The Scarlet Letter

1. The Scarlet Letter The Conflicts and Themes

2. The Main Conflicts • Dimmesdale vs. Self • Hester vs. Self • Hester vs. Society • Hester vs. Chillingworth • Dimmesdale vs. Chillingworth • Hester vs. Pearl

3. Dimmesdale vs. Self • Struggled throughout the novel with his inner guilt and thoughts • This inner guilt was brought on by his sin of adultery which he had remained silent about for over seven years • Dimmesdale’s only form of relief from this inner guilt was through bringing harm to himself or his reputation • The main form of this was an “A” on his chest • Another form was placing himself out on the scaffold in the middle of town in the middle of the night

4. Hester vs. Self • Hester struggled continually with guilt throughout the novel • Hester believed that only God redeem her, thus causing her to isolate herself and repent • For this reason, Hester remained within the town of Boston and never removed the “A” on her own accord • She only overcame her internal conflicts when she fall back in love with Dimmesdale

5. Hester vs. Society • Society frowned upon Hester for her sin of adultery and refusal to provide the name of her fellow adulterer • This is shown when Hester was jailed for her sin and forced to wear the Scarlet letter until her death • Attempting to redeem herself, Hester did charity work throughout the novel • The townspeople gave her no gratification or thanks, and some continued to ridicule her or make a point of her • Even in during church services, they would use her as an example of what not to do • They also would not allow her to make bridal wear for fear that her sin would affect the pure brides that they were for

6. Hester vs. Chillingworth • The conflict between Hester and Chillingworth began in jail cell • Hester refused to tell Chillingworth her fellow adulterer’s name • Chillingworth forced Hester to swear to keep his true identity a secret • As Chillingworth tortured Dimmesdale, he was also in turn torturing Hester

7. Dimmesdale vs. Chillingworth • Throughout the novel, Chillingworth attempted to get his revenge on Dimmesdale due his suspicions of him • Chillingworth believed Dimmesdale to be the man that Hester had committed adultery with and thus wanted to punish him • Dimmesdale throughout the novel was disturbed by the presence of Chillingworth even without knowing Chillingworth’s true nature or motive

8. Hester vs. Pearl • Pearl was a symbol and constant physical reminder to Hester of the sin she had committed • Hester considers at one point getting rid of Pearl and herself to escape the pain and ridicule she was forced to endure in Boston because of her sin • Pearl would continuously tortured her mother over her letter “A” • Throughout the whole novel, she points it out to her mother, throws things at it, and makes her own “A”

9. Major Themes • The pursuit of revenge, rather than forgiveness, can turn an individual into an evil person they may not recognize • Individuals that confess their sins and work to redeem themselves lead a healthier existence • When individuals deny themselves opportunities to repent for their sins, their inner guilt can lead to their destruction • When societies react to sin punitively they act hypocritically and deny the universal truth that sin is natural