with making Dimmesdale suffer and this ends up consuming his life. When Hester meets with Chillingworth, she says she is amazed at how evil he is and how old he has become. Hawthorne uses this scene to show how obsession will destroy a person both physically and spiritually. Chillingworth continues to torture Dimmesdale until moments before his death. He tries to stop Dimmesdale from confessing in the end but is unable to. He dies within a year of Dimmesdale’s death because his obsession is gone and he finds no other point in living.
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