Isolation In The Scarlet Letter - 1220 Words

David Grace Ms. Barich ELA 12 Sec. 01 17 October 2017 Isolation in The Scarlet Letter There has been a constant dispute over whether people should be governed by determinism or free will. Determinism is the idea that our actions and fate are predetermined and every occurrence can be explained or has a reason for happening; free will, in contrast, is the idea that we have the ability to act independently of external restraints. In the 17th century, Puritan society arose in New England as one that was governed by its religious views, and thus was a deterministic one. Nathaniel Hawthorne illustrates this in his novel The Scarlet Letter, in which the characters Hester, Dimmesdale, Pearl, and Chillingworth are alienated by society. Although†¦show more content†¦By making the scarlet letter symbolize sin and having the community shun her for it, Hawthorne is illustrating how constraining the Puritans are, since they judge people solely on their sins or lack thereof. Puritan society is also portrayed in a negative light when observing its effects on Dimmesdale. Arthur Dimmesdale is praised by many in his community as a holy figure and thus a leader, however, he is just as much a sinner as Hester, since together they committed adultery. The fact that he hides this secret in order to preserve this false image of himself shows how much he cares about how he is viewed by society. While many would argue that he does this out of his own free will, there is no doubt that he feels pressure from society to keep his past hidden and maintain this holy facade. Once Dimmesdale dies, some townspeople â€Å"affirm that the Reverend Mr. Dimmesdale, on the very day when Hester Prynne first wore her ignominious badge, had begun a course of penance †¦ by inflicting a hideous torture on himself† (Hawthorne 230). When they see the letter branded on Dimmesdale, they are shown how he has been tortured by himself and by Chillingworth, as a result of the agon y society put him through in hiding his secret of having committed sin. This instance shows how, in a deterministic society, even those viewed as theShow MoreRelatedIsolation In The Scarlet Letter Essay848 Words   |  4 Pages Isolation is defined as being far away from other places, buildings, or people; remote. Isolation can come in many different forms: physical, spiritual, emotional and mental. In the Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Dimmesdale seems to deal with all four. When Dimmesdale sinned with Hester and the sin was as known, Dimmesdale had to take a backseat and watch her face the punishment for him which, caused him to have a guilty conscience. 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