The Scarlet Letter By Nathaniel Hawthorne: The Theme Of Sacrifice

Nathaniel Hawthorne’s romance novel, The Scarlet Letter (1850), illustrates that what we value is revealed through what we sacrifice. After a critical analysis of the work, the theme reveals to be evident through many of the characters in the piece. Hawthorne supports the reoccurring theme of sacrifice in how the characters behave and act when faced with penances to themselves and society. The Scarlet Letter tells the story of how a woman, marked with the sin of her adultery, faces being outcasted by society as well as carrying the weight of her sorrows.

The reason for her shaming is the fact that she was a married woman and gave birth to a child with a different father than her husband. The woman, Hester Prynne, is physically marked with a scarlet letter “A” on her breast, standing for “adulterer”. Upon arriving to Boston two years after Hester was sent, her husband changes his identity to Roger Chillingworth and plays a position as a doctor in order to discover and torment the father of Hester’s child. Hester, being an outcast of the town, lives with her daughter, pearl, on the outside of town where she can teach pearl what she has learned from her scarlet letter. The government overseers fear that pearl is unsafe in the hands of her own mother and plan to take her away from Hester for the better of pearls growing and education. However, because of the defense from Arthur Dimmesdale, he convinces the governances why Pearl should remain with her mother.

The reason he defends them so earnestly is because Dimmesdale is in fact, the father of pearl, yet no one in the novel knows it yet. This event sparks a suspicion in Chillingworth, who takes care of the minster and regulates his physical and mental health, in later intruding, Chillingworth discovers a connection in the minister’s actions and Hester’s scarlet letter, exactly what he was looking for. Hester notices from afar that the minister’s psychological health worsens, then soon after confronts Chillingworth to ask him to break the torturing he is bestowing upon Arthur, but with no luck. In short, Hester and Arthur plan to flee from the town of chains with their daughter Pearl in order to be free from what once held them down. Before leaving the city the family of three stood on the scaffold where Hester had stood seven years ago for her public shaming. The Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale confesses his sin of adultery committed with Hester, as well as revealing scarlet letter carved into the flesh of his skin. On the last words of his confession he falls dead. At last, the family is freed from the burdens, revengers, and chains of their sin. Defense of Passage 1 The Passages I chose work as whole to explain and reveal the statement that what we value can be determined only by what we sacrifice. For instance, Hester Prynne is the first obvious character in relation to the theme of sacrifice.

The passage that best demonstrate this is when Hester is first publicly shamed for her sin in chapter 3. Directed by the governor, the reverend Arthur Dimmesdale is told to encourage Hester on the scaffold to confess and repent of her sin, as well as reveal who the child of the father is. It is said that it would be better for the father to join her on the pedestal, rather than hide in guilt all his life. The ministers voice evoked sympathy and a slight hint of fear. The crowd believed the ministers speech to be highly convincing and expected Hester to reveal his name. However, Hester refuses. One of the officials suggests that the scarlet letter of shame if she does. Hester still refuses, and it is said that Arthur Dimmesdale spoke with his hand over his heart in pain and concludes to the fact they she will not speak. This passage best represents the sacrifice of Hester Prynne because Hester clearly conceals the secret of who the father is in order to protect his reputation. ~SPOLIER ALERT~ Arthur Dimmesdale is the father of the child, and this is why he trembles with fear in the moment of silence while Hester is about to reply to the question of who the father is. The irony in this passage is evident because Dimmesdale is asking who the father of the child is, when in fact he is the father. Hester and the minster are the only two people that know and share the secret.

The role of this sacrifice is crucial the the development of the text as a whole. Hester sacrifices her status in the community, which eventually makes her a hero and admirable character in the novel. Dimmesdale should have stood on the pedestal and shared the blame with Hester for the same sin they committed together. Instead, the minister cowardly hid from his sin in order to save his reputation as an admirable minister. Hester could have easily spoken out the name of her partner in crime (literally), yet she chose to carry the weight of their sin on her shoulders. However, I believe that later on Dimmesdale faces worse punishment and guilt as the years pass on because of the secret scarlet buried inside of him that he carries for seven years. Hester’s sacrifice develops her into an admirable hero, mother, and role model. Without the sacrifice of her reputation she would have conformed to society’s expectations and she would not have learned of her inner strength. Defense of Passage 2 The short passage I chose relates to how Pearl made sacrifices in her early life whether she understood it or not. Although it is clearly seen that Hester made the sacrifice for her only treasure, it is over looked that pear mad sacrifices for her mother as well.

At the beginning of chapter 6, where our passage begins, it is the first time the author really speaks of little pearl. Hester, a sad woman, has the privilege, of watching Pearl grow more brilliant and intelligent every single day. Hester is not ashamed of Pearl, in fact she named the child Pearl because she was the only treasure she had. Pearl was connected to her mother’s scarlet letter. God gave Pearl the place on her mother’s scarlet letter. However, Hester feared that because Pearl was the result of an evil deed, she feared that Pearl would grow into a dark and wild child that would align with Hester’s guiltiness. Pearl is farther described with the use of vivid descriptions, syntax, and imagery.

First of all, the child sacrifices a normal childhood, because she understands that there is a difference between herself and other towns children. The reason why this passage most certainly illustrates the sacrifice that the young daughter makes is the fact that she is separated from other children in Boston, similarly to her mother. She has inherited her mother’s isolation and shunning from society. Therefore, Pearl sacrifices her reputation, in order to provide her mother with comfort, love, and teaching. Pearl is three years old and she is aware of her own deviance and defiance. She is made to stand out from other children, not to conform to the puritan ways of society, and that is what she sacrifices.

The role of Pearls martyr develops the text as a whole in that she is the consequence of her mother’s sin, yet more of a blessing to Hester. Pearl not knowing it, helps her mother gain strength and understanding for the purpose of her life. Defense of Passage 3 The passage I choose was from the end of the book, chapter 23, when the Arthur Reverend Dimmesdale confesses his in to the society. The reverend Addresses the town square,” people of New England,” while standing on top of the pedestal where Hester stood seven years before. He mentions in his speech that the community shudders whenever the see the scarlet letter upon Hester Prynne’s bosom, yet there is a hidden sin from someone else that they have failed to recognize. The author states that during his speech, it seemed like the minister wouldn’t continue to reveal his secret, but he pushed forward with faith in his heart. The minster continues to uncover that he wears this mark on his own breast, leading up to the unveiling of his minister robe a expose a scarlet letter “A” carved into his chest. He asks his daughter, Pearl, to then give him a kiss and a spell was broken. Hester asks Dimmesdale if they will spend eternity together and say that they have saved each other from their misery. The clergyman assures her that her has paid his sin because God sent him a burning torture on his chest, an evil old man, guilt, and many years of sorrow. Without these punishments, he says, he would have been lost eternally! Arthur Dimmesdale bids a final goodbye to his loves, Hester and Pearl, and then dies after his last words in Hester’s arms. This passage best represents the sacrifice that Arthur Dimmesdale made. In confessing his sin that he had long held for many years, he sacrifices his reputation, his freedom to be with his family, and his life for eternal peace with himself and God. This is the exact moment when the sin is confessed and redeemed. The revelation of Arthur’s sin contributes to the text as a whole because it concludes the entire novel. The whole story us built up upon Arthur’s sin because his guilt and conscience have been tortured for so long, not only by himself, but by the old man Chillingworth.

The sacrifice he made brings a depressing closure to the story because the minster is finally at peace with Himself, Hester, and his own daughter, Pearl. His Value of family and truth are illuminated through the ultimate giving up of his life. Rhetorical Analysis Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel, “The Scarlet Letter,” impels that what we value can be determined by what we sacrifice. The selfless characters in this novel demonstrate what their values are, by making sacrifices for the better of themselves and others. Hathorne applies his use of rhetorical strategies to convey what the characters sacrifice, in order to relate their actions to true motives and values in their existence. The author utilizes the rhetorical strategy of dramatic irony whenever Hester is shamed for her sin of adultery while the Dimmesdale is characterized as being a reverend minister. The audience is aware that Arthur Dimmesdale is the father of Pearl, however, the remaining community, including Chillingworth, does not know that the minister shares the same sin with Hester. Consequently, the dramatic irony is created. The governor asks Dimmesdale to persuade Hester, while on the scaffold to, “exhort her to repentance and to confession,’ of who the father of the child is. The author practices this rhetorical device in order to build suspense and apprehension in the reader. Through the irony of which the reader knows, the reasons for the character’s actions are better understood in depth. Because Hester refused to, “speak; and give (her) child a father,” her reason for refusing to do so conveys because the reader knows she is trying to protect Dimmesdale.

The minster should be sharing the same punishment on the pedestal of public shame, yet Hester values his reputation as a reverend minister. Hester sacrifices an opportunity to remove the scarlet letter, yet she cares more about conserving her secret lover’s reputation. She took on her shoulders the ridicule of the puritan society because she simply loved Arthur Dimmesdale. Hawthorne utilizes situational irony in the conclusion of his novel. The twist that illuminates in the resolution of the story presents a melancholy tragedy of Hester and Arthur. Upon the final word which, “came forth with the minister’s expiring breath,” Dimmesdale’s passing is not well prepared for by the audience. The reader expects Dimmesdale and Hester to live happily ever after proceeding the minister’s confession and their plan to escape from chains, yet unfortunately what was expected was not what happened. The author utilizes the incongruent ending of the novel, in order to essentially set the family free from sin.

The tragic death of Arthur and the ultimate sacrifice of his reputation and life present that he is truly passionate about his two loves, Hester and Pearl. He sacrificed his life because he wanted to break the chains of guilt, shame, and sin not only for himself, but for his precious Pearl and Hester. The laying down of his life and view as a respected reverend reveled to the community that even the holiest of people can carry a burden of sin on their backs. But not only until they let go of the sin, step up to their mistakes, and confess them will they be truly set at peace. That is just what Arthur Dimmesdale did. The sacrifice of his existence places him at ease and his family at peace. In conclusion, Hawthorne’s masterpiece of literature effectively portrays that what one truly value is only revealed by what they give up. By the transcendent penances made by the lovers, Hester Prynne and Arthur Dimmesdale illumined their integrity and ideals. In order to seek what we long for, the worth of our desires to us is ultimately tested by what we would give up to purse them.