Hester Prynne: The Adulteress as Heroine Hester is the novel’s hero. She is punished. She endures. She does not break. She supports herself and her daughter, Pearl, by sewing. She helps the poor. She is kind. She is strong. The town respects her. They forget the “A” stands for adultery. They say it stands for “able.” Hester is a feminist icon. She is a woman who defies society. She pays the price. She does not regret.
Arthur Dimmesdale: The Hypocrite Dimmesdale is the novel’s villain. He is also its victim. He is loved by the town. He preaches about sin. He is a sinner. He cannot confess. He tortures himself. He whips himself. He fasts. He stands on the scaffold at night. He holds his hand over his heart. He is dying. He finally confesses on Election Day. He shows the crowd the mark on his chest. He dies. Hester asks if they will meet in heaven. He says no. He has no hope.
Roger Chillingworth: The Avenger Chillingworth is Hester’s husband. He is a scholar. He has been captured by Native Americans. He arrives in Boston the day Hester is punished. He does not reveal himself. He becomes Dimmesdale’s doctor. He tortures him. He is consumed by revenge. He becomes a devil. He dies soon after Dimmesdale. He leaves his fortune to Pearl. He is a warning. Revenge destroys the avenger.
Pearl: The Symbol Pearl is Hester’s daughter. She is beautiful, wild, and strange. She is the living symbol of the scarlet letter. She throws rocks at children. She runs in the forest. She asks her mother about the letter. She asks about the minister. She is not a child. She is a force of nature. At the end of the novel, she kisses her father. She weeps. She becomes human. She inherits Chillingworth’s fortune. She marries a European nobleman. She is free.
The Scarlet Letter: The Symbol The scarlet letter changes meaning. At first, it means adultery. Then it means able. Then it means angel. Hester refuses to remove it. She has earned it. She is proud. The novel asks: what is sin? Is adultery a sin? Or is hypocrisy? The Puritans would say adultery. Hawthorne says hypocrisy.
Conclusion: “The Scarlet Letter” is a novel about sin. It is also a novel about America. The Puritans fled persecution. They persecuted others. They were hypocrites. Hawthorne was their descendant. He was ashamed. He wrote the novel to confess.
