Summary:
An analysis of the theme of inner, or hidden, sin as opposed to exposed sin in Nathaniel Hawthorne's novel The Scarlet Letter. The exposure of Hester Prynne's sin enables her to move on with her life in peace and permits her to seek forgiveness from the public. The hidden sins of Reverend Dimmesdale and Roger Chillingworth, however, cause them great anxiety and constant worry about their sins being discovered, which leads to the deterioration of both their spiritual and their physical health.
In The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne is greatly concerned with two types of sins, both hidden and exposed, which act as two major themes that constitute the central idea of the novel. According to Hawthorne, sin in all its forms has a devastating effect on those who commit it, but the significant difference between all types of sins is determined by whether the sin is hidden or exposed. The concealment of the sin, representing by the Reverend Dimmesdale and Roger Chillingworth, destroys the physical, spiritual, and moral status of the person involved, while the confession and repentance of the sin, representing by Hester Prynne, brings salvation.
Hester Prynne, symbolizing the exposed or confessed sin in the novel, is the only character who brings transformation to her life and pacifies at last. At the first scene of scaffold, Hester.....
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