The Scarlet Letter
The Scarlet LetterThe Scarlet Letter
It is easy to be a follower and it is another to be a leader, especially a leader of something that society disapproves of. Human nature and the law are always at battle in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter. The law, which restrains humanity from being free-spirited and shameless, is constantly conflicting with nature, the human body, its mind and heart. Henry Thoreau would strongly agree that Hawthorne embraces passion and love and at the same time he fears society, guilt and the pain that comes with punishment. Thoreau would say that Hawthorne is an “agent of injustice”, (Resistance to Civil Government 1753). Hawthorne would not agree completely with Thoreau’s view of a “higher law”, but he would agree that people have passions, desires and feelings that have no definition or place in society and cause people to act out in ways that are unacceptable.
Where does one draw the line to what is right and what is wrong? Thoreau would say that it is where one wants to draw it. And that people make whatever they want of themselves; if society does not agree, then one must become an outcast never to be seen in public again. Hawthorne shows in his novel that people make mistakes and pay the price in the end. Even though Hester Prynne tries to justify her love for Arthur Dimmesdale through her art or passion somehow she can’t deny her sorrow. The scene in chapter 16 ( Signet Classic version p. 165), where Hester and Pearl are taking a walk in the forest and Pearl asks about the Black Man in the woods and Hester reply’s that she has met him once and that she hopes Pearl never has to meet him. Hester is experiencing sorrow and some fear that her daughter might one day understand. But Hester does not seem to regret anything that has happened. She does not lie but she doesn’t ever say the complete truth. This is another example of how Hawthorne deals with truth and guilt.
The law and society does not have a place for Hester, and Pearl has no place either through no fault of her own.
“Mother and daughter stood together in the same circle of seclusion from human society; and in the nature of the child seemed to be perpetuated those unquiet elements that had distracted Hester Prynne before Pearl’s birth, but had since begun to be soothed away by the softening influences of maternity.” (Chapter 6 pg. 84). It is great to see Hawthorne’s sensitive side come into play here. He softens the heart of Hester and shows the reader that Hester loves Pearl unconditionally.
Another view is of Hawthorne’s example of paying for ones punishments. Pearl is a constant reminder of Hester’s mistake, another way in which Hawthorne reminds us that people are capable of mistakes and that some may never be overcome or forgotten. Shame and guilt can sometimes come from the things that bring us joy. For example, in chapter 16 page 85, “Gazing at Pearl, Hester Prynne often dropped her work upon her knees, and cried out with agony which she would fain have hidden, but which made utterance for itself, betwixt speech and a groan, “O Father in Heaven-if Thou art still my Father-is this being which I have brought into the world!” Hawthorne does not convince me that Hester is not feeling guilty, she is! And she suffers the consequences every day with her own child! Hester Prynne battles with her sin and having to harbor secrets from her daughter. The fear that the truth would hurt Pearl is Hester’s way of dealing with her guilt.
The walk in the forest is a scene that best describes how nature plays a major role in this novel. The sun dancing around Pearl and how she loves being surrounded by nature is symbolism of Pearl’s innocence. Hester lives right of the edge of the ocean. This symbolizes Hester’s power and her spirits vastness. Nature helps describe their personalities and the way in which both Hester and Pearl clash with society. This would be an example of where Thoreau would agree with Hawthorne’s work. Thoreau would say that one must distant themselves from people and from the government or church.
“It will not be worth the while to accumulate property; that would be sure to go again. You must hire or squat somewhere, and raise but a small crop, and eat that soon. You must live within yourself, and depend upon yourself, always tucked up and ready for a start, and not have many affairs.” (Resistance to Civil Government p. 1761) Hester and Pearl live on the verge of the ocean where anything is possible.
Law and nature are separate and never equal. In the novel Hester represents nature, she is full of passion and love. Dimmesdale represents the law; his guilt never lets him rest. He fools himself and the people around him even Hester! This goes to show how important the law is to Dimmesdale. He does not know anything else and he can sympathize with the people because of his own mistakes. He can’t survive without appearing to be the best among the people. He would eventually die with or without Hester. If she were killed because of him he would never forgive himself.
Hawthorne could have ended the book with them all moving away together back to England, but he didn’t. He instead ended the novel with the law winning. Hester coming back to live in the same town that brought her all these problems in the first is an example of how the law and society is very strong. Has she gained or lost her identity? I feel that Hester has lost her old identity but has gained a new one. Her daughter on the other hand has achieved her status and gained her identity. This is more important to her than having her father alive and not ever feeling accepted by society.
I feel that Hawthorne shows no sympathy for this couples mistake. He gives them what is expected of society and makes sure that Hester and Pearl gain a normal life forever after. This goes to show how Hawthorne fears passion and a free-spirited way of life. He fears Hester, he fears art perhaps anything that has no limits.
Dimmesdale’s guilty conscience kills him and teaches people a lesson to be in awe of the greater power. The law in The Scarlet Letter is the winner at the end of the novel and it is also the cause for tragedy and death. The law is cruel, judgmental and unrealistic but it is also the balance that keeps people from acting out their worst intensions.