1. Self-confident, Self-reliant, and Dignity of Manual Labor:
In The Scarlet Letter, it is initially determined by the local government that the typical penalty of death for adultery is mercifully reduced due to the fact that Hester’s husband may already be “at the bottom of the sea” (deceased) and she can be effectively considered a widow. As a result, Hester is condemned to stand on the scaffold for three hours at mid-day for public humiliation and wear the scarlet letter A on her chest for the remainder of her life. Although Hester is initially filled with grief and shame for being subject to ridicule and harsh judgment by the townspeople, she chooses to be self-confident and self-reliant. Instead of letting the scarlet A letter be a symbol of her shame, she selects the finest red cloth and embroiders the letter A with illuminated gold thread to celebrate her unique life, away from the relation with her fellow Puritan society. Perhaps, instead of wearing the typical scarlet letter A as a symbol of shame (Adultery), she proudly wears hers as a token love for Dimmesdale and continues to live a life undisturbed by the harsh judgment of others around her.
Transformation and Innate Human Goodness:
During the early years of her seclusion from society, Hester experiences some transforming or changing in herself. This transformation in Hester, from anger or resentment to love, is a clear display of transcendentalism. She can experience the beauty of love due to good human nature, reflecting transcendentalist ideology because of her transformation and her innately good character, Hester never stops helping those who are destitute or sick nearby her place. Her “human tenderness,” a prominent transcendentalist characteristic, causes the town people to begin to appreciate her charity work; they see the change in the meaning of the fiery letter A on her chest, from “Adultery” to “Able”. Hester’s decision to openly acknowledge her sin allows her to keep it from destroying her from the inside, to move on with life, to seek forgiveness, and to flourish as an “able” and caring individual in society – thereby increasing the worth of herself and her societal standing.
To support her infant child Pearl, Hester settles on the outskirts of town, in an abandoned cottage that is next to the seashore and surrounded by the forest to the west. Alone, she utilizes her skills in needlework to make a living and raise Pearl. She does not leave town, perhaps with a dream to reunite with her lover again someday. The woods, the seaside, and the nature surrounding Hester and Pearl are also the places where the innocent Pearl is free to express herself, to develop her free-spirit character, and to become independent like her mother. Just like Hester, Pearl is a wonder because she is independent and is not corrupted by institutional rules and laws of society.
During the early years of her seclusion from society, Hester experiences some transforming or changing in herself. This transformation in Hester, from anger or resentment to love, is a clear display of transcendentalism. She can experience the beauty of love due to good human nature, reflecting transcendentalist ideology because of her transformation and her innately good character, Hester never stops helping those who are destitute or sick nearby her place. Her “human tenderness,” a prominent transcendentalist characteristic, causes the town people to begin to appreciate her charity work; they see the change in the meaning of the fiery letter A on her chest, from “Adultery” to “Able”. Hester’s decision to openly acknowledge her sin allows her to keep it from destroying her from the inside, to move on with life, to seek forgiveness, and to flourish as an “able” and caring individual in society – thereby increasing the worth of herself and her societal standing.
3. Living Close to Nature:
To support her infant child Pearl, Hester settles on the outskirts of town, in an abandoned cottage that is next to the seashore and surrounded by the forest to the west. Alone, she utilizes her skills in needlework to make a living and raise Pearl. She does not leave town, perhaps with a dream to reunite with her lover again someday. The woods, the seaside, and the nature surrounding Hester and Pearl are also the places where the innocent Pearl is free to express herself, to develop her free-spirit character, and to become independent like her mother. Just like Hester, Pearl is a wonder because she is independent and is not corrupted by institutional rules and laws of society.
Anti-Transcendentalism
1. Studied the effects of sin and guilt:
As Hester was on her punishment of adultery, Dimmesdale was feeling very much guilty but he could not accept it easily because of his power position. He knows that sin was not done by Hester but he was also as guilty as Hester and child was also his. As he was feeling guilty whenever he was also so he has also carved an A on his chest to take punishment more than Hester. Dimmesdale was loving her truly so he could not see her in pain and staying away from him with a child and managing everything by her own.
2. Studied the evil and emptiness of life:
We know that Chillingworth was not happy to see that Hester her wife has given birth to a child out of wed-log in his absence. He could not see that Hester was living happily with his child alone in the forest. So he tried to know the name of her lover but somehow he came to know and Chillingworth was working as a doctor in the town. Dimmesdale was not well from long time so someone suggested him to take medicine from Chillingworth. So at that time Chillingworth gave him a wrong medicine in order to take revenge from Dimmesdale. As we know that Chillingworth has lost his family and was in darkness and emptiness in life.
3. Developed from the Puritan thoughts:
As we know that the setting of the novel is of Puritan and this society was very much rigid in religion and with one kind of mindset. When the society came to know that Hester has created a sin at that time they gave her a punishment of adultery and she was told to wear an A letter carved on her bosom and also have to live far from the society. When she came out of the prison after giving the birth she was told to stand at the scaffold for three hours and tell the name of the father.
1. Studied the effects of sin and guilt:
As Hester was on her punishment of adultery, Dimmesdale was feeling very much guilty but he could not accept it easily because of his power position. He knows that sin was not done by Hester but he was also as guilty as Hester and child was also his. As he was feeling guilty whenever he was also so he has also carved an A on his chest to take punishment more than Hester. Dimmesdale was loving her truly so he could not see her in pain and staying away from him with a child and managing everything by her own.
2. Studied the evil and emptiness of life:
We know that Chillingworth was not happy to see that Hester her wife has given birth to a child out of wed-log in his absence. He could not see that Hester was living happily with his child alone in the forest. So he tried to know the name of her lover but somehow he came to know and Chillingworth was working as a doctor in the town. Dimmesdale was not well from long time so someone suggested him to take medicine from Chillingworth. So at that time Chillingworth gave him a wrong medicine in order to take revenge from Dimmesdale. As we know that Chillingworth has lost his family and was in darkness and emptiness in life.
3. Developed from the Puritan thoughts:
As we know that the setting of the novel is of Puritan and this society was very much rigid in religion and with one kind of mindset. When the society came to know that Hester has created a sin at that time they gave her a punishment of adultery and she was told to wear an A letter carved on her bosom and also have to live far from the society. When she came out of the prison after giving the birth she was told to stand at the scaffold for three hours and tell the name of the father.
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