FREE ESSAY ON SCARLET LETTER ESSAY

SCARLET LETTER ESSAY

Alienation Among Many
Through out Nathaniel Hawthone's The Scarlet Letter, the main characters suffer
psychological damage as a result of different forms of alienation. The character traits
they posses make them more susceptible to certain types of alienation. 
Since Dimmesdale cannot reveal his secret to anyone, he can not share his pain. All the
pent up guilt he has stored with in eats away at him, slowly deteriorating his body and
soul. Dimmesdale's masochistic and pious attributes greatly contribute to the extent of
his alienation. For the reverend it was "essential to his peace to feel the pressure of a
faith about him." This need for punishment coupled with religious devotion gives reason
for Dimmesdale's secrecy. Hiding his intimate self from other people bestows Dimmesdale
the punishment he so desperately seeks. His mental breakdown stemming from his social
alienation is most clearly shown in the chapter the "The Minister's Vigil". His
self-torture leads him to walk "under the influence of a species of somnambulism",
thinking irrationally in a way not like himself. His pent up agony causes Dimmesdale to
act out in ways like this that could reveal his secret. 
Dimmesdale's psychological agony partly stems from a form of spiritual alienation. As a
minister, he has a close relationship with God and has a strong sense of spirituality.
Due to his sin, his relationship with God suffers in the way that his sin separates him
from the teachings of Jesus. Without the virtue and purity he once held, Dimmesdale views
himself unworthy in the eyes of God. While lying on the forest floor, Dimmesdale utters
"The judgment of God is on me, he is too mighty for me to struggle with!" To close this
gap of isolation between God and himself, Dimmesdale commits acts of penance to relieve
his sin. His acceptance of Chillingworth's torture and his use of the "bloody scourge"
both show his alienation. Dimmesdales faith and his position as a minister lead him to
feel more guilt than a non-Christian. This religious choice makes Dimmesdale more
susceptible to spiritual alienation. 
Hester's Main form of alienation is most obvious in her scarlet letter. This token of her
sin separates her from the rest of society by marking her as an outcast, forced to live
in isolation in a cottage outside of town. The scarlet letter acts as a symbol of the
main character trait that alienates Hester, her individualism. Her individualistic nature
separates her from the restrictive and methodical community in which she lives. This
alienation allows her to take an outside view on society and see it's faults. Hester
reject the values and standards of puritan society and yearn to "cast away the fragments
of a broken chain." Her alienation from the group is also due to her beauty. Other women
are extremely jealous of her and wish the punishment of death for the sin she committed.
The nature of Hester leads to her alienation such that others deem her expendable.
Hester's self-alienation is perhaps most damaging to her psyche. Through her environment,
she is forced to be untrue to her nature. Her passionate nature is suppressed and gives
way to the conformity of society. Hester, "lost in the labyrinth of mind", is so detached
from herself that she feel that she is not the same person. She is not only alienated
from other people but she can not even turn to herself for support. This self-alienation
is most damaging to her because she is going through the stage in her life of finding out
who she is and the scarlet letter interrupts this. She is not only forced to stop her
development, but take on a whole new path in life.
Through his actions, Chillingworth is alienated from everyone including himself. Because
of his intellectual nature, Chillingworth is able to distance himself from others to
systematically destroy Dimmesdale. He has become a different person as a result for his
intent on revenge. The narrator acknowledges this change by saying "A mortal man, with
once a human heart, has become a fiend for his especial torment." Chillingworth knows
what he is doing is wrong but he is so far gone, he cannot return to what he once was. He
has given into his desires because he is no longer in touch with the moral and reasonable
part of himself. Roger Chillingworth, a self-proclaimed intellectual, becomes a villain
driven by revenge. This revenge separates him so much from other aspects in life that
when Dimmesdale dies, Chillingworth soon perishes from the lack of substance in his life.

Hester's daughter Pearl, if discussed as a character, is alienated to the point where she
is not really accepted by anyone. Her impish and unnatural nature separates her from
humanity and especially puritan society. This "fitful and fantastic little elf" is
essentially a free spirit in a society of constraint. Pearl basically suffers from the
same type of alienation as her mother due to her wild nature. Pearl is only complete when
she "kissed his [Dimmesdale's] lips" and "a spell was broken" This shows the main reason
Pearl felt alienated was the lack of a father in her life. 
The main cha