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We all have a best friend, and that person is your best friend because you are so much alike. You spend every minute with that person getting to know then and after spending time with them, you start becoming like them. If they hurt you, you forgive them. However, the puritans were cruel when it came to sin, its punishment, and forgiveness. They established this belief that when you committed a crime that would define who you are now. When you dedicate your time to being around your friends, you become like them. Much like this concept, in The Scarlet Letter, the theme of sin and identity are so closely associated that their sin became their identity.
From the very beginning of the story, Hester’s identity is assigned to her in the form of the scarlet letter. First and foremost the scarlet letter stands for her sin. The community publicly shames her and forces her to wear the letter. They used the letter to represent “the figure, the body, and the reality of sin.” The Puritan community publicly punishes her for adultery and distinctly labels her as an adultress. Similarly, in the world today, people who habitually steal become known as stealers. Although Hawthorne proves that when you sin you become known for that sin, he puts too much emphasis on sin engulfing your identity. And at first, Hester allows this to happen. She accepts this label and moves on with her life while continuing to protect the father of her child. Even while the Puritan society continually judges and shames her, she never argues about their accusations. Her acceptance of their judgement shows that Hester used the letter to show a part of who she is. Despite having many opportunities to let go of the scarlet letter, Hester takes it to her grave. She never let go of the letter that had, for so long, defined who she was.
As the story progresses, the A develops a new meaning from the Puritan community and from Hester; it now means “able”. As we see throughout the chapters Hester begins to reach out into her community and help the people. Hester took what was supposed to be this badge of shame and worked hard to change people’s opinion of her. The Puritans said she was so sympathetic and helpful that “many refused to recognize the A for its original meaning. They said that it stood for ‘able.’” Their perception of Hester had changed so much, that now she was given a form of respect among the community. She chose to embrace the scarlet letter and give it new meaning. In our culture today, people still make judgements about others based on their sins or their past, but our past does not have to define who we are. But in the end, Hester never lets go of the scarlet letter even though she has the right to. She holds onto it and makes it a part of her life. The scarlet letter had been with her for so long that it is now a part of her identity, and without it she doesn’t really know who she is.
However, Dimmesdale has a different situation. His sin becomes a secret sin so no one knows his real identity until the end of the story. Throughout the novel, Dimmesdale struggles to accept himself, and his secret sin consumes his thoughts. In the story it points out that Dimmesdale has burned the A onto his chest to suffer for his sins, but he covers it up so no one sees. This proves that even though he thought he could hide his sin, it would always be a part of who he was. Everyone at some point in their life has hidden something from other people, sometimes out of shame and sometimes out of fear. It is clear that Dimmesdale does long to lift this weight off of him. In a conversation with the minister, he says, “they go about among their fellow-creatures, looking pure as new-fallen snow; while their hearts are all speckled and spotted with iniquity of which they cannot rid themselves.” In saying this, he reveals that the fear of rejection is preventing him from speaking the truth about his sin. He builds his identity around a society that publicly punishes those who sin. His position as a public religious figure in the community makes this especially difficult because he sees himself as a sinner. This conflict within himself causes him to hide his wrongdoings so that he will still be accepted by the community.
As Dimmesdale continues to cover his sin, it starts to consume his life. Much like when we hold back a secret, it starts to take over our thoughts and how we want to be perceived. He beats himself and fasts “not to purify his body and make it a fitter vessel for holy inspiration. He fasted as an act of penance, until his knees trembled beneath him.” His fasting is not associated with worship, instead it is an act of punishment. Dimmesdale went through all this suffering and pain to keep a secret so the people’s perception of him would be that of praise and adoration.
The theme of identity is abundantly illustrated throughout The Scarlet Letter. We see in Hester’s life that her identity is a massive part of who she is. She is shown to be an adultress and a sinner, but as the story progresses she is established in a new light. Dimmesdale’s situation with his identity is a little different. He hides his true identity when he keeps his sin hidden. Through all of this we see that the sin consumes their lives and ultimately reveals their true identity.
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