Tarnished Reputation vs. Inner Toil

In Hester Prynne and Arthur Dimmesdale, The Scarlet Letter presents two different means of dealing with the aftermath of sin. Whereas Hester must publicly admit her sin, and bear visible proof of it in the form of the scarlet letter as well as her own daughter, Dimmesdale represses his sin for years. Interestingly, the novel offers no explicit preference toward one method or the other.

On the one hand, Dimmesdale dies at the end of his novel, his repressed sin having eaten away at his body and soul for years. Meanwhile, Hester remains living– but she has to endure a lifetime of shame among her neighbors. Their different paths appear to stem from differing elements of inner conflict and societal reputation.

Dimmesdale, in keeping his secret, finds himself plagued day and night by his own conscience. Indeed, when he finally admits his sin before the villagers, some claim to see a letter A on his chest, which may be “the effect of the ever active tooth of remorse, gnawing from the inmost heart outwardly” (590). However, throughout his silent suffering, the village views him with the highest regard. Hester’s experience is the opposite: she spends her days under the hateful eye of the town, but expresses little sign of any emotional toil within.

If Dimmesdale’s death means anything, it is perhaps that an inner conflict, growing unchecked, will eventually consume its owner– while one like Hester, who receives negativity directed from an outward source, has the possibility of carving out an endurable life for themselves. However, it is still difficult to discern which punishment was “worse”, if one was worse at all. The variety of situations raises significant questions about the power of our own conscience as compared to the power of a society’s perceptions, and how they interact.