Scarlet Letter

So...it's been a while since I last blogged...and instead of doing multiple posts according to the reading weeks for the Scarlet Letter, I'll just do one post now. So here goes.

I really enjoyed reading the Scarlet Letter. I had the opportunity to read it in highschool, so this was my second time through the book. It was very interesting to be able to read it already knowing the end, because I was able to pick up on the more subtle clues into the mystery of who the father of Hester's child was. I think this book has a very interesting way to describe and portray guilt. Hester was guilty of adultery, and had Pearl and the scarlet letter on her chest to show for it. She was secluded from the pious Puritan society, and lived in constant torment and reminder of her sin. However, after many years, she was able to hold her head high and extend her services to her fellow townspeople. Many people came to her for help with matters which they didn't feel they could talk to anyone else about. She made a niche in the society for herself, and apparently lived at least a semi-fulfilling life. Dimmesdale, on the other hand, suffered his sin in silence. He had committed the same sin as Hester, but none of the public knew. He tried to tell the people, but because the people had not actually seen any sign of the sin, they did not believe that he was guilty of anything. He lived this way, dying, for many years, and it was only when he finally showed the people his sin that he was able to let go of his guilt and die. Why is it that Hester was able to cope with her sin and eventually find her way back into the hearts of the people? If Dimmesdale had done the same, would he have been able to live out his life with Hester, the woman he loved? Chillingworth was also a very guilty man, but his sin was that of tormenting Dimmesdale. He became so overcome with this that when Dimmesdale died, he had nothing left to live for, and he died within the year. Was it possible for him to be able to overcome this sin and guilt, and live out his life? I don't know. If one is so taken over by the devil, can he ever come back? Was Hester's forced repentance of her sin worthy of the forgiveness she got?

This book is rather wordy, and the descriptions of minute details very lengthy, but I really enjoy that aspect of Hawthorne's writing. He is so good at painting pictures in your head while you read that it's really like watching a movie. He raised many, many questions about society and sin and community and guilt and forgiveness throughout this story. I've only mentioned a few above. A book that is this thought-provoking truly has a lot of value, because it forces its readers to step back and really wrestle with the questions brought up. You can't just sit back and be entertained by a story like this, you have to engage it. You have to love it or hate it. You have to decide your own answers to the questions raised. That's what I loved about this book, even reading it for the second time.