Witchcraft In The Scarlet Letter

The Scarlet Letter Throughout The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne continu exclusivelyy uses witchcraft and the have words as a theme. Hester Prynne, the main character, emerges from a prison in the first few pages of the book. So from the very beginning, it is know that she has committed a great sin of some kind. m all an(prenominal) other characters other than Hester also have a connective with the dark side. It is this association with the tease that eventually brings almost the dying of cardinal of the major characters. Although most of the characters are trying to abye during this story, there is still a link between them and the d unrighteous throughout the story.

        Hester Prynne was guilty of fornication. In the Puritan colony of Boston, adultery was punishable by a brief prison sentence, prison term standing on a h hoar in face up of all the t experiencespeople, and finally the requirement of bearing a red-faced colored A on your clothing. This letter would act as a constant reminder of the offense committed against God. Hester was slackly a good person who believed in and feared God, Thy Heavenly catch sent thee! (Hawthorne, 99) She was self-ordained a Sister of Mercy¦ (156). However, she gave into temptation, and in this god-fearing culture, an act such as this was viewed as a promise with the daystar. There is evidence that Hester freely would have turned to the devil if it werent for Pearl, Had they taken her from me, I would willingly have gone with thee into the forest, and subscribe my name in the swarthy service troopss book too, and that with mine own blood (116). This shows how Pearl helped save her from the devil, even at a youngish age.

        The devil is seen in Pearl more than any other character. She is after all, the product of infidelity. From a very young age, it was obvious that she was non an ordinary child, ¦this freakish, elvish cast came into the childs eye¦It was a face, fiendlike, full of smiling malice¦it was as if an evil spirit possessed the child¦ (98). When asked where she came from, she replied that her sustain had picked her from the rose pubic hair by the prison, despite knowing the correct answer. Instead of communication with other children, Pearl chose to scream shrilly and throw rocks at them. At times she acted as though she were truly possessed, She attach to this wild outbreak with piercing shrieks, which the woods reverberated on all sides¦ (198). When Pearl was in the woods with Hester, she was fascinated by the field of study of the Black Man. She was constantly asking questions about him, and whether her mother knew him. The very name Pearl, is symbolic since pearls are beautiful on the outside, but contain sand on the inside.

        Mr. Dimmesdale was both a young rector and Pearls true father. As a crisscross of his wrongdoing, a scarlet appeared on his chest. Unlike Hesters, his was of flesh not fabric. It is revealed that Dimmesdale became a Masochist; beating himself as a repentance. The evil at heart him can be seen by Pearl, get in away, Mother! Come away or yonder old Black Man will catch you! He hath got hold of the minister already. (132). This minister was sickly, and worsened daily. He moved in with Roger Chillingworth, a learn physician, in ordering to resolve his illness. He falls certify in love with Hester, and doesnt realize that the exact same bunch earlier produced Pearl.



Eventually, Dimmesdale is completely overtaken by the devil, and it kills him, Then, down he sank upon the scaffold! (238).

        Roger Chillingworth, the old physician, was Hesters husband. He makes a secret pact with her not to reveal his true identity. With the purpose to learn more about Dimmesdales illness, he moves in with him, and eventually discovers that he is Pearls father. From that point on, he becomes a revenge-seeking leech: slowly sucking out the bearing of Dimmesdale. Many people began to believe that Chillingworth was, ¦Satans emissary, in the guise of old Roger Chillingworth (126). His heart was pure evil, fueled by hatred of the man who stole his wife.

        Several other minor characters also had ties to the devil and witchcraft. Mistress Hibbons, the governors sister, was executed after the story takes place for witchcraft. She is the muliebrity that tried to coerce Hester into signing her name in the Black Mans book. Several other names are mentioned also. This is surprising, given the item that the Puritans were such religious people. Evil seems out of place among a group that is supposedly very devout in its ways. save nonetheless, it existed.

        Nathaniel Hawthorne, an author who commonly uses superstition and the dark side in his writing, once again uses it as a theme in The Scarlet Letter. It is a unifying theme among all the characters. on the whole of the characters are connected to evil forces of some kind. Some, like Pearl, apparently have closer ties to the devil than others do, but not one of the characters is free of sin.

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