Guilt and Shame in Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter

Guilt and shame are plaguing all three protagonists with "Red Letter", but how each of them handles their sin will change their life forever. Hester Prynne's crime is publicly exploited. She wears a red letter to her robe and she has to put up with the rest of the shame. On the other hand, Arthur Dimmesdale and Hester committed adultery, but his sin was still a secret. The priest does not tell people of his despicable sins, and he is also feeding his rotten soul.

The work of Nathaniel Hawthorne, author of "red letters" of external shame and bruise, clearly reflects his historical and religious background. Hawthorn was born in Salem in the early 19th century. During the notorious witch trial of the 17th century, his ancestor John Hawthorn overcame the judge. This relationship with the Witch trial certainly influenced the recognition of Hawthorn 's shame and guilt. Puritan of Hawthorne's "red letter" tried to embody an idealistic and pure society. The way of view of their affair is that it is cruel (D'Emilio).

In The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne explores the subject of sin and presents a new view of morality and sin. Through Hester Prynne's secret lover, Ding Mesdale Pastor's suffering, Hawthorne was found guilty of body, mind and spirit. Guilt makes the body vivid and exhausts its vitality. It erodes the heart, robs the individual's moral center and silences the gentle voice of God living in all of us. After all, it erodes the spirit, making us all hypocrites and cowards and hiding our secret shame even though we want to repent. But the most important cause of real sin is condemnation that we condemn.

Guilt and shame can tear human soul. The inevitable consequences of sin is a direct reaction of guilt, shame, and regret. Among these two works, Arthur Miller's "Zhu Zhi" and Nathaniel Hawthorne's "Red Letters" sinned and guilty of it. For example, John Procter, Elizabeth Procter, and Din Mesdale have committed sin and sin and feel very guilty and repentant. They want to be forgiven, but they have no power and are cowards. If these characters can discover the power to tell the truth, they can get forgiveness.