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"I've got Chills..They're Multiplying"

Out of all the characters in Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, the character that I found most frightening was Roger Chillingworth. Roger Chillingworth was the husband of Hester Primm. After a long disappearance, he returns to the town only to find that his ex-wife committed adultery with a un-named man. His sudden return to the town, frightens Hester. When Hester is standing on the scaffold, she sees Chillingworth. The look that he had on his face is described as

 "His look became keen and penetrative. A writhing horror twisted itself across his features, like a snake gliding swiftly over them, and making one little pause, with all its wreathed involutions in open sight. His face darkened with some powerful emotion, which nevertheless, he so instantaneosly controlled by an effort of his will, that, save at a single moment, its expression might have passed for calmness." (42)

From the moment Chillingworth saw Hester on the scaffold, he wanted to get revenge. He decides to stay in Boston and because of his knowledge, he poses as a doctor. He becomes the doctor to Arthur Dimmesdale. Arthur Dimmesdaleis is the town's minster and the "un-named" father to Hester's child. He struggles with his sin and he starts to physicallyand mentally torture himself. Somehow, Chillingworth finds out that Dimmesdale has a terrible secret. He seeks to find out this secret by all means possible. As Dimmesdale's conditions worsens, Chillingworth moves in with Dimmesdale. Chillingworth and Dimmesdale start to become friends. Dimmesdale refuses to tells his secret to anyone and he starts to be suspicious of everyone. When Chillingworth and Dimmesdale have a conversation about redemption and unconfessed sin, they see Hester and Pearl outside the window and Chillingworth says that Hester is a woman who lives with her sin. Dimmesdale has to fight the urge to not expose his secret to Chillingworth about his sin. With Chillingworth as a doctor, Dimmesdale condition worses and the town start to see Chillingworth as the devil. Then, in the middle of the night, Chillingworth sneaks into Dimmesdale's room and lifts up Dimmesdale's shirt. He sees something on Dimmesdale's chest that makes him rejoice.

Chillingworth is very vindictive and he will do anything to find out Dimmesdale's secret. I think that the nickname for Chillingworth, the Leech, totally describes him, He sticks himself to Dimmesdale and drains the life out of him. I think that in somepoint of our lives, we will meet a person or substance like Chillingworth.   

 

Adultery, acceptable or not?

While I was sitting in class the other day, a classmate and I had a disagreement about Hester and her "wrong doings". Our argument started out when I said an apparently daring statement along the lines of "I don't understand why Chillingsworth is so upset about Hester cheating on him." 

Keep in mind that I'm not commending cheating, but I think that in this case, it is acceptable. 

For starters, after promising Hester a wonderful, plentiful life, Chillingsworth sends Hester off to an unknown country, with no friends or family for two years without any sign of him. At least in this society, no contact with a spouse for two years, usually means its over. 

Second of all, Chillingsworth himself admits to the fact that he is extremely unappealing and he was lucky enough (under any circumstances) to be married to this beautiful women, Hester. He says: "Misshapen from my birth-hour, how could I delude myself with the idea that intellectual gifts might veil physical deformity in a young girl's fantasy!"(51).

Above all, Hester always told Chillingsworth "I felt no love, nor feigned any". With a response from Chillingsworth as acknowledging "True!"(51), I sure would say he saw it coming...

You Could Say Anything Relates to Politics

The relationship between Arthur Dimmesdale and Roger Chillingworth is a puzzle. They are two very dissimilar people who happen to be living under one roof with different values. One would automatically assume that the living arrangement would turn into a disaster with the conflicting views of the two individuals. However, even though they hold different opinions, they manage to live successfully with one another. On the other hand, on the inside, they loathe each other. While Chillingworth hates Dimmesdale for the sin he committed with Hester, Dimmesdale also has a feeling of hatred towatds Chillingworth. Hawthorne writes in the words of Dimmesdale,

"Who is that man Hester?..I shiver at him! Dost thou know the man? I hate him, Hester!"

Dimmesdale and Chillingworth's relationship and their living arrangement link to the modern day political spectrum. Hawthorne also writes,

"Here the pale clergyman piled up his library, rich with parchment-bound folios of the Fathers, and the lore of Rabbis, and the monkish erudition, of which the Protestant divines, even while they vilified and decried that class of writers, were yet constrained often to avail themselves. On the other side of the house, old Roger Chillingworth arranged his study laboratory; not such as a modern man of science would reckon even tolerably complete, but provided with a distilling apparatus, and the means of compounding drugs and chemicals, which the practised alchemist knew well how to turn to purpose. With such commodiousness of situation, these two learned persons sat themselves down, each in his own domain, yet familiarly passing from one apartment to the other, and bestowing a mutual and not incurious inspection into one another's business."(86-87)

From what Hawthorne states, Dimmesdale is the more conservative man stacking his bookshelves with his religious books and practicing his traditional values. However, on the other side of the house, a rich laboratory filled with books on science and chemicals is what Chillingworth creates his home to be. Thus, making him a more liberal person compared to Dimmesdale. The two dividing sides of the house represent the modern day sides of the political spectrum while the house the men live in represents modern day America by housing the two opposing men under one roof. The "roof" refers to the unity of American society. These two men live side by side and become curious of one another but are constantly trying to change each other and inspect each other's business. Liberals and Conservatives today sometimes try to cooperate with each other for the sake of the union but they also distrust each other and fall into conflicts because of their opposing views.   

Daddy Dimmesdale

In The Scarlet Letter, Reverend Dimmesdale is one of the main characters. In his book, Nathaniel Hawthorne uses great diction and description to describe Dimmesdale. These techniques also help the reader come to conclusions about Dimmesdale’s identity. Looking back on the descriptions of Dimmesdale in the earlier parts of the books, I can now see how there were subtle clues that could lead the reader to know that Dimmesdale is Pearl’s father.

The first subtle clue of his identity comes when the townspeople are discussing Hester as she stands on the scaffold. A woman part of a larger group of women says, “People say, that the Reverend Master Dimmesdale, her godly pastor, takes it very grievously to heart that such a scandal should have come upon his congregation” (36). While this statement seemed insignificant when I first read it, now that I look back, it could be in reference to Dimmesdale’s failing health as a result, I believe, of his guilt. 

Another revisited passage also could indicate Dimmesdale’s true identity. When Hester refuses to reveal who Pearl’s father is, Dimmesdale is immensely relieved.

    “She will not speak!” murmured Mr. Dimmesdale, who, leaning over the balcony, with his hand upon his     heart, had awaited the result of his appeal. He now drew back, with a long respiration. “Wondrous                 strength and generosity of a woman’s heart! She will not speak!”(48).

The meaning of this passage is helped a lot by the diction Hawthorne uses. When Hawthorne uses the word respiration, he means an inhalation and exhalation of air, or a sigh. Dimmesdale probably waited with bated breath before Hester answered, and when she did was able to let his air out in relief. Also, the fact that he has his hand on his heart begins his common practice of putting his hand there.

Later, in chapter 4 during Hester and Chillingworth’s exchange in the prison, Chillingworth vows to find Pearl’s father. He says, “Though wilt not reveal his name? Not the less he is mine, he bears no letter of infamy wrought into his garment…but I shall read it on his heart” (52). As Dimmesdale stood on the scaffold with Hester and Pearl and Chillingworth started secretly torturing Dimmesdale, I knew Dimmesdale was Hester’s father. I just thought it was interesting that there were a few hints along the way. 

How Low Can Punishments Go?

Adultery is a sin always punished for. It’s a serious crime that hurts not only the person committing it, but also the people around that person. A crime this serious requires a severe punishment but in this case it would only lead to more sorrow. In The Scarlet Letter, by Nanthaniel Hawthorne, Hester is the main character who is forced to wear the letter ‘A’ on her chest for committing adultery with an unknown person. At times, the punishment should fit the crime, but under certain circumstances, the crime itself holds all the punishment that is needed.

During the Puritan time period, crimes for adultery ended in execution. In Hester’s case, she was only required to wear the scarlet letter because of the unknown information of who her husband and her lover were. Execution is too severe for a crime such as this, the taking of a life never compensates for a crime that doesn’t physically take a life of another. Wearing the letter ‘A’ on the other hand seems reasonable at first; It subjects the adulterer to public humiliation and criticism. On the surface, this punishment is perceived tame and doesn’t fully grasp the significance of the crime, but if you consider all the non-implied consequences of this type of punishment, you’ll notice that it is too harsh of a punishment for one to take.

How a person is punished, always coincides with the crime itself.  Adultery is more of an ethical crime than it is harm to society. When a person commits adultery, only the people involved should be involved because it’s so personal. The fact that the church has so much influence over the government itself is not in the best interest of the society, and a crime against God’s will is not always necessarily a crime against mankind. In Puritanical views, we can see how a crime such as adultery can be punished, but it seems as if a person is punished enough if they commit adultury in the first place. And even if they weren’t, it would not be necessary to punish them for their unmoral views on life. When Dimmesdale had committed adultery with Hester, his identity was unknown so he remained anonymous. But his conscience had reduced him to a weak, ill man.

Identity

After reading “There Is No Unmarked Woman,” by Deborah Tannen I thought to myself what the heck does this mean and how does this have anything to do with the Scarlet Letter?  But after thinking about it and discussing it a lot in class, I saw how I thought it could relate to the novel.  I believe that whether you’re marked or unmarked comes from your identity.  Both the novel and short story show that identity is a major player in being marked. 
 In the Scarlet Letter, Hester Pyrnne never decides her own identity.  It is pretty much forced upon her by the town’s people.  At first she has an identity of being evil and committing a sin that everyone should scold her for.  Hester than has a choice to move away from Massachusetts, live some where else, and leave her horrible identity behind….but she doesn’t.  Later in the novel, the towns’ people start being nice to her.  This changes her identity from being an evil sprite to being a nice kind of person.  But once again her identity is thrown upon her; she never really decides it for herself. 
 In the short story Tannen says, “If a woman takes her husband’s name, she announces to the world that she is married and has traditional values. To some it will indicate that she is less herself, more identified by her husband’s identity” (412).   In other words it’s saying that married women lose some of their own identity and are forced to take up their husband’s.  Tannen thinks it is an unmarked move for doing so.  Tannen also says, “there are a few species that produce only females, like the whiptail lizard.  Thanks to parthenogenesis, they have no trouble having as many daughters as they like.  There are no species, however, that produce only males” (413).  This quote shows that some species are able to survive without men. 
 There is the general idea that women are dependent on men. Tannen says some women even get their identity from men.  I think Tannen is saying women need be more independent then they are now.  With the same being in the Scarlet Letter, Hester should not take the identity given to her from the community and go her own way.   

The Shining Pearl

The Scarlet Letter is a novel written by Nathaniel Hawthorne about Hester Prynne committing adultery. In her Puritan society, she was forced to wear a scarlet letter A to show the world how shameful and sinful she was.
Her daughter Pearl is the living proof besides the scarlet letter to remind Hester daily of her sin.

What I thought was interesting was how little Pearl was portrayed and what she symbolizes. Pearl was born into the world as a result of Hester's sinful actions. And that marked her as different from the very beginning. What is interesting is that she is not just a cute little girl that you can feel sympathetic for. The town children in the begging were making fun of her and marking her as an outsider even though she herself had never done anything wrong. Because she stood for and was living proof of adultery, she was an outsider.

But she never go any sympathy much because she was not just a cute girl born into a fate she couldn't control. She is described as an imp and a sprite, and she has that signature grin. It makes her look like she knows so much more than she shows, that she is much more intelligent than people make her out to be, and that is what scares some people. The townspeople thought she may be a child of the Devil. Even Hester herself thought that at one time.

But Pearl doesn't just stand for shame. She also symbolizes life. And the blessing of life. Because as Hester says, God gave Hester Pearl, a living child, as an outcome of the adultery. And to Hester, Pearl is the one thing that saves her from making a pact with the Devil as well. She saves Hester, and helps to change her ways into becoming again a pure and righteous woman. I think that Pearl's purpose is to show that there is still hope for someone to overcome their sin. They may not be able to completely erase their past, but they are able to learn from it. And to take the experiences and share it with the world makes you a better person, and Hester has emerged from her sinful character into a charitable and the perfect example of a righteous human being.

Divine Maternity

In The Scarlet Letter, there are two ways for a woman to be marked, either she is a virgin or she's an adulterer, but when there is a way to be marked, there should be a way to be unmarked right? While Deborah Tannen in "There Is No Unmarked Woman" argues that there is no possible way for a woman to be unmarked or go under the radar. I think this applies to American society today, but not necessarily in every society. In today's society, women are marked by their appearance, title, career, marital status, and many more. Today it is impossible for a woman to be unmarked because even the plainest Jane will be marked by her plainness.

I believe that in The Scarlet Letter the way to be unmarked was through maternity. First of all, a woman's role in Puritan society was to follow the Lord, her husband and raise a family. That was their job, if they didn't follow that then they were marked. The high expectation for mother's to be wholesome and essentially good was a high one to live out. When Hester was first being displayed to the townspeople she was compared to the

"Divine Maternity, which so many illustrious painters have vied with one another to represent; something which should remind him, indeed, but only by contrast, of that image of sinless motherhood, whose infant was to redeem the world"(39).

In Puritan society, it was impossible to be unmarked without having the appearance and reputation of motherly perfection.

How Hypocritical

While I was reading the Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, I could not help but realize how although they call themselves a "Puritan" society, how artificial the town is. For example, in the very first chapter of the novel, Hawthorne writes that as the forefathers arrived in Salem, one of the first things they built was a prison, knowing already that some sort of crime/sin would arise in their Utopia.

In accordance with this rule, it may safely be assumed that the forefathers of Boston had built the first prison-house, somewhere in the vicinity of Cornhill, almost as seasonably as they marked out the first burial ground, on Isaac Johnson's lot, and round about his grave, which subsequently became the nucleus of all the congregated sepulchers in the old church-yard of King's Chapel(33).

In addition, the people of Salem also need to realize that the way they ostracized Hester wasn't right. They spared her life by making her live in shame. She was blacklisted and was force to live in the outskirts of town, only to make a living by knitting for the townspeople. With that in mind, during the novel Hester was required to make a pair of gloves for Governor Bellingham. Could it possibly symbolize sin as well? That the Governor's hands are just as criminal as Hester's?

In conclusion, the purpose of this post is to show that sometimes we need to look at our own actions before we make judgments about other people.

Light verse Dark

In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter the contrast between light and dark shows the difference in people's actions under the veil of darkness.

In the novel actions taken at night go against the ideals of Puritans. Dimmesdale is representative of all that the Puritans believe in, and he is a leader to his parishioners. Despite his image Dimmesdale is living a lie, he committed adultery and has not admitted his sin. Dimmesdale pays for his sin at night with vigils, and fasting, but the burden of his secret is so great it does little to apease him. Another example is the Governer's sister who invites Hester to come to a witch meeting late a night. The woman is fairly openly a witch, but during the day her life appears normal, where as at night she is open. One night Chillinworth sneaks into Dimmesdale's room to inspect his chest for signs of adultery, he would enver have been this forward if it were during the day.

In contrast the people of this Puritanical society refuse to expose their secrets during the day. Chillingworth prys at Dimmesdale during the day, but only in circumspect and psychological way. Hester denies any preternatural attribues in Pear during the day, but the narration leads us to believe that Pearl in fact scares Hester too. Dimmesdale finds it to be essential to hide his secret, but even during the day he discretely confronts it through his sermons. Dimmesdale fails to divulge the truth under the scruitny of the day.

Would You Rather?

In the novel The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne Hester Prynne and Arthur Dimsdale both commit adultery. Only Hester is publicly punished for the crime but Dimsdale claimed that his punishment may be worse.

 

The reason people found out about Hester's adultery is that she became pregnant. As part of her punishment she had to wear the scarlet letter and hold her baby Pearl while standing on a scaffold in front of everyone. This broke her down, the worst part of her punishment though was she had to wear the scarlet letter until the courts told her otherwise.

 

Dimsdale was not punished for adultery even though he was just as guilty as Hester. Even though he did not suffer public humiliation, he became very sick. Chillingsworth Hester’s husband was supposed to take care of him but instead he was torturing him. This was Dimsdales punishment for the crime.

 

While reading this I ask myself is it worse for everyone to know what you did, or for everyone to have no idea? Everyone knew about Hester’s suffering but no one really knew what Dimsdale had been going through.

Roger Chillingworth

 As we know, Chillingworth was Hester Prynne's husband.He is obsessed with finding out who his wife committed adultery with. Is it wrong for him to want to figure out who the guy is? No it is not. It's human nature to want to know something like that but Chillingworth is taking it a little too far.

Chillingworth is portrayed as a really cold hearted man and I think that's why the author, Nathaniel Hawthorne gave him that name because he puts the "Chill" in Chillingworth. "I shall see him tremble. I shall feel myself shudder, suddenly and unawares. sooner or later, he must needs be mine!" (52). He spends all of his time on trying to find out who did it.

Chillingworth is also made out to be a leech and just total evil. Leeches feed off of blood but Chillingworth feeds off of revenge and the drive to make Dimmsdale's life a living hell. Everything about Chillingworth is represented by his personality from his name to his body. The deformity in his shoulders represents his twisted deformed mind.

When Dimmsdale is no more Chillingworth would not have a purpose in life anymore because he devoted all of his time to figuring out who it was and how to get revenge. Would you be obsessed with finding out who you wife cheated on you with and would you want to get revenge?

Who Has the Strength to Defy Shame?

As I read "The Scarlet Letter", I have seen some comparisons to both "The Things They Carried" and "The Crucible". In all of these books, characters must make life changing decisions. In both "The Crucible" and "The Things They Carried," O'Brien and Proctor must choose between shame and death. Similarly, in "The Scarlet Letter," Hester must choose between living in shame for the rest of her life and death. These books are extremely different but all three prove that all humans have decisions that will change their futures.

In "The Things They Carried", O'Brien had to choose between fleeing to Canada and going to fight in the army. If he chose to go to Canada, he would have to face the shame and embarrassment of not being brave. Family and friends would respect him less for his cowardice. If O'Brien chose to escape embarrassment, he would be risking his life. In "The Crucible," Proctor was accused of performing witchcraft and was going to be hanged. He had to decide between being hanged and the great shame of lying. If Proctor decided to lie to save his life, he would have the shame of a lie hanging over his head for the rest of his life. The shame would ruin his own life and his children's lives. If he chose to be hanged, he would still be ruining his and his family's lives.

"Therefore, first allowing her to pass, they pursued her at a distance with shrill cries, and the utterance of a word that had no distinct purport to their own minds, but was none the less terrible to her, as proceeding from lips that babbled it unconsciously. It seemed to argue so wide a diffusion of her shame, that all nature knew of it."(59)

In "The Scarlet Letter," shame defines Hester's life. She lives in the solitary cottage, she continues to wear the scarlet letter, and she lets people say rude things to her, all because of her shame. She doesn't try to interact with society because she knows that no one would want to interact with someone so sinful. Hester begins to sew and help the poor to atone her sin.

Since she is so strong, Hester chooses life with shame over death. Her life seems miserable but she continues on with her head held high. Others, like Proctor, were not strong enough to defy their shame but Hester manages to get by.

Public Enemy

One thing I noticed when first reading The Scarlet Letter was that Nathaniel Hawthorne found a way to make Hester one of the worst possible characters to live in a Puritan society. To start, her job itself was considered somewhat blasphemous. This is because she worked a job that created fine clothing while the Puritan society looked down upon surrendering to the natural indulgences of man so wearing fine flamboyant clothes was committing a sin.  

Second she committed the heinous act of adultery. Adultery was a crime that was usually punished by death but sparing her from the gallows was not the more righteous thing to do. Letting her live made her the symbol of evil throughout the community and the people of her community let her know about it. The more memorable times of this is when the children would openly mock her until Pearl scared them away, and because young children acquire information from their parents and community this shows that people everywhere were discussing and badmouthing Hester. Also in the beginning of the book, Hester stands upon a scaffold to be seen by the entirety of the busy square in front of her. So after getting convicted, of her crime, Hester is allowed to see the general hatred of her by the community

But later on in the story, people begin to warm up to Hester so while her situation is terrible in the beginning it becomes slowly better. I believe this is because the popularity of her crime fell as time went on and it was no longer a hot bit of gossip, plus Hester becomes introverted during her time with Pearl in Pearl’s early years and that made the community around her see that she was accepting her punishment and working hard to try and undo her previous crimes.

Times Change, Life Moves On.

In chapter thirteen of the Scarlet Letter, there is an extreme change in society's attitude towards Hester. Hester Prynne is no longer the "hussy" or "harlot" that the townspeople once classified her as (35). After seven lonely years of being ostracized from society, people were able to forgive Hester for her sin and eventually admire the former outcast.

With this long period of time came healing. Hester's skill with fashion and clothing was widely valued and praised throughout Boston. Because of the popularity, Hester was rewarded with a steady source of income. Every extra penny or substance that she possessed would go towards charity. These works of penance settled good with society and Hester was self-ordained as a "Sister of Mercy". Now people interpreted her scarlet "A" as "Able", instead of its original signification (111).

The sofening of the public's perception of Hester is an example that rumers do pass and people can be forgiven, even for the most severe and publicized sins. Chillingsworth even suggested to Hester, "... with safety to the common weal, younder scarlet letter might be taken off your bosom" (116). This supports the idea that reputations can be mended and people can move on. This is true both in the novel and reality- time is very forgiving.

Adultery is the new sexy

In the novel The Scarlet Letter, the focus of every conversation, scene, plot twist, and character development is Hester Prynne's adultery. This scandal captivates the town, from the clergymen shocked by the defiance of religion, to the gossiping women whose repressed lives make them harshly judge someone who has let loose. As the townspeople discuss the sin loudly, and ponder Hester's fate, the modern reader scoffs at this behavior. After all, why should the entire town be involved in a woman's private life? What gives them the right to punish someone who hasn't really hurt anybody?

In modern times, the idea of a group of old men discussing a woman's sex life and how to punish her for it is laughable. Women and men in America are extremely free sexually, and as for cheating - its just not that big a deal. While we still wrinkle our noses and say how terrible it is if an acquaintance is cheated on, the fact is, cheating is everywhere. Adultery in celebrity relationships occurs almost daily, and the scandalous affairs of those on television keep viewers glued to their TV.

In a way, adultery is cool. When a woman on TV absconds with the gardener, nobody points the finger of shame. They just wait to see what juicy details the affair will have next. The thing that makes this okay is the excuses that are made for adultery. Magazines, experts, and talk show hosts run through constant lists of how to keep your man at home, because apparently men find it nearly impossible not to throw themselves at other women. It's just nature.

However, maybe, as a society, we should see what we could learn from the characters of the Scarlet Letter, and the people of that time period. Perhaps we are too blase about adultery. After all, if you think about it, it is a really terrible thing. Years and years of a loving relationship, a family even, can be completely broken by a single moment.

Maybe we should think about whether the Puritans were right about punishing adultery so harshly. Because in real life, when someone commits adultery, there are no juicy details to be heard. There's just a broken promise.

Mind Over Matter

In chapter twelve of The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Reverend Mr. Dimmesdale goes out to the center of town and stands on the scaffold of shame. He wants to unburden himself of his secret and let the town know of his adultery. I think that it is very courageous to do that, but at the same time, I feel that only a part of him wants the people to know.

When he shrieked to awaken the town, "The shriek had perhaps sounded with far greater power, to his own startled ears, then it possessed." (102). His shriek was substantial in thought; but in reality, he did not do much. He tried to get attention another way. When he spoke to Father Wilson and said, "A good evening to you, venerable Father Wilson! Come up hither, I pray you, and pass a pleasant hour with me!" (103). He wanted to get Wilson's attention but did not actually say anything.

When someone actually sees him, it is Hester and Pearl so he asks them to join him. When Pearl asks him to stand there with her and Hester at noon when people can see them, he resorted to his ministerial ways, saying that they will stand together "At the great judgment day!" (103) Dimmesdale becomes very nervous of the idea of anyone seeing him up there and when Chillingworth appears at the scaffold he tries to cover himself by asking Hester who Pearl's father is again.

I think Dimmesdale want to confess. That his heart is telling him to, but his head knows better than to let him.

Human Nauture

In class today we talked a lot about how much people's opinion had changed of Hester. Not as the reader, but the other people in the book, the people of her community. They had an intense hatred for her only a few years before and now they called her a "Sister of Mercy" (111). But that is not all she is not characterized to be just purely merciful, the text goes on to say,

"Such helpfulness was found in her,---so much power to do, and power to sympathize,---that many people refused to interpret the scarlet letter A by its original signification. They said that it meant Able; so strong was Hester Prynne, with a woman's strength" (111).

So clearly not only has the community forgotten about Hester's sin, they have covered up her sin with a nice, new, meaning. But here is the question, did they really forget? It is very unlikely that everyone in the community forgot why Hester displayed the letter on her chest, especially because of all the feelings that they originally had towards both her and the letter, and the meaning for the letter. But what is likely, is that the community had forgiven Hester for her sin. This is where human nature comes in. When someone wrongs us, it is our immediate reaction to dismiss them and punish them for their actions, but if that person serves their punishment without complaints, and they own their mistake, we as people, are very willing to forgive. And in this case the community does not simply forgive Hester, it seems as though they completely overlook her past. This is our human nature, forgive those who have wronged us relatively quick. And we will give people the benefit of the doubt before we judge them. I will leave you with a quote from the book that really re-states this argument beautifully.

"It is to the credit of human nature, that, except where it's selfishness is brought into play, it loves more readily than it hates" (110).

Born Sinners?

    When I first began The Scarlet Letter, I thought Hawthorne was making a negative statement about human nature because of Hester's adulterous and sinful relationship with Dimmesdale. The minister's corruption indicated to me that if even the seemingly perfect clergyman could not abstain from sin, then no one could.

    However, as I read further, I began to see indications of Hawthorne's praise of humans. For example, when Chillingworth speaks to Hester, he says:

"Thou hadst great elements. Peradventure hadst thou met earlier with a better love than mine, this evil had not been. I pity thee, for the good that has been wasted in thy nature!" (119)

    I believe Chillingworth is saying that human nature is inherently good, but certain things can spoil it. This idea is further represented by Hawthorne's description of Chillingworth's transformation towards evil:

"In a word, old Roger Chillingworth was a striking evidence of man's faculty of transforming himself into a devil, if he will only, for a reasonable space of time, undertake a devil's office." (116)

    If Hawthorne believed humans to be inherently evil, Chillingworth would not be becoming a devil; he would already be one. Humans may be easily tempted to sin, but they are not natural sinners.

    Although I am still somewhat confused by Hawthorne's contradictory language, I think he demonstrates throughout The Scarlet Letter that humans are innately good, but they are easily swayed from their path of morality and are prone to not consider long-term consequences of their actions. However, because Hester and Dimmesdale are sickened by their sin, Hawthorne believes that immoral actions are unnatural for humans and thus induce an unnatural state.

A Wild Flower Plucked from a Rose Bush

In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, the flower is an important motif and symbol. Hawthorne is able to symbolize a wide range of ideas using flowers because of the vast variety available in nature. At many points, he uses flowers to describe Pearl and her personality. The rose-bush in particular is strongly related to her.  By using flowers and nature to describe her, Hawthorne reinforces Pearl’s wild and capricious nature.

When Pearl is first depicted in detail at the beginning of chapter 4, she is described as being “a lovely and immortal flower, [sprung] out of the rank luxuriance of a guilty passion” (61) and as possessing “wild-flower prettiness” (62).  She is originally seen as a beautiful flower, a blessing created by a sin, similar to the way that the wild rose-bush mentioned in chapter one grows out of the soil in the shadow of a prison. However, her mother quickly realizes that she is also a mischievous punishment for her sins.

The idea that Pearl is a blessing and a curse relates her further to the rosebush at the beginning of the novel.  The “wild rose-bush” offers “fragrance and fragile beauty to the prisoner[s]…and to the condemned criminal[s]” as a “token that the deep heart of Nature could pity and be kind to him” (34). Therefore, the rose-bush represents kindness and morality for the prisoners to rejoice in. However, seeing the beautiful blossoms may also have the opposite effect on prisoners and cause them to despair. They may see the freedom and beauty with which the rose-bush grows, and lament for their lack of freedom and unattractive prospects for their future. Thus, the rose-bush is a beautiful blessing and a mocking curse to the prisoners, similar to the way Pearl is a blessing and a curse to her mother.

Pearl is further connected with the rosebush when she jests about being “plucked by her mother off the bush of wild roses” that grows “by the prison door” (76). Pearl says this mischievously to the face of Reverend Wilson, showing an utter lack of respect for authority and demonstrating the wildness and freedom of her manner. Her manner is therefore similar to the wild rose-bush, which lives freely by its own accord. It seems as if Pearl’s personality has been figuratively “plucked” from the rosebush.  Additionally, when she is in the governor’s mansion, Pearl begins to “cry for a red rose, and would not be pacified” (73). This shows her highly individualistic and capricious personality and relates her further to the rose-bush.

The use of flowers as symbols in The Scarlet Letter is something that has caught my attention time and time again while reading. I am especially interested in the manner in which the rose-bush and Pearl seem to be connected. I cannot wait to continue reading and see the other ways that Hawthorne uses flowers to contribute to the meaning of his novel.

 

More Than Just A Time-Out: Punishing Adultery

On September 14, 2009 the BBC reported that the Aech province of Indonesia had passed a law making adultery punishable by death. This law was based on the Sharia, the Muslim law code, and states that a married person committing adultery can be stoned to death and an unmarried person sentenced to 100 lashes.¹

This law may seem a little extreme to some, however,  to the 90% of the population of Indonesia that are practicing Muslims, this law is like many others that enforce their religious beliefs. The Quran, the Torah and the Bible all take strong positions on adultery, therefore it is not strange for a government based in religion to make strong laws against adultery. Indonesia is not the only country with laws against adultery.

At one time or another in many Middle Eastern countries, punishment for adultery has included the death penalty, and many times "stoning" to death. However, legally adultery is hard to prove in these countries,  because they require the accuser to present 4 eye witnesses to the actual act, and these witnesses have to have a reputation of truthfulness.

Although they are not always rigorously enforced, the following legal actions punishing adultery in the U.S. still exist:

Michigan: Life Sentence
Maryland: fine of $10
Wisconsin: Class 1 Felony
U.S. Military: considered a court-martial offense.²

It is clear that in worldwide culture, adultery is one of the most sinful things a person can do. Why is this? Why is it that in some countries the punishment for murder is not much harsher, if at all harsher, than the punishment for adultery? Is sleeping with someone who is not your husband akin to murdering someone?

Whether or not you believe this to be true, I think the fact that it is such an awful and sinful thing in the world tells a lot about our culture.

Much of the language in laws that prosecute adultery use language referencing the woman as the property of the male. It seems like part of the reason adultery seems so horrible to us is that as part of the marriage contract there is a possession that gets established. In most cases, this means the man after the marriage ceremony, for all intents and purposes, "owns" the woman. When this woman asserts her individuality, perhaps by sleeping with someone else, he feels his possession is threatened. And then she, and the other man are killed. This enforces the masculinity of the husband, by showing his ultimate possession of her. He owns her enough that he decides when she lives and when she dies. 

Whether or not adultery is right, there is a clear gendered reason for the punishment of it.

References:

1.http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8254631.stm

2.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adultery

Love Story

The Scarlet Letter is not only a famous piece of literature, but it is quoted in mainstream media today as well. Someone could use the comparison of someone of something being forbidden, or sinful, just like Hester's actions in the book.

Taylor Swift's "Love Story" references two famous writings. One is obvious, Romeo and Juliet. There is a line in the song Love Story by Taylor Swift, where she says, "'Cause you were Romeo I was a scarlet letter and my daddy said stay away from Juliet, but you were everything of me I was begging you please don't go", and here, she is referencing the Scarlet Letter.

In my opinion, Taylor Swift is not technically telling us that she committed adultery, but she is saying that just like Hester, she is basically off limits to everyone, and almost everything. Swift is off limits in the song, because of her father, and just like the play, because of her social status.

Also, Hester is very ashamed, and constantly judged by her town, because of the "A" on her chest, just as the narrator of the song is being judged by "Romeo's" family.

When I first heard this song, I had not read The Scarlet Letter, and did not know what that line was a reference to. Now that I know what it means, it gives the song a much better and deeper meaning.

Who's the Real Criminal?

In The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Hester Pryne, a women who has committed adultery, is forced to wear the scarlet letter "A" around her neck and stand out in the public square, where she is pointed and stared at. Also, she has people constantly bettering themselves around her. Plus she is cursed with a child that is supposedly the devil and disrespects Hester in every way. 

 As I am reading Hawthorne's novel, I am amazed how Hester has survived her life for so long. The author constantly describes Hester with gloomy and harsh words. In addition he notes the disrespect of others and her own child. He really makes the readers have a sense of what pain Hester deals with. Everyday, she has nothing to look forward to but a life full of negative thoughts and actions. In addition, it's hard to stay sane when the whole world is punishing you. 

Honestly, if I were in Hester's shoes, I don't think i could survive a week! I would have nothing to look forward to but what new harsh comment someone has to say. I feel the town shouldn't treat a single mother with her baby in her hand, the way they do. I understand that she is a criminal, but is it not just as bad to harshly punish the criminal? 

Life of Shame or Death?

As I began to read The Scarlet Letter, I noticed Hawthorne’s diction to be extremely detailed. He makes one feel the words that he is writing with strong adjectives and imagery. One thing that really stuck out to me was the way he made one portray the scarlet letter on Hester. When he first introduces the scarlet letter, he elegantly and elaborately presents its existence.

“On the breast of her gown, in fine red cloth, surrounded with an elaborate embroidery and fantastic flourishes of gold thread, appeared the letter A” (37).

I think he describes it in this way to make the reader feel the importance of this letter. Hawthorne makes it seem like this is branded on Hester. He goes on to say it had the effect “of a last and fitting decoration to the apparel she wore” (37). Hawthorne is explicitly showing that this mark of her crime will always be associated with her. Her sin has permanence and she will never be able to escape it. This is Hester’s punishment for adultery to stand on a platform for 3 hours and “to wear a mark of shame upon her bosom” for the rest of her life (43).

Another bad aspect of the scarlet letter she wears is the way it makes her stand out.  It has the “effect of a spell taking her out of the ordinary relations with humanity and enclosing her in a sphere by herself” (37). She is now the black lamb of a Puritan community that will never accept her for her sin.

As she leaves the platform and returns to the jail, Hawthorne says that her letter is glowing. I looked at all these aspects that Hawthorne has presented with the scarlet letter as Hester’s punishment. I felt that this may have been worse than the death sentence. She must always live with the shame of wearing the letter and will always be judged. Hester cannot escape the world she lives in and will always have this mark. Would one rather die or live with shame?

The Truth Hurts

For a large period of time, John Proctor was keeping it a secret that he had an affair with Abigail. As Proctor begins to grow aggravated due to the girls supposedly being possessed by the devil, he starts to become furious at Abigail. Once he says,

"How do you call Heaven! Whore! Whore!" (109), Abigail finally lets everybody know that John Proctor was a lecher. You could feel the emotions shift while reading the book as everybody now saw Proctor as the enemy.

"You-you are a lecher?" (110). Danforth is in complete disbelief at hearing this, but he wasn't the only one. The very next line, Francis says, "John, you cannot say such a-".

This scene in the courtroom shifted the emphasis of the enemy from Tituba and the many girls to Proctor. Being a lecher was a mortal sin and resulted in eternal damnation. It really changed the pace of things and made it much more interesting to read.

Panic of the Puritans

One of the most frustrating things about reading The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, is the high degree of credulousness many of the townspeople have. Abigail manipulates the people around her and uses the court's fear to try to get the result she desires. Abigail sees to be the ringleader of the young girls, everything she does, the girls do as well. It is evident that Abigail is manipulating the gullible court by giving them the evidence they want to hear.

Abigail, looking about in the air, clasping her arms about her as though cold: I-I know not. A wind, a cold wind, has come. Her eyes fall on Mary Warren.

Mary Warren: Abby!

Mercy Lewis, shivering: Your Honor, I freeze! (108)

I understand Proctor's frustration in Act Three, because I feel the same way. It is so blatantly obvious that the girls are following the leader. I can imagine Abigail telling her girls to repeat everything she does, which to me seems too childish to be believed, but it is believed because of the mass sentiment of fear. This fear is both individual and communal. It is individually because everyone is scared that they are either going to be persecuted or scared of being touched by Satan. In my opinion, one reason for why these witch trials happened in Salem was because it was a Puritan community. Puritans came to America for their 'city on a hill', the perfect community. Seeing a flaw in this perfect society caused hysteria.

Mary Warren felt pressure to be like the other girls and follow Abigail by blaming Proctor once she realized Danforth was believing everything Abigail and the the girls were doing. It makes sense for young girls to follow the crowd. It is seen everyday at all ages of girls, just not to the extent of lying in court. People are scared of being out casted and alone, and in the girls of Salem's case, dead.

I think the reason people, including myself, became frustrated with the situation of the Salem With Trials,with the large number of people following the liars, is because some of us still hope that deep down, everyone has some good and that it is human nature to be good. I do not think that is true though, I agree with Thomas Hobbes' belief that self-preservation is the motivating factor behind human nature. Abigail's actions were in vengeance, but it seems to me that everyone else that pretended to be affected by a witch was self-preservation.

 

 

The Importance of "Stage Write"

So far, The Crucible has been enjoyable, and intensive thoughts have surfaced while reading it.  Arthur Miller has an irrefutable ability to symbolize, parallel and represent allegory within the text.

The writing that Miller presents to the reader is of great depth.  Even though some of the literal and contextual fact is simple, the layers of his writing hold great literary substance.  In Act II, in the first line, a conversation between an unfaithful Puritan, John Proctor, and his wife Elizabeth begins.  The conversation is pertaining to what seems to start as dinner, and slowly progresses into the past relationship between John and Abigail.  On page 51, Arthur Miller’s stage direction gives a glimpse into the depth of a simple conversation between a husband and his wife.

“There is a pause.  She is watching him from the table as he stands there absorbing the night.  It is as though she would speak but cannot.  Instead, now, she takes up his plate and glass and fork and goes with them to the basin.  Her back is turned to him.  He turns to her and watches her.  A sense of their separation rises.”

This direction can be studied for symbolism and allegory.  Symbolism is exemplified in “watching him from the table as he stands there absorbing the night.”

Miller’s use of the word “watching” from Elizabeth’s standpoint, and John Proctor’s “absorbing” shouldn’t go unnoticed.  This word choice symbolizes a very key dynamic in the relationship between them.  The “watching” done by Elizabeth symbolizes her feelings of confusion about John, along with the distance between them that has become to rot the foundation of their relationship.  It represents distance based on the way that when one is ‘watching” that they are observing anther person in a different way, as if they are seeing them in a new light.  Elizabeth is observing with John Proctor.  Miller symbolizes John Proctor’s self-righteousness and mystery to Elizabeth by using the direction “as he stands there absorbing the night.”  The “absorbing” could be viewed as a clear connection to being “self-absorbed”, but it could also mean that John is reflecting in the silence that he has created, and must “absorb” the reminder of his wrong-doings.  The insertion of  “night” could mean that Abigail has become unfamiliar to him and doesn’t know who John is, the same way that we use the word ‘night” to give a connotation that something is unknown or unseen.  It can also symbolize blindness or the “darkness” of their relationship.  This direction reflects the blurry and unclear relationship between the Proctors.

I think it is very important to make note of this writing presented by Miller.  It reminds us of the importance of even the stage direction while reading a play.  Millers ability to  add layers and interesting symbolism in this work has made my reading of The Crucible very enjoyable.

Nothing Has Changed

Although what happened in Salem may seem outrageous to us today, it relates to the modern period more than we think. The Crucible by Arthur Miller is no different than a modern day high school. From the gossip to the accusations of the various people, these two different time periods exhibit the same human nature. In human beings we see a tendency to pick on the vulnerable or weak, speak critically of others, and spread gossip.

In a modern day high school, people tend to make false assumptions on the basis of what we imagine. In particular, teenagers love to spread cruel gossip about others which leads to additional gossip which exaggerates the original and soon becomes a lie repeated fact. For example, in The Crucible, Parris sees the girls dancing in the forest and makes an assumption without even hearing what they have to say. Miller's Parris and Abigail speak in this exchange,

Parris: "Now look you child, your punishment will come in its time. But if you trafficked with spirits in the forest I must know it now, for surely my enemies will, and they will ruin me with it."

Abigail: "But we never conjured spirits."

Parris: "Then why can she not move herself since midnight? This child is desperate! It must come out--my enemies will bring it out. Let me know what you down there. Abigail, do you understand that I have my enemies?"

Parris is much more concerned with his reputation than with what Abigail has to say. Parris can be compared to a popular woman who is concerned about her social status in high school. Similarly, in high school, it does not take much for someone to see something and want to make it worse.

Human nature being what it is in the past and the modern day, it does not take much to go from malicious gossip to acting on negative ways such as McCarthyism and the witch trials.

Die as a Saint or Live a Lie?

John Proctor faces a moral dilemma at the end of the play. He is confronted with two options: admit to working with the devil or keep saintly pride and be publicly hung. Proctor must make a choice by sunrise, otherwise he will join the twenty others awaiting their death. During this stressful scene, Proctor and his wife are finally able to make a connection with each other, as they decide the future of their family.

John Proctor's decision to admit to working with the devil surprised me greatly. I thought that Proctor was the type of man who rejected the idea of witchcraft to the extent where he would die for what he believed in. In Act II, when Reverend Hale refuses to defend Elizabeth when she is accused of murdering Abigail, Proctor shouts at Hale, "You are a coward! Though you be ordained in God's own tears, you are a coward now!" (79). This declaration made me believe early on that Proctor would refuse to let his pride down in any life or death situation.

John's argument defending his decision to sign the confession was also peculiar. Proctor explains, "My honesty is broke, Elizabeth; I am no good man. Nothing's spoiled by giving them this lie that were not rotten long before" (136). This meant that he admitted to the fraud, on top of abandoning his morals to give into Danforth's orders. John proctor did not act as I predicted during this situation.

Authority, or None At All?

Arthur Miller's play The Crucible was written to show the witch trials in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692. It not only represented this era but also the McCarthy era that Miller first-hand experienced. Both of these issues were emphasized throughout Miller's play but by the end of the Arthur Miller's play, I realized that the play made a generalization about human nature in the bounds of authorities and higher powers.

The play showed a group of girls that falsely accused many villagers in Salem. The town of Salem was no longer seen as a town of quite Puritans, but as a town filled with witches, devils, and confusion. During the trials Cheever says, "There be so many cows wanderin' the highroads" which emphasizes how Salem is compete chaos(125). The chaotic town was no longer peaceful, and all this commotion did not settle down. Why did this happen? If the town had solved its issues of bewitchment, by capturing the "guilty", why was the town slowly falling apart? This is an interesting question that I found myself asking after Elizabeth tells the story of Giles dying,  

"Great stones that lay upon his chest until he plead aye or nay. They say he give them but two words, ‘More weight,' he says" (135).

Giles was killed for not speaking when asked to in court. Despite being innocent, he was killed unjustly. The people to blame are the authorities who did this to Giles. Giles stood next to what he believed while still maintaining respect for the town’s needs. Just because he would not answer the questions that the judge asked him, he was killed. The authority in Salem was unfair and mistreated innocent people. This is one of the reasons I believe that the town was falling apart.

The unfair authority is why John Proctor decided not to confess and be hung. Even after the man pleaded that he did indeed see the devil (even though in reality he did not) Danforth pried and pried him with saying that he needed to post his confession on the church doors. Proctor’s soul finally cracked and he said, “I have given you my soul; leave me my name”(143). If he plead guilty then he would be bowing down to authority and telling them that they were right, and he was wrong. This was an issue of John losing his dignity to men who had power but really did not deserve it and were not being just. This is exactly why at the end of the play, John refuses to sign the papers and is hung.

The issue of authority is still an issue today. It is either too much freedom or too little freedom. How can a society succeed with authoritative power? Is it possible, or will authority always conflict with an individual's freedom?