The Interesting Scarlet Letter

 We were asked to discuss the most interesting part of the Scarlet Letter. Well then, what makes a book interesting? I think it is the parts that hold the reader’s attention most thoroughly. What has held my mind most captive throughout the Scarlet Letter is the idea of sin. What is sin? What is its grip upon mankind? This the reader asks himself along with the characters, over and over again as the book evolves. I am not sure even Hawthorne is exactly sure what to make of sin. It is a curse upon the race of mankind, yet there are also beauties that only sin is able to produce. For instance, the beauty of Pearl cannot be separated from the sin of adultery committed between Hester Prynn and Arthur Dimmesdale. Her beauty is bewitching, though and her sweetness can be seen despite her strange passions. Is sin then a mix of good and evil?

 It seems as if Hawthorne were implying that sin can be a good thing. It causes Hester to be the kindest person in the Plymouth colony. It also produces an empathy within Dimmesdale which would not have been seen otherwise. At the same time the sin eats Dimmesdale, tearing him apart piece by piece. But is it the sin that tears him apart? Or is it the hiding of the sin that so destroys his very being? It must be hiding sin that is destructive because Hester is not destroyed by her sin. The wickedness, instead of demolishing Hester, rather smoothes and polishes her into a thing of rare beauty.

The Christian knows that sin is horrible. It is what is destroying and perverting the world continually. It is what first separated man from his creator. Still there is something beautiful in sin because without it we might have known less of the mercy and justice of our God. Because of our great transgression we see His beauty through his acts of redemption. Our wicked hearts are drawn closer to Christ’s holiness as we recognize our evil hearts. Just as Hester and Arthur are perfected in their sin because they recognize it, so are Christians sanctified through their recognition of sin.

 interesting extra thought from class: The Puritans (as portrayed in the Scarlet Letter) are sort of the opposite of this society in their scales and weighting of sin. They view adultery as the highest of possible sins but passing judgment on others as of little consequence. Today we view adultery as insignificant whereas judging others is considered high treason. All societies have viewed some sins as great and others as lesser. It seems also that the one they are most prone to commit is the one they say is the least, whereas the one they are least prone to commit is of greatest import. Thus society provides a sin as a scape goat, something that people can look at and believe that they are better than. The society then continues to go on its way sinning freely and without thought. At least they are not committing the “Great Sin.” This idea of societies weighting sin differently and yet always being guilty of hypocrisy is, I think, very thought provoking.

 Katie Finnell sophomore, 2012