Scarlet Letter Theme Analysis

Paper Summary:

In "The Scarlet Letter", Nathaniel Hawthorne conveys the noteworthy theme as to the dangers concerning man's judgment, whilst utilizing the novel as liberation of personal grievances against Puritan doctrine. This paper shows how Hawthorne not only confirms such duplicity as iniquitous, yet further proves human denunciation as comparatively irrelevant amongst final judgment. It examines how through the inimitable characters of Hester Prynne, The Reverend Dimmesdale, and Roger Chillingworth, inclusive understanding of hypocrisy with emphasis on condemnation and the desire for vengeance is reached.

From the Paper:

"The Scarlet Letter, while regarded as brilliant literature, modestly originated as an expression of Nathaniel Hawthorne's internal defiance concerning Puritan ideology. This resentment is prominent throughout the novel and is assumed to derivate from the author's personal indignity in relation to the corruption of his great-grandfather, Judge Hathorne. Ironically, Hawthorne exhibits the very entity of attempted criticism as he himself debases the Puritans via their merciless denunciation of Hester Prynne. Imperative to grasp at present, still, is this infinite succession of denigration, thus validating the absence of any mortal authority in the eternal judgment over another's character. However, despite the paradoxical nature of condemnation, The Scarlet Letter personifies the hypocrisy of mortal judgment whilst accentuating the consequences of such."

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