Scarlet Letter Essay

The title of the book is The Scarlett Letter, the author is Nathaniel Hawthorne, and the genre of the book is fiction. Hester Prynne is the books main character. Hester is the young women that is the bearer of the scarlet letter. Hester has been punished into wearing this letter because she committed adultery. The Scarlett Letter overlays mainly sin, the symbol of the Scarlett letter, and Pearl.

The subject of Hester’s sin is the basis of the novels plot. Hester commits adultery when her husband is lost at sea and she is left home alone in Boston. She then becomes pregnant and is sent to jail for her sin. While in prison Hester gives birth to her baby girl Pearl. Hester’s sin was punished with public humiliation and the embroidered scarlet letter onto all of her clothing she wore. On the other hand Dimmesdale, the pastor that Hester committed her sin with, the burden of his sin makes his sermons eloquent and powerful. He feels a sense of empathy so intimate with the sinful brotherhood of mankind. Hester and Dimmesdale both cope with their sins on a daily basis. Hester dealt with it in a way like this: “Thus the young and pure would be taught to look at her, with the scarlet letter flaming on her breast,—at her, the child of honorable parents,—at her, the mother of a babe, that would hereafter be a woman, —at her, who had once been innocent, —as the figure, the body, the reality of sin.”. Hester and Dimmesdale’s sin are shown in the wearing of the scarlet letter.

The scarlet letter was embroidered onto all of the clothes worn by Hester. As punishment of her sin she was to wear this letter “A” for adultery. Dimmesdale carves an “A” into his chest by lashing himself with personal injury. Dimmesdale also did public viduals at night as part if his scarlet letter punishment like in this quote: “"Walking in the shadow of a dream Mr. Dimmesdale reached the spot where Hester Prynne had loved through her first hours of public ignominy. The minister went up the step”....