Scarlet Letter Essay

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sin is a necessary measure, played out in order to protect her lover. Hester is quickly isolated from the town because of her "embroidered and illuminated" (37) scarlet letter. Her open sin forces her to live "on the outskirts of town" (55), which makes her even more isolated. Her solitary setting came because of how her open sin is perceived by the Puritan society around her. Thus, the nature of open sin is such that it isolates Hester because it is found intolerable in her society. Pearl also represents open sin and how it separates her mother from society. The strict Puritan townspeople assume that Pearl is demon spawn just because of the fact that Hester, a wretched sinner, gave birth to her. This assumption alone, even with the absence of solid evidence, separates Pearl and therefore Hester from society for the majority of the book because of Pearl's status as the sinful and wretched offspring of Hester. Pearl, as an "imp of evil" (64) who "has an inviolable circle around ...

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for concealing it is quite different from Hester's; his "inward trouble" (99) and "unspeakable misery" (100) takes part inside of him, instead of how Hester's punishment is out in the open for all to see. However, the burden of sin is still not heavy enough for Dimmesdale to reveal his actions; he does not want his followers to see him as a "pollution and a lie" (99). He is basically trapped in his house with Chillingsworth because of his health. Dimmesdale's "inward trouble" (99) leads to self-destruction in the form of "lengthened vigils" (99) and a "bloody scourge" (99). Dimmesdale's frail and tenuous mental state is much too damaged to be out in the public; thus, the refusal ...

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