scarlet letter essay
Through out Nathaniel Hawthone's The Scarlet Letter, the main characters suffer psychological damage as a result of different forms of alienation. The character traits they posses make them more susceptible to certain types of alienation. Since Dimmesdale cannot reveal his secret to anyone, he can not share his pain. All the pent up guilt he has stored with in eats away at him, slowly deteriorating his body and soul. Dimmesdale's masochistic and pious attributes greatly contribute to the extent of his alienation. For the reverend it was "essential to his peace to feel the pressure of a faith about him." This need for punishment coupled with religious devotion gives reason for Dimmesdale's secrecy. Hiding his intimate self from other people bestows Dimmesdale the punishment he so desperately seeks. His mental breakdown stemming from his social alienation is most clearly shown in the chapter the "The Minister's Vigil". His self-torture leads him to walk "under the influence of a species of somnambulism", thinking irrationally in a way not like himself. His pent up agony causes Dimmesdale to act out in ways like this that could reveal his secret. Dimmesdale's psychological agony partly st
This alienation allows her to take an outside view on society and see it's faults. He has given into his desires because he is no longer in touch with the moral and reasonable part of himself. ems from a form of spiritual alienation. Other women are extremely jealous of her and wish the punishment of death for the sin she committed. Hester's self-alienation is perhaps most damaging to her psyche. Because of his intellectual nature, Chillingworth is able to distance himself from others to systematically destroy Dimmesdale. Her impish and unnatural nature separates her from humanity and especially puritan society. Hester's daughter Pearl, if discussed as a character, is alienated to the point where she is not really accepted by anyone. This "fitful and fantastic little elf" is essentially a free spirit in a society of constraint. This self-alienation is most damaging to her because she is going through the stage in her life of finding out who she is and the scarlet letter interrupts this. Through his actions, Chillingworth is alienated from everyone including himself. " Chillingworth knows what he is doing is wrong but he is so far gone, he cannot return to what he once was. The nature of Hester leads to her alienation such that others deem her expendable. The narrator acknowledges this change by saying "A mortal man, with once a human heart, has become a fiend for his especial torment. The scarlet letter acts as a symbol of the main character trait that alienates Hester, her individualism.
Common topics in this essay:
Hester's Main,
Roger Chillingworth,
Scarlet Letter,
Minister's Vigil,
God Dimmesdale,
scarlet letter,
nature separates,
self-alienation damaging,
reveal secret,
spiritual alienation,
sin separates,
relationship god,
puritan society,
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