Two Faces in Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter - 1356 be true.” In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, this quote applies to the two main characters in the novel in a literal way: he is clearly not the man he seems, and the guilt that comes with it; this deception consumes her entire life. The quote also applies to Hester Prynne, but in a completely different way because it was not her choice to wear the "face" that she was forced to wear as others perceived it and, in her opinion. time, as she should have perceived herself. At first, Hester did not consider the sin she had committed as blasphemous and horrible as the people of Boston considered it, but she was forced to wear the "face of a sinner". nor Arthur could live their lives hiding their true emotions. Arthur literally couldn't live with it, while Hester changed how she felt on the inside to match her guilty external image. In court, when Arthur Dimmesdale begged Hester to reveal the name of the man she was having an affair with, it was clear that part of him actually wanted everyone to know that he was the culprit. not silent out of false pity and tenderness for him; for, believe me, Hester, even if she should come down from a high place… better if she were so, than that she hide a guilty heart all her life… (47). When this plea is made, it appears to be rather ironic. The man who participated in the sin is trying to convince his accomplice to kill him. However, this...... middle of paper......t with sin in a completely different way not only because she was a different person, but because there was no additional weight of an accompanying secret sin. Instead of trying to figure out his identity, as Arthur had done, and holding on to the belief that what he had done was not a sin, he allowed himself to give up and believe what the rest of society believed at the time. The people of Boston considered adultery a sin and there was no way any good or love could come from it. When Arthur's character is put to the test, he struggles to find the answer but fails and literally dies trying. Hester, on the other hand, does not make such a noble attempt, but rather chooses, knowingly or not, to follow society's view on adultery. Works Cited: Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Scarlet Letter. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1998.

Topic > Two Faces in Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter - 1356 be true.” In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, this quote applies to the two main characters in the novel in a literal way: he is clearly not the man he seems, and the guilt that comes with it; this deception consumes her entire life. The quote also applies to Hester Prynne, but in a completely different way because it was not her choice to wear the "face" that she was forced to wear as others perceived it and, in her opinion. time, as she should have perceived herself. At first, Hester did not consider the sin she had committed as blasphemous and horrible as the people of Boston considered it, but she was forced to wear the "face of a sinner". nor Arthur could live their lives hiding their true emotions. Arthur literally couldn't live with it, while Hester changed how she felt on the inside to match her guilty external image. In court, when Arthur Dimmesdale begged Hester to reveal the name of the man she was having an affair with, it was clear that part of him actually wanted everyone to know that he was the culprit. not silent out of false pity and tenderness for him; for, believe me, Hester, even if she should come down from a high place… better if she were so, than that she hide a guilty heart all her life… (47). When this plea is made, it appears to be rather ironic. The man who participated in the sin is trying to convince his accomplice to kill him. However, this...... middle of paper......t with sin in a completely different way not only because she was a different person, but because there was no additional weight of an accompanying secret sin. Instead of trying to figure out his identity, as Arthur had done, and holding on to the belief that what he had done was not a sin, he allowed himself to give up and believe what the rest of society believed at the time. The people of Boston considered adultery a sin and there was no way any good or love could come from it. When Arthur's character is put to the test, he struggles to find the answer but fails and literally dies trying. Hester, on the other hand, does not make such a noble attempt, but rather chooses, knowingly or not, to follow society's view on adultery. Works Cited: Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Scarlet Letter. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1998.