I love to hate this book and I hate to love it! I don't know if I want to be proud of Hester or slap her silly. I don't know if I want to feel sorry for Dimmsesdale or slap him silly. Do I love Pearl or do I fear her? And Chillingworth, well...
Let me start by addressing what I think is positive about Hester Prynne. Hester is definitely a strong woman. Considering the time period and circumstances, she is able to hold her own. She is a single mother raising a child (I don't care who or what time period, that is a tough job), and she sticks to her values. However, that last point is where my conflict with Hester lies. Hester strays from her marital vows (even if she didn't mean them), but she accepts her punishment for it without any complaints. I want to admire her, but I don't know if I can. I understand the human heart and its tangled emotions are very complicated, and that is why I sometimes feel sympathetic toward Hester. Ugh, what do I do?
Okay, here's how I see it. A beautiful, young, lonely married woman wants to be faithful but is seduced and must face the consequences and results of that seduction. She willingly does. She never gives up the father's name because she wants to protect him and his name; that could be considered an honorable and admirable act. She raises her child as if nothing bad ever happened and tries to live life in an honorable fashion after the fact. She is an enigma in my mind that I cannot solve!
Let's not forget the supporting characters, Dimmesdale and Chillingworth. Here are two men who are at complete opposite ends of the spectrum. Dimmesdale is living with the guilt of dishonoring Hester as well as God and the Church. He becomes physically ill and suffers because of his sins; yet he does not confess or admit to what he has done when that confession could cure his ailments for fear of losing his popularity among the Puritan community. He is definitely torn between what is the more right thing, in his mind, to do. Chillingworth is an old, despicable, gross man who is filled with vengeance. In the beginning, he was upset about his wife's actions; but, as the story progresses, it was no longer about having a broken heart and crushed ego as much as it was about seeking vengeance. No matter motives of individuals, everything became personal. Nobody, except maybe Hester (hence my torn reaction to her), was doing things for others; they were doing what would offer instant gratification at the time.
I don't think this book is about an adulterous affair as much as it is about human nature. Putting aside the language and Hawthorne's long sentences, the events, emotions, actions, and results are very real today. Did you know that adultery in Colorado is illegal and can result in jail time? The law is still on the record books, but why is it so difficult to enforce that law now in the 21st century? Imagine how many men and women would be wearing a scarlet letter A in our town let alone our state. But that is beside the point. I think Hawthorne captures the essence of the human heart in this novel. It is always striving to do what is best, but the little monsters of the mind get in the way. Hawthorne allows the reader to search within him or herself unconsciously to discover his or her feelings about matters of the heart that can be overtaken by the mind; hence, this novel is a very psychological novel. It is a difficult read for a lot of people not only because of the style, but because of the content. I struggle every time I read this book because I don't know how I want to feel upon completion.
I guess to put everything in a nutshell... I sometimes admire and despise Hester for not revealing the father's identity - it does show strength, but it can also show weakness because she is fearful of reactions, punishments, and ultimate outcomes. I feel sorry for Dimmesdale but hate him too because he tortures himself pointlessly - admitting the truth would have set him free and his suffering would have been minimized or gone. I can't even comment on Chillingworth because he is not worthy of the letters I type. His actions are manipulative, nasty, gross, and evil - much like he is as an individual. And as far as little Pearl - that's a whole other blog!
Ms. Jesik
ReplyDeleteThat is a good point you make about adultery being illegal in Colorado and how many people would be wearing scarlet letters. i never thought about that. but back on topic of the book, i do agree that Chillingworth's actions were gross and nasty. I didnt care for him much at all. I do also agree that i have mixed feeling for Hester. Keeping her husbands name concealed for his sake was considerate, but she did cheat on him.
Morgan:)
I agree with m. valentish about Chillingworth. I didn't care about Chillingworth either. I believe that because he let revenge consume him, he became a character I hated. I also had mixed feelings about Hester too. I believe that if she cared about her husband, she wouldn't have cheated. SO when she didn't reveal her husband, I was confused whether she actually loved him or not. I didn't know adultery is illegal in Colorado, so I was great to learn that as well as hearing you say that many would be wearing the scarlet letter.
ReplyDeleteI never really had a two-sided opinion of Hester. You did, though, bring up two very strong sides to her character; which made me think about her as a whole. It also made me begin to have mixed emotions/feelings for her.
ReplyDeleteI don't remember thinking Chillingworth's actions were gross and nasty; though, now that you mention it, they were!! Even before those two words came into mind, I didn't really like him much.
Though I understand your torn emotions about Hester, I was able to liken her to a sort of "tragic hero" immediately. Hester was under the impression that her husband was dead at the time that she carried on an affair with Arthur Dimmesdale. It is hinted that second marriages were not allowed in the puritan community, or at least not held in high esteem. Hence,Hester encounters the absurd. Her hopes for love, her dreams, are not absurd by any standard. But the fact that the world is indifferent to these hopes makes her relationship to the world absurd. She takes up her burden in the fashion of a Grecian "tragic hero", and lives in such a way that we can imagine her as happy. The fact that she does so much for her community and yet is still punished makes her life an exercise in futility. Hester Prynne has accepted this exercise in futility, because as Albert Camus suggests, life has no purpose. We are simply insignificant specks of dust in an infinite universe. But this makes life all the more enjoyable. I find it hard not to imagine Hester as happy.
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't neccisarily call what she was seduced...it takes two to tango so to speak. She is just as much to blame as Dimmesdale. This was a very confusing book and the author sort of just let you wonder around and come up with your own opinions without pushing you in one direction or the other.
ReplyDeleteI couldnt help to feel sorry for Hester because what woman doesnt want to feel loved and have someone there for her? Hester hadnt seen her husband for quite a while and im sure was feeling pretty lonely without a man there to fulfil her emotional and physical needs. Im not sure that this justifies her actions but I can see that it would be hard for her.
ReplyDeleteMs. Jesik,
ReplyDeleteI love the way you word your blogs, and I do agree with you on most of what you wrote. However, I can see where you have mixed emotions for Hester. I tend to really like Hester, just because although she does not stick to her morals at all times, she learns from her mistakes and becomes a better person out of them. She could of been ignorant and completely ignored her punishments, but instead, she faced them with a strong head and swallowed her pride. Everyone makes mistakes, but hey, that only makes us human right? The best thing we could do is just to learn from our mistakes and become better people from it, which is what Hester did while still taking on the responsibilities of a single mama. Hats off to Hester.
Always,
-Brandd. :)
I think Hester tried to make up for her sin, so that is why she helped the poor. I think that since everybody shunned Hester, then maybe she thought nobody would believe her if she revealed the father. I feel that Hester is more of a free spirit even though she doesn't really show it, and that is why she did pretty much whatever she wanted.
ReplyDeleteI also am torn between whether Hester is a strong woman or if she just made a stupid decision, and I do not know if I feel sorry for Dimmsesdale or if I think he is just a total idiot for tearing himself up like that. I totally agree though with how Chillingworth is a terrible man. You would think he would try and get his wife back, but instead he just torments her and the man who is the baby's father. I mean the guy has a right to be mad, but he does not have to go that far.
ReplyDeleteI had no idea adultry was illegal in Colorado, but you never hear of someone going to jail for adultry. Most things like that I think are too embarrassing to admit, so that is why no one prosecutes their spouse on it. I would venture to say nobody wants to make the news for going to jail for adultry and no one wants to be the one known for having a cheating spouse. It is a really personal matter, and it must have been very embarrassing for Hester especially since that adultry back then was such a terrible thing in the eyes of the people.
Hester was a bit of a two-sided, but my impression of her was a strong, rather proud character. She stands her ground against the hostilities and the shame the townspeople throw on her, and refuses to let them decide who she is to be. But then there's the whole adultry thing, which kind of lowers the standards of her character.
ReplyDeleteI like the point you made about everyone only caring about themselves. I hadn't noticed it before, but it really is true, with the except of Hester, and maybe even Pearl. Hester loves her daughter, despite the consequences she paid for her. Pearl loves her too, but the extent of her love isn't taken into too much notice. But other than those two, no other characters really show any love at all. Dimmesdale does a little, but hides it in shame until the last possible moment, then dies. So I get what you mean, the whole love-hate relationship, although it was a good book altogether.
It seems that people are having a hard time making up their minds about whether they think Hester is a strong person or a woman who made a stupid decision. Why can't she be both? Hester had an affair with Dimmesdale while she was married. Clearly, a stupid decision. She then raises her child completely on her own and comes to wear her letter A proudly. The strongest of people can make mistakes. Hester is strong. There is no doubt about that...
ReplyDeleteI do wonder what Hester's motivation for commiting adultry was. It's pretty clear she is in love with Dimmesdale,, but she could have displayed her affection in a different fashion, could she have not?? She had to have some idea of the outcome for her actions, whether they were based on lust or not, and I'm guessing she was in compliance with the consequence.
ReplyDeleteI like what you said about instant gratification. Most everybody, even people considered saintly, look after themselves before others. I don't think you could survive if you didn't. Hester would have too if she didn't feel so guilty. As it was, she still made sure Pearl had everything before devoting her time to charity. About the book being about human nature, isn't everything. Anything that is halfway realistic is about human nature. It gives motives and is everything we understand. A plot line couldn't really exist without reference to human nature.
ReplyDeleteI feel the same about human nature. Humanity was made to be curious, but resisting temptation is the bigger picture that was enforced back in that time period. It has gotten very loose in today's society if that makes sence. And about Hester, she is only human. I am sure if we watched a replay of our lives we would be admiring us and wanting to slap us too. That is the funny thing about it. This book is very honest by showing us choices made and realistic consequences afterward.
ReplyDeleteMrs.Jesik,
ReplyDeleteLet me first start off by saying that I agree with what you said about the book being about human nature. Although all of us have mixed feelings about Hester, we need to think. We are humans and temptation follows us around. It doesn't matter who you are, you will always be tempted to do something. Yet, I'm not saying that being adulturous was right. I just feel we need to take that into consideration. She was a strong and courageous women, being able to raise her daughter all on her own, without the father's help, as well as keeping his name a secret. I feel that Hester should be given a pat on the back for doing all these things. As you wrote in your comment to me, I do feel that Dimmesdale felt like he had to confess in order to save himself from eternal damnation. Yet, I truly feel that he wanted to connect with his daughter, because he wanted to not because he had too.
Angie:)
Just a clarification on the Colorado statute regarding adultery. It is on a legal site, and I've provided the web address below:
ReplyDeleteColorado Statute says it is illegal for any married person to have sex with any other person other than that person's spouse. It applies to any marriage, regardless of separation until that marriage is legally ended in death or a final divorce.
That said, the statute does not define a punishment for violating this law. It has been many years since anyone has been prosecuted under the law. There is an effort to repeal it, and a recent US Supreme Court decision brings into question whether such a law is even constitutional.
So while the statute would cover a separated couple, I would not put much weight in the chance of a successful prosecution under the law.
Read more: Do adultery laws in Colorado apply to people who... - JustAnswer http://www.justanswer.com/questions/v1tq-do-adultery-laws-in-colorado-apply-to-people-who-are#ixzz0uwUVC0MX
I learned something from reading your post! I did now know that adultery was illegal at all, let alone in Colorado. I thought it was just frowned upon.
ReplyDeleteAnyways, responding to your blog, I believe that Hester is admirable, even though she commited a great sin. Everyone makes mistakes, and she endured her punshiment, and also raised her child. If she wasn't willing to put up with her punishments and didnt want her child, i can see that being un-admirable.
what maxwell said is true she is pretty amazing the urge to move along with such a life is pure determination i couldn't blame the wrong which was put on her
ReplyDeleteI agree with Maxwell when he said he still admired Hester, disregarding her mistakes. She was willing to suffer the consequenses of her sin, and she did love her child.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed ths blog, and agree with you when you said that Hester should have not taken all that was thrown her way, without the least bit of complaint. The men involved should have been held accountable. Everyone just seemed to step aside and let her take on the world.
ReplyDeleteI completely understand your mixed feelings towards the characters in the book. I myself found my opinions of each character change as the story unfolded. At the end of the book I think that I do have to honor Hester. Through everything she was put up against, she always remained humble.
ReplyDeleteIf it were up to me I would slap everyone.:) Sometimes people make things so complicated. But on what Anthony said, about being a legal divorce or death, didn't everyone think that Hester's husband was dead and "at the bottom of the sea..." I wonder what it was like back then. What was the law? If it were today, Hester would have no crime against her. Anyway. I have to agree with your feelings toward Chillingworth. His goal thought as I recall was set from the beginning when he met Hester in the prison cell. He wanted to reclaim his dignity and get revenge on the unknown "traitor". Thanks!!
ReplyDelete-Cool Beans:)
I agree with you on basically everything. Except I dont really question Hester I admired her character the entire novel. She is just such a strong character that I have complete respect for. Also I feel exactly the same way about Chillingworth, word can't express what an evil character he is.
ReplyDeleteI don't question hester either. She new what she did was wrong and that she had to suffer the consequences so she wore that letter A proudly. I think she should've gotten more credit for all that she put up with from people. As for Chillingworth, his name speaks for himself.
ReplyDelete