Scarlet Letter Essay #2- Public or Private?

Public or Private?

When one commits a sin, they have the choice of disclosing it or concealing it. In The Crucible by Arthur Miller, John Proctor and Abigail Williams commit adultery, but only Proctor chose to disclose his sin in hope of finding redemption whereas Abigail chose to ignore it completely. In The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale and Hester Prynne also commit adultery, but Dimmesdale believed it would be best to hide his sin whereas Hester publicly bore her sin with elegance. There are two different paths in search of forgiveness, but one path leads a less painful journey toward absolution. By analyzing the two paths that were taken, it is clearly in one’s best interest to confess their sin, rather than to conceal it, in order to rectify one’s wrongdoing.

In The Crucible by Arthur Miller, Abigail Williams sleeps with a married man and does not have the least bit concern about the sin she committed. She chooses to neither publicly bear her sin nor privately conceal it. Abigail simply does not care. In the town of Salem, there is “no ritual for the washing away of sins” (Miller 20). Abigail took advantage of this; she decided there was either no need to repent because she would not be forgiven, or she simply felt no remorse for her wrongdoing. In response to Proctor’s confession in the court, Abigail acted like a drama queen, avoiding confession: “If I must answer that, I will leave and I will not come back again!” (111). It is interesting how Abigail denied everything she was accused of during the witch trials except sleeping with Proctor. She leaves her side of the story ambiguous, never revealing what happened or denying it. Many people learn from their mistakes, but Abigail Williams did not. She lived the rest of her life as a prostitute in Boston, separating herself from God in the process.

In The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale committed lechery and believed it would be best to privately deal with his sin. Although he wanted to spill his iniquitous heart and speak the truth, Dimmesdale was hiding his secret to benefit the many people who looked up to him. If his eminence was besmirched, then people would lose the hope he gave to them and the faith they had in him. Dimmesdale was a prominent role model in his community, suffering for its well- being. By keeping his sin within him, he thought he was doing the right thing, but in the end, it caused Dimmesdale to be tormented by God through the diabolical workings of Roger Chillingworth and the physical punishments he gave himself.

When Dimmesdale is asked to convince Hester to reveal her baby’s father, he earnestly pleads with her to do so: “Be not silent from any mistaken pity and tenderness for him; for […] though he were to step down from a high place, and stand there beside thee, [it would be better than for him] to hide a guilty heart through life” (Hawthorne 63). Dimmesdale wants his name to be revealed and is trying to avoid living with a guilty burden. It is not until Chillingworth comes along, that things worsen.

Chillingworth figures out that Dimmesdale is Pearl’s father and makes his sole purpose to seek revenge upon him, as Hester says, “Your clutch is on his life and you cause him to die daily a living death” (154). After Chillingworth and Dimmesdale start living together, Dimmesdale’s life turns into hell, which causes him to grow weaker. Dimmesdale does not think he will go to heaven, but believes if he suffers now, there may be a chance.

Aside from the issue of Chillingworth, “it is inconceivable; the agony with which [Dimmesdale’s] public veneration torture[s] him!” (130). Dimmesdale cannot stand lying to his followers, who think so highly of him. When Dimmesdale finally gathers up enough courage to indirectly tell the truth, nobody believes him. Dimmesdale “told his hearers that he was […] a thing of unimaginable iniquity; [but] they little guessed what deadly purport lurked in those self-condemning words" (131). Since Dimmesdale is so highly revered among his followers, everybody thinks he is being too hard on himself. The people believe they pale in comparison, by not being equally hard on themselves. The only positive outcome of this was his parishioners’ moral improvement; however, the negative was Dimmesdale physically punishing himself. This was a hefty price to pay for improving the parishioners’ morality. One would think because Dimmesdale was so highly revered among his parishioner’s, they would take his confession into consideration and possibly forgive him.

Finally, with Hester’s support, Dimmesdale reveals his A to all of his followers, confessing his sin, and giving himself the redemption he sought. With that burden alleviated, Dimmesdale thanks God for a torture that makes him realize what he should have done in the first place: “He hath proved His mercy […] by giving me this burning torture, […] sending [Chillingworth], and […] bringing me hither, to die this death of triumph […] before the people! Had any of these agonies been wanting, I had been lost forever!” (229). After his farewell, Dimmesdale passes away into Eternal Justice, leaving his pain and agony behind.

After seven miserable years of suffering, Dimmesdale finally realizes that God is merciful. God will decide what should be done, not the crowd or the beatings he gave himself. Dimmesdale went through a painful cycle of torment to realize something he wanted to do in the first place. If he had told the truth earlier, he could have enjoyed the rest of his life with Hester and Pearl, without being weighed down by his sin. Dimmesdale died “to impress on his admirers [that] in the view of Infinite Purity, we are all sinners alike [and] show freely to the world […] some trait whereby the worst may be inferred!” (231). Dimmesdale led people to believe something he was not. By doing so, he continued to sin, creating a wider gap between God and himself.

Unlike Abigail, Dimmesdale took his sin to heart. In a way, Abigail also dealt with her sin privately, but only because she was ignoring it. Dimmesdale believed he was protecting his followers by concealing his sin, while Abigail was ready to throw herself on Proctor a second time: “I have a sense for heat […] and yours has drawn me to my window. […] I look for John Proctor that took me from my sleep” (Miller 23-24). Dimmesdale beats himself over his sin, whereas Abigail finds no harm in seducing a married man in the strict town of Salem. This shows the difference in the two characters’ morals. Dimmesdale is deeply concerned about his punishment, whereas Abigail does not care, in the sense that she does not show any concern of how God will view her.

In The Crucible, John Proctor seeks forgiveness publicly, attempting to clear his blemished soul. Proctor knew what he did was unacceptable and confessed his wrongdoings to Elizabeth in hope to find absolution. He ended up in frustration when Elizabeth did not cede in forgiving him: “I […] must have mistaken you for God that day. But you’re not, you’re not. […] Let you look for the goodness in me, and judge me not” (55). Proctor wanted Elizabeth to forgive him and forget the sin he committed, and for her to simply appreciate the goodness he had in telling her about his lechery. Proctor realized it would not be easy to seek the forgiveness he longed for, but it was not right that he ended his conversation in frustration because if Elizabeth committed adultery, he would have been more outraged.

Proctor’s next attempt at finding absolution was through the court. After confessing, Proctor concluded that the court did not hold fair judgment, even though it represented a form of authority. It also caused Proctor to stop having faith in God because the court, which was known to carry out “God’s law” (129), forced innocent people to confess to sins they did not commit. The court was not bringing the justice it was designed to give. Proctor’s hopes were once again stricken down, knowing that the court would not be able to wash away his sins.

Proctor wanted his life back and to be forgiven, but he was running out of options to get rid of his pain. The only other way Proctor believed it would be cleansed was if he confessed to a sin he did not commit. Proctor was ready to sign his confession, but it was not until he saw Rebecca Nurse that he realized the mistake he was about to make. By signing the paper, he was freeing himself, but condemning hundreds of Christians that believed in him. If he did not sign, he would be joining an illustrious group of Christian martyrs, but as a sinner, this would not be possible. Knowing this, Proctor chose the lesser of the two sins. After Proctor signed his name, he could not look at the paper without knowing he had signed his name to a lie: “Because it is my name! Because I cannot have another in my life! Because I lie and sign myself to lies! […] I have given you my soul; leave me my name!” (143). Proctor realized he did not need to prove himself to anybody because “a man may think God sleeps, but God sees everything” (110). God wanted Proctor to choose what was right for himself, not for the people. Only God would know how sorry Proctor was, and only God knew what Proctor really felt inside. Proctor realized he would find goodness in God’s kingdom. He found redemption by putting his trust in God and by ripping the confession.

Proctor went to Elizabeth and the court in search of forgiveness, when he should have allowed God to be his judge. What Proctor was looking for had always been above him. Even though Proctor sought redemption in the wrong places, he was able to find it without the brutal suffering Dimmesdale went through. Dimmesdale could have absolved his sin by simply telling the truth and publicly bearing his sin the way Proctor did, but he knew this would taint the innocent souls who looked up to him. Likewise, Proctor wanted to sign the confession to be with Elizabeth and live, but he knew he would be condemning the martyrs who chose to be hanged, as witches. Both men were prominent figures in their communities and put aside their own personal needs for the sake of others. Although both men’s souls went to heaven, Proctor, who chose to bear his sin publicly, did not suffer as severely as Dimmesdale did before he died. Thus, it is clear that publicly bearing a sin is better than privately bearing it.

In The Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne does not have the choice of bearing her sin privately or publicly. She accepts her punishment and makes the most out of wearing her scarlet letter: “Hester bestowed all her superfluous means in charity, on wretches less miserable than herself, [and] employed in making coarse garments for the poor” (Hawthorne 77). Hester lived miserably, raising her daughter with what she provided. Hester turned the other cheek when people would taunt her, like a true Christian: “Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well” (Mt 5: 39-40). Hester bore her sin so well that the townspeople could not look at her with scorn: “Many people refused to interpret the scarlet A by its original signification. They said that it meant Able. […] The scarlet letter had the effect of the cross on a nun’s bosom” (Hawthorne 146-147). Through Hester's kind actions, "society was inclined to show its former victim a more benign countenance than she cared to be favored with" (147). Hester gained some respect from society, but it was not enough to convince her that she was a good person. If she became the good person she strived to be, the letter "would fall away of its own nature" (153), giving her the absolution she longed for.

The scarlet letter "hath taught [Hester] [...] lessons whereof [Pearl] may be wiser and better" (101). Hester learned from her mistakes, but could not go back and fix them. She used her knowledge from the scarlet letter to the best of her ability in hopes of making Pearl a better person. Hester Prynne turned her badge of shame into “something […] looked upon in awe, yet with reverence too” (234). She accepted the punishment of her sin and repented through her kind and selfless deeds. Hester took a scornful symbol in society and showed people she was more than an adulteress. Through her generosity, Hester revealed who she really was from behind the scarlet letter, which eventually overcame the power of the shame it brought, turning her letter A into Able. In the end, Hester is buried in King’s Chapel and it can be inferred she passed away into Eternal Justice.

Hester is proof of what publicly bearing one’s sin can do for a person. From being called a conniving minx, Hester died with respect and flattery from the townspeople. Things needed to worsen before they got better, and Hester’s situation was exactly that. She committed a sin and accepted it, but how she carried herself and lived out her shame was impressive, which is emblematic of how it is better for one to publicly bear their sin rather than concealing it.