The Scarlet Letter: the Nature of Evil

Introduction

• The plot of the Scarlet Letter is driven by the sin and faults of its character.
• Hester & Dimmesdale's affair creates an illegitimate child and violates laws against adultery.
• The real evil, however, comes from Chillingworth, who is transformed by his desire for revenge into a cold monster.
• These central themes represent the evil desires inside every human.

Hester Prynne

• Hester Prynne represents lust and a lack of self respect.
• This can be seen in:
• Clothing trends for girls
• Crop tops, bikinis, and mini skirts were unacceptable a century ago.
• High teen pregnancy rates
• MTV's 16 & Pregnant
• Low self-esteem as a result of "magazine model standards"
• Anorexia and Bulimia

Today's Society

The Black Man

Arthur Dimmesdale

• Arthur Dimmesdale represents bystanders and cowards.
• This can be seen in:
• Rise in cyberbullying
• Attackers aren't face to face with victims.
• Domestic abuse
• Hidden behind closed doors.
• Increase in single mothers
• Fathers choose not to claim their children like Dimmesdale with Pearl.

Symbols representing Evil

Roger Chillingworth

• The Black Man was believed by Puritans to be an evil spirit separate from common life.
• We know now this isn't true through Dimmesdale, Chillingworth, and Ms. Hibbins.
• Chillingworth was evil because he purposely hurt and tormented Dimmesdale through revenge.
• Dimmesdale was evil because of his affair with Hester, but it happened on accident.
• Ms. Hibbins was evil because of witchcraft, which could be considered purposeful.

• Roger Chillingworth represents deceivers and manipulators.
• This can be seen in:
• Corrupt politicians
• Bill Clinton's affair
• Preachers that "faith heal"
• Profit over religious belief
• Intrusive government agencies
• NSA

Hawthorne's work is relevant today because his themes of sin and evil are present in modern society.

The Letter "A"

The Scarlet Letter

Hawthorne uses three main symbols to represent evil: The Black Man, The Letter A, and The Scaffold

• The Letter A symbolizes evil because it is the mark given to those who have sinned.

By Nathaniel Hawthorne

• First, Hester is required to wear it in public at all times for committing adultery.
• Dimmesdale also gives himself the mark because of his own self-guilt.
• The "A" seems almost unavoidable for Dimmesdale.

The Scaffold

• The Scaffold represents major turning points in the Scarlet Letter.
• Hester is convicted of her evil the first time the Scaffold is mentioned.
• Dimmesdale stands on the Scaffold at night, crying because of his sin when the letter "A" appears in the sky.
• Dimmesdale reveals himself as the other sinner in the case of Hester Prynne because he can no longer live with his guilt.

Bibliography

Allusion and Metaphor

• Hawthorne often alludes to The Bible and its stories throughout the novel, specifically Adam and Eve.
• Dimmesdale and Hester represent Adam and Eve and the forest represents the Garden of Eden
• By connecting Dimmesdale and Hester to Adam and Eve, Hawthorne is hinting that evils are often repeated and even with the knowledge of these evils, it's easy to give into their temptations and get sucked into them.

Rhetorical Devices in Scarlet Letter

Persona

• Evans, Robert C. "The Complexities of 'Old Roger' Chillingworth: Sin and Redemption in Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter." Bloom, Harold, ed. Sin and Redemption, Bloom's Literary Themes. New York: Chelsea House Publishing, 2010. Bloom's Literature. Facts On File, Inc. Web. 25 Sept. 2014
• Schmoop Editorial Team. "The Black Man in The Scarlet Letter Page 1." Schmoop.com. Schmoop University, Inc., 11 Nov. 2008. Web. 25 Sept. 2014.
• Hawthorne, Julian. "The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne." The Atlantic. Atlantic Media Company, 01 Apr. 1996. Web. 28 Sept. 2014. <http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1886/04/the-scarlet-letter-by-nathaniel-hawthorne/304668/>.

• Hawthorne uses persona with Roger Chillingworth who plays the social role of an upstanding doctor when he's actually Hester's husband seeking revenge.
• "Hawthorne makes him [Chillingworth] a figure who seems simultaneously mysterious, sympathetic, and potentially dangerous." -Evans
• This shows how evil tends to try and stay hidden and dormant, like Chillingworth's desire to get revenge on Dimmesdale.
• Hawthorne also suggests that evil doesn't always present itself as evil, but intriguing and deceiving.

Symbols

The Scarlet Letter and Pearl

• Both represent the manifestations of the sexual sin committed.
• Even Dimmesdale was marked with the Scarlet Letter as a result.
• "… but the shadow of what he bears on his own breast, and … even this, his own red stigma, is no more than the type of what has seared his inmost heart.… Behold! … "(180).
• This represents the truth of evil will always come out and you will have to face the consequences.

The Scarlet Letter: the Nature of Evil