Monday, February 20, 2012
Consequences of Sin in Scarlet Letter
One consequence of sin in THE SCARLET LETTER is that the sinner acquires the ability to sense or recognize the sins of others. For example, in Chapter 5, Hester realizes that the scarlet letter she wears gives her “a sympathetic knowledge of the hidden sins in other hearts.” Show how the same kind of insight is possessed by Chillingworth, Dimmesdale, and Mistress Hibbens.
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Chillingworth saw the sin in the pastor because he sought to infest in even more. Plus, at the end he wanted to follow them across the ocean in the same boat to sear even more pain in the pastor. Every time Chillingworth was seen in the book he was holding a secret yet could look past to others secret as he talked to other towns people. Dimmesdale saw others sin, not just because of his office, but also through the scarlet letter on his chest. He would use this to flow out in his sermons the deep nature of sin while he himself was a sinner. They talked about how the minister could swade the hearts of young virgins to lust for him, yet they descriped it as pure religious, but the minister new he held that power and saw it on those people. Hibbens was a witch that spook to the Devil and also I think understood the dark side of human nature. I think she saw the simularities in Pearl and the minister and saw the clues of his actions to put two together. She had worshiped the Devil so she had sin so she could see the sin done by others.
ReplyDeleteTrue, I did see the same thing, and Chillingworth just creeps me out.
DeleteDimmesdale's sin made him physically ill, but still had to uphold his position as a preacher. He knows if the community found out that he had committed such sin, there would be chaos. He suppressed his guilt, over both his sin and the fact that Hester refuses to name her lover, and that is when he becomes physically sick. He submerges himself in his work in writing sermons. His congregation admired him for his spiritual insight, but internally, he is spiritually stricken, and heartsick which made him sick from his sin.
ReplyDeleteChillingworth turns into an obsessed stalker of Hester and Dimmesdale. He developed an evil nature and wanted revenge. Chillingworth and Hester did not share a loving marriage, and when he returned, all he wanted to do was to hurt people Chillingworth revenge was blacker than sin.
Mistress Hibbins was a widow who lives with her brother, Governor Bellingham, and is known to be a witch who ventures into the forest at night to ride with the “Black Man.” Her character in the book was of false claims and hidden evil in a Puritan society. Her arrivals were mysterious and would set off regret in Dimmesdale and Hester.
I also see Hibbins as a way to show the falsness in position. Just like you have a preacher that has sinned and is covering it, her title also gives her room to do evil and I think that's why she is said to be a witch and is out riding at night. This is the way for the auther to express the 'power corropts' theme. Remeber, his ansters were in a position of power and had killed innocent people during the witch trials and he was ashamed of them and I think this is a way to show it.
DeleteDo you think Mistress Hibbins really goes into the woods and communes with Satan? And why doesn't Hester simply dismiss her--why does she humor her and say "give my regrets to the dark man"?
ReplyDeleteI don't think Hibbins is going into the woods to commune because I don't believe that Satan would meet with her. I feel Hester doesn't dismiss her because in some sense they were the same as being they didn't follow the law of God. I feel that Hester does believe Satan exists but she is not fully willing to abandon herself to him.
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