The Scarlet Letter: The Damaging Potential of Moral Responsibility

By:
Madison Allen

Engl 2330, Section 3

Dr. Thompson
November 20, 2012

Outline

The characters in The Scarlet Letter demonstrate their guilt in different ways through
Dimmesdales death, the beneficial capability of accepting responsibility for ones own flaws,
and the damaging potential of more irresponsibility with Hesters ultimate success.
I. Dimmesdales death
a. Fasting
b. His constant clutching of his chest
c. His ultimate change in appearance and demeanor
II. Damaging potential of moral responsibility with Hesters ultimate success
a. Hesters life with the A for adulterer
b. Hesters transformation as a member of society
c. The letter A changing from adulterer to able
III. The beneficial capability of accepting responsibility for ones own flaws
a. Clearing ones slate.
b. Using the Bible
c. Benefits of confessing ones wrong
Conclusion

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The Scarlet Letter: The Damaging Potential of Moral Responsibility
The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne is one of the most intriguing and mysterious
works of all times. Some would argue that the work is one of the most romantic and moving
works of all time. The characters are all very complex and intriguing to study and observe. There
are many lessons to be taken from The Scarlet Letter particularly dealing with the characters.
The characters in The Scarlet Letter demonstrate their guilt in different ways through
Dimmesdales death, the beneficial capability of accepting responsibility for ones own flaws,
and the damaging potential of more irresponsibility with Hesters ultimate success.
One of the main themes of The Scarlet Letter is sin and how an individual copes with the
consequences that follow. Although there are numerous debates as to who the main character of
The Scarlet Letter is, readers discover that Dimmesdale is the main character. According to
Hawthorne, Dimmesdale is a very great sinner. For a long period of time, Dimmesdale illustrates
a type of double standard. He spends a lot of his time in hiding from his sin. Meanwhile, Hester
is being made to suffer openly. Dimmesdale has a notable and noble background. The reader is
informed that he studied at the well-known Oxford University. However, he has a very active
conscience. When Dimmesdale sees that Hester willingly takes public punishment single
handedly and accepts all of the blame for their sin, it begins to eat away at his conscience even
more so. The young pastors voice was tremulously sweet, rich, deep, and broken, of the words,
caused it to vibrate within all hearts, and brought the listeners into one accord of sympathy.
(Hawthorne, 488) As Dimmesdale was reprimanding Hester at the scaffold, one could see that
he was struggling internally. His broken tone touched everyones heart for a moment. Over the

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course of the next seven years, his level of guilt and internal conflict continues to enhance. As a
result of his growing guilt, Dimmesdale becomes a more compassionate and moving speaker.
His congregation is able to gain more out of his messages and they view him as a more effective
spiritual leader. As punishment for himself due to his un-confessed sin, Dimmesdale resorts to
beating himself and fasting. The guilt becomes so severe that Dimmesdale proceeds to literally
carve an A into his chest. The guilt provided so much torment that his mental state as well as
his physical state began to deteriorate. with every successive Sabbath, his cheek was paler
and thinner, and his voice more tremulous than before,-when had it now become a constant habit,
rather than a casual gesture, to press his hand over his heart? Was he weary of his labors? Did he
wish to die? (517). Upon finally admitting his hidden sin to the congregation, the people do not
believe Dimmesdale of all people would commit such an act. When the towns people finally
start to see the error of his ways, Dimmesdale dies. The guilt had tortured him internally for so
long that once the burden was relieved his body passed and he died. Many say that
Dimmesdales death was a clear representation of the final judgment. Un-confessed sin lead to
Dimmesdales ill fate.
As one can see, there are numerous opportunities for things to turn to chaos when unconfessed sin becomes involved. As human beings, we all have a sense of moral responsibility.
With great power comes a great responsibility. With such a grand moral responsibility, there
come serious consequences and a sense of danger. While there are numerous negative
consequences that come with such a high responsibility, there also comes an opportunity to grow
and mature. That is exactly what the character Hester Prynne did. From the narrator, the reader
gets the hint that prior to her marriage to Roger Chillingworth, Hester was a very passionate and

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strong-willed individual. Upon her husbands departure, Hester had an affair with this unknown
man also known as Dimmesdale. Due to her passionate nature, her affair makes sense somewhat.
However, it is the events that occur after her affair that make and mold her into the character
readers are familiar with. Hawthorne shows Hester as being more sinned against than actually
sinning. She has to hold multiple secrets inside of her. On one end, she is masking the identity of
her husband, Chillingworth. On the other end, she also refuses to reveal the identity of the father
of her child. Hesters strong will and refusal to reveal the Dimmesdales identity shows her
strong will and rebellious nature. By willingly accepting her punishment, Hester demonstrates
her outward atoning otherwise known as penance. However, Hester does not seem to show any
sort of remorse for the sin she has committed: otherwise known as penitence. The readings show
that Hester is more ashamed of the fact she got caught in her sinful act more so than committing
the actual wrongdoing. However, over time Hester begins to change. Her trials of life bring her
to be a free thinker. She has become a more compassionate maternal figure and she has also
become a role model for the women of the town. In the beginning of Hesters tale, the women all
look down on her. This woman has brought shame upon us all, and ought to die. Is there not
law for it? Truly there is, both in Scripture and the statute-book. ( 479). The woman
considered her sin to be so severe that they thought it would serve justice if Hester were to be put
to death. However, Hesters circumstances began to transform over the years. The shame of
bearing the letter is far gone and instead of her A standing for adulterer, the A transforms to
mean, able. The scarlet letter was her passport into regions where other women dared not
tread. Shame, Despair, Solitude! These had been her teachers,-stern and wild ones,- and they had
made her strong, but taught her much amiss. (559) . Hester became a kind and wise individual

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who was loved and respected by the town. Bearing the burden of the scarlet letter molded her
and shaped her into a better woman. Hester used her trial to better herself and to move forward.
As human beings, we all have some sort of moral responsibility to society. We can pick up the
pieces and move forward after our trials or we can let guilt and resentment build up inside of
ourselves, causing us to stand still in life. What we choose to do with that responsibility is
entirely up to us.
From The Scarlet Letter, there are lots of lessons to be taken from Hawthornes infamous
work. Dimmesdale let the concept of his un-confessed sin completely rule over his life and
change it for the worst. Hester, however, took her confessed sin and moved forward in a positive
light. She transformed from the woman everyone looked down upon and spoke ill of her to the
woman everyone admired and went to for advice and wise counsel. The Scarlet Letter shows in
many ways how owning up to your own sins and mistakes is extremely beneficial. 1 John 1:9
says, If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from
all unrighteousness. That particular verse very clearly tells us that if we do in fact confess our
sins and own up to our responsibility, our faithful God will forgive us and make us whole once
more. James 5:16 says, Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another,
that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. The
Scripture says that if we confess our sins to one another we will be healed. Sin is what separates
all of us from Christ. There are consequences for sin, but only God can provide forgiveness and a
deep sense of peace that surpasses all understanding. There is a beneficial capability of accepting
responsibility for ones own flaws. Had Dimmesdale or Hester approached their sinful act with

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the Bible as their foundation, maybe the outcome of events would have been a little different for
both of them.
The Scarlet Letter was a very intriguing work to read and analyze. There are many points
and lessons to be taken from Hawthornes magnificent work. While The Scarlet Letter is not the
most eventful or exciting of books, it still provides a sense of mystery and suspense as the reader
is taken on a seven year long journey. The reader is constantly trying to figure out who Pearls
father really is. The reader also wonders when Hester will finally reveal the identity of her lover
or when Chillingworth will have his final revenge on Dimmesdale. I thoroughly enjoyed reading
The Scarlet Letter. It was not your average book that one would fins in todays time. Reading
Hawthorne caused me to think beyond what is obvious and on the surface of reading. There will
come a time in which we will all be put on some sort of trial. We have the choice of taking
responsibility and having our chains broken or we may choose to hide our sin and attempt to live
with the heavy burden every single day of our life. The choice is ours. What will you decide to
do?

1737 Words

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Work Cited

Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Scarlet Letter. The Norton Anthology of American Literature. Vol.
B. 8th ed. Ed. Nina Baym. New York: Norton, 2012. 450-594. Print.