Scarlet Letter Nathaniel Hawthorne Essay, Research Paper
This is Earnest Sandeen’s interpretation of the Scarlet Letter not as a story about sins and sinners, but about the power of love. Sandeen describes the love shared between Hester and Arthur through the hard ship both individuals would gladly sacrifice for one another.And the fact tha you can see the power of love as they come together to fight for their relatioship.
Sandeen describes the suffering of humiliation of wearing the Scarlet Letter by the town’s people. And the only reason she endures this suffering, so that her true love would not suffer the same humiliation, or even death at the hands of the town’s people. For het to have held this secret for seven long years, while continuing to live in the community with the badge of disgrace, is a testtaments of her inner strenght of love for Arthur. And when Hester told Arthur, that Chillingworth was her husband. Of course Arthur was angry with Hester. She could not live with Arthur being upset with her. And the very reason she suffered with the scarlet letter for seven years is that his love was only ting keeeping her from going in life.
Arthur on the other hand, was in total denial. His love could not professed at the beginning, because of his position in the comunity. He couldn’t accept that fact that he is the town’s clergyman, and he had an illicit affair with a married woman. It went against his moral code as a man of God. He broke the covenant of,” thou shall not covet thy neighbor’s wife.” And he could not enought to take a way the guilt he had inside him. It wasn’t until he returned to the woods and found Hester there, that he realized that the affair had happen and he must face the truth. And the truth was that he is and forever will be, in love with Hester.
And of course, no good love story is without a nemesis like Chillingworth. The very man, who is married to Hester, and the one who would at no ends torture the unholy alliance of the young couple. He makes the novel worth reading, because he brings uncertainty of the future for the young couple. However, in the climatic end, this devil could do nothing to stop the truth from coming out. As Arthur finally admitted to be the one who disgraced Hester. The poor husband of Hester had no more power over the young couple. And he withered away and died. While our young couple had a tragic ending, where Arthur dies as the truth comes out. And as the old saying goes,” And truth shall set you free.” So was Arthur’s spirit. It was fre at last.