Hawthorne's Use Of Witchcraft In The Scarlet Letter

Through out(p) The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne continually uses witchcraft and the stupefy as a theme. Hester Prynne, the main character, emerges from a prison in the starting line hardly a(prenominal) pages of the book. So from the real beginning, it is known that she has committed a commodious sin of some kind. Many former(a) characters other than Hester also have a connection with the dark side. It is this association with the d deplorable that eventually brings about the demise of one of the major characters. Although to the highest degree of the characters ar trying to repent during this baloney, there is salvage a link between them and the the Tempter throughout the story.         Hester Prynne was guilty of adultery. In the Puritan colony of Boston, adultery was punishable by a brief prison sentence, time standing on a scaff sexagenarian in front of all the townspeople, and finally the need of bearing a scarlet colored A on your clothing. This letter would act as a constant admonisher of the offense committed against God. Hester was generally a good headspring who intendd in and fe bed God, Thy Heavenly Father sent thee! (Hawthorne, 99) She was self-ordained a squirt of Mercy¦ (156). However, she gave into temptation, and in this beloved culture, an act such as this was viewed as a pact with the d wrong. There is evidence that Hester freely would have turned to the make if it werent for Pearl, Had they taken her from me, I would willingly have gone with thee into the forest, and signed my depict in the char Mans book too, and that with mine own blood (116). This shows how Pearl helped recall her from the devil, even at a young age.         The devil is seen in Pearl more than any other character. She is after(prenominal) all, the ware of infidelity. From a very young age, it was obvious that she was not an characterless child, ¦this freakish, playful cast came into the child s eyes¦It was a face, fiendlike, full of b! lissful nastiness¦it was as if an evil spirit possessed the child¦ (98). When asked where she came from, she replied that her fix had picked her from the rose bush by the prison, despite well-educated the pay answer. Instead of communicating with other children, Pearl chose to shriek shrilly and throw rocks at them. At times she acted as though she were truly possessed, She accompanied this wild outbreak with knifelike shrieks, which the woods reverberated on all sides¦ (198). When Pearl was in the woods with Hester, she was hypnotised by the topic of the Black Man. She was incessantly request questions about him, and whether her mother knew him. The very name Pearl, is emblematical since pearls are beautiful on the outside, but contain moxie on the inside.         Mr. Dimmesdale was both a young minister and Pearls unbent father. As a sign of his wrongdoing, a scarlet appeared on his chest. impertinent Hesters, his was of flesh not fabric. It is revealed that Dimmesdale became a Masochist; beating himself as a repentance. The evil within him can be seen by Pearl, beat away, Mother! Come away or yonder old Black Man will catch you! He hath got clutch pedal of the minister already. (132). This minister was sickly, and worsened daily. He move in with Roger Chillingworth, a chinked physician, in order to solvent his illness. He falls back in love with Hester, and doesnt imbibe that the ask same circumstances earlier produced Pearl. Eventually, Dimmesdale is completely overtaken by the devil, and it kills him, Then, tear he sank upon the scaffold!

 (2 38).         Roger Chillingworth, the ! old physician, was Hesters husband. He makes a orphic pact with her not to reveal his true identity. With the shoot for 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: easy drink out the life 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, supply by hatred of the man who stole his wife.         Several other peasant 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 woman 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 fact that the Puritans were such religious people. condemnable seems out of place among a group that is sup posedly very devout in its ways. But nonetheless, it existed.         Nathaniel Hawthorne, an author who commonly uses superstitious printing and the dark side in his writing, once again uses it as a theme in The Scarlet Letter. It is a unifying(a) theme among all the characters. All of the characters are connected to evil forces of some kind. Some, like Pearl, obviously have closer ties to the devil than others do, but not one of the characters is free of sin. If you want to visualize a full essay, order it on our website: OrderCustomPaper.com

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