Scarlet Letter Essay, Research Paper
Light and Darkness in The Scarlet Letter
Nathaniel Hawthorne, writer of The Scarlet Letter, felt that the Puritans were people who believed that the universe was a topographic point where the conflict between good and immorality was a ceaseless 1. Throughout the novel, Hawthorne uses the symbols of visible radiation and dark to picture this conflict among the characters Hester Prynne, Pearl, and Roger Chillingworth.
After Hester commits her wickedness, her beauty about instantly vanishes into darkness. Her hair no longer bents freely about her face, alternatively she ties it up in a bonnet. Hester is non perceived as an evil individual, but her wickedness makes her & # 8220 ; light & # 8221 ; conceal off. The Sun is used as a form of the goodness or pure nature of character. Because of her wickedness and the vermilion missive, Hester is no longer pure, therefore she is non seen in the Sun. Hawthorne provinces, & # 8220 ; It was merely the darkened house that could incorporate her. When sunlight came once more, she was non there. & # 8221 ; While on a walk to the wood, Pearl, Hester & # 8217 ; s daughter provinces, & # 8220 ; & # 8230 ; the sunlight does non love you. it runs off and hides itself, because it is afraid of something on your bosom. & # 8221 ; This is grounds that the vermilion missive itself may be the cause of Hester & # 8217 ; s darkness.
Pearl is the character most recognized for her presence in the Sun. She is drawn to the Sun, as the Sun is drawn to her. While at the governor & # 8217 ; s house, Pearl notices how brilliantly the Sun radiances through the Windowss. She requests that, & # 8220 ; the sunlight be stripped off its forepart and given to her to play with. & # 8221 ; Hester responds by stating, & # 8220 ; No my small Pearl. Thou must garner thine ain sunlight. I have none to give thee! & # 8221 ; Pearl has been seen as a character that ever persists on cognizing the truth. While in the forest Pearl wants to hear a narrative from Hester. She asks Hester if she has
of all time seen the Black Man. Hester replies that she has seen the Black Man one time earlier. This suggests that the Black Man may be her hubby, Roger Chillingworth.
Roger Chillingworth is a character who is about Satan-like. Chillingworth is described as the Black Man by Pearl and his ain description of himself suggests that he is a monster of some sort. When Chillingworth discovers that Dimmesdale was the male parent of Pearl, he taunts him and makes him experience more guilt than he already possesses. Hester feels guilty because she has suppressed from Dimmesdale who Chillingworth truly is. Chillingworth says, & # 8220 ; Ye that have wronged me non iniquitous, salvage in a sort of typical semblance, neither am I fiend like who have snatched a monster & # 8217 ; s office from his custodies. It is our destiny. Let the black flower flower as it may! & # 8221 ; The black flower, as Chillingworth describes it, is the truth of all the events taking up to who the male parent is, and who Chillingworth is. The truth is a dark truth, therefore it is related with the darkness.
Hester, Pearl, and Chillingworth are all characters associated with good and/or immorality. Hester & # 8217 ; s character is at first beautiful and after she bonds with the vermilion missive she is seen with the darkness, and shadows. Her transmutation occurs when she takes the bonnet off, and detaches the missive. Almost instantly her visible radiation comes back and she is beautiful once more. This is her physical exposure to Pearl, every bit good as the exposure of her extramarital wickedness. Pearl does non hold anything to expose, but she does witness Hester & # 8217 ; s transmutation in the visible radiation. Pearl, for the first clip, expresses human emotion, which happens in her female parent & # 8217 ; s visible radiation. Roger Chillingworth is the dark force in this peculiar narrative. He suffices the truth through Dimmesdale and Hester & # 8217 ; s guilty feelings. Hence, Chillingworth is the tool for exposing the dark truths.
