Introduction
In the first chapter of The Scarlet Letter, it sets the scene for what will unfold later. In the 17th century, a crowd gathered outside the door of a prison in Boston. The crowd consists of both men and women. The men are old and bearded, and their clothes' color symbolizes sadness. The women, on the other hand, are wearing hoods, and some have not covered their heads. The founders of the new colony described might have been optimistic, but they have to set up a prison as well as a cemetery (Hawthorne 42). The design of the prison, especially the doors, suggests that the facility was constructed for criminals.
The Market Place
The second chapter starts with a young woman and her infant, who walks to the scaffold and awaits public condemnation (Hawthorne 44). The young woman is named Hester Prynne, and the crowd watches and anxiously awaits the condemnation. The women make criticize her for the letter "A" in the scarlet. Hester is condemned for committing adultery and giving birth to an illegitimate child. The letter A, therefore, stands for Adulterer. Hester has to stand in the scaffold for three hours and face humiliation from the public.
Hester's Refusal
Hester refuses to name the child's father, and upon looking over the crowd, she sees a man who her long lost husband. He sent her to America but never followed her as promised. His husband inquisitive about the identity of Heister's father, but the stranger he is asking tells him that no one knows Hester's fellow sinner. Reverend Dimmesdale leads the condemnation sermon, and after it is complete, she is taken back to the prison. Hester refuses to reveal the identity of the child to Dimmesdale also (Hawthorne 46). Although he insists on knowing the father of the child, Hester insists that her child does not need an earthly father, but he will know the heavenly father.
Chillingworth's Revenge
Hester and his husband interact face to face with her husband when he is asked to provide medical assistance to the prisoners. When he offers Hester the medicine, she refuses because she knows who he is (Hawthorne 56). Hester fears that Chillingworth might poison her, but he assures her that he cannot do that. He asks her who the father of the child is, but she maintains her secret as usual. She is, however, compelled by Chillingworth never to reveal his identity, and if she does, then her child's father with be punished. Hester agrees, although she knows that this is a promise that she might have to break. Chillingworth sounds to be planning revenge on Hester's mysterious lover.
Hester's Isolation
Hester is released from prison, but she does no leave Boston. She, however, lives an alienated, so she does not socialize with anyone. Hester immerses in needlework, and his outfit can be worn in different occasions except for weddings (Hawthorne 63). She is an outcast, but her impact in the society is felt the needlework. Hester is successful but lonely, and even when she looks for companionship, she does not succeed. She is filled with shame, and even those she tries to help insult her. She does not find consolation or happiness from those around her, and charity work seems not to be the solution. No one sympathizes with her, and even if free from the prison, her soul is not free. She carries a burden that does not go away, no matter how hard she tries.
Themes in the Story
The book has several themes and talks about the contemporary world and the things that people face in their homes. There are times when one faces challenges that affect the normal life of the person, while other times, the person is feeling good, and the life of the person does well in terms of achievements (Hawthorne). The moments are seen when Hester is publicly shamed after being caught committing adultery. The shaming entailed being required to wear letter A all the time so that people can identify and now the taboo that Hester broke. When all the people know that one committed adultery, it’s shameful because there is a code of conduct that people are supposed to maintain in society. Hester ends up having a child out of wedlock.
Chillingworth was obsessed with identifying the lover who had engaged adultery act with Hester; hence, he spent most of the time trying to know the identity of the lover. Chillingworth later learns that the man in love with Hester is Arthur (Hawthorne). Hester was unapologetic for the adulterous act because she felt to be in deep love with Arthur; however, her dignity was lowered when the public got to know the act. Hester considered herself to be self-reliant and does not care what other people think about her. Her dignity was strong and could not be lowered by what other people thinks about her.
The letter analysis the conflict between social oppression and psychological repression. Social oppressions affect the victims, and it's used as a social tool to punish people who go against society's values. The social oppression is achieved by making the person feel guilty for the crimes that they are believed to have committed. Social oppression is seen in the letter by Dimmesdale's sense of torment of his sins in the community. Society responds differently to different situations that society wants to control. The society uses this tool to punish and bring order among the people in society.
Dimmesdale's Migration
Chillingworth was affected by the feeling of guilt, leading to the deteriorating of the health, the guilty was because of the adulterous act. The community was treated differently by the people who knew the story. When people have challenges living in the same community because they have been caught in a scandal, the most likely thing that happens is that they move to other communities where the people do not know them (Hawthorne). Dimmesdale migrated to Europe to change the environment where the people did not know what happened. The leave gives one the time to reflect on the opportunities and challenges that had occurred in the past.
The migration of Chillingworth to England changed the experience in terms of the environment and the opportunities that Chillingworth. There was a conflict between Hester and Chillingworth, where they have differences because Chillingworth was revealing Hester's secrets to the public. Hester felt that the reveling of the secrets to the public was affecting his life, making Hester have a difficult time because of the consequences that he would get from society.
Hester had an opportunity to meet the governor of Bellingham's, where he had gone to deliver gloves that the governor had ordered. Hester and Pearl were on their way to meet the governor when they met a group of Puritan children who tried to taunt Pearl. Peal becomes fiery, and the children run away (Hawthorne). Pearl and Hester had the opportunity to meet the governor; he had heard many things from people concerning the governor; hence the opportunity was to confirm the stories heard. The governor was surprised at Pearl's vain and immodest costume. Pearl used to experience challenges in embracing Christian values.
Chillingworth investigated the father of Pearl because he wanted to revenge; he wanted to revenge for himself for all things that he believed Pearl had wronged him. The behavior of wanting revenge makes people violent because they believe they want to make the other person suffer the way they suffered (Hawthorne). The writer uses revenge to show how Chillingworth was struggling to forgive past events. The next chapter discusses the Dimmesdale's suffering when he feels pain in his body, but his congregation keeps on growing. The chapter makes the reader understand human frailty and sorrow and that there are chances of life-changing from sorrow to happiness.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the scarlet letter is a fiction story by Nathaniel Hawthorne that tells the story of a daughter known as Hester Prynne, who faces challenges in accepting things that happen to her life. The story explores the challenges that people experience trying to fit in an unforgiving world. The book highlights the challenges that people face, and they eventually win the challenges. The society has a role to play in influencing the lives of the people; hence the people have to adjust and fit the society.
