GUILT, REDEMPTION, AND MORAL RESPONSIBILITY IN THE SCARLET LETTER
Keywords:
Keywords: guilt, redemption, conscience, moral responsibility, sin, punishment, atonement, HawthorneAbstract
Abstract: This article examines the interplay of guilt, redemption, and moral
responsibility in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter. The novel portrays how
the consequences of personal transgression affect both individual conscience and
community dynamics. Through the experiences of Hester Prynne, Arthur Dimmesdale,
and Roger Chillingworth, Hawthorne explores the psychological burdens of hidden and
public guilt, the possibilities for moral atonement, and the complex relationship
between punishment and self-realization. The study argues that the novel demonstrates
how acknowledgment of wrongdoing and the pursuit of ethical action constitute
essential steps toward personal redemption.
References
References
1. Hawthorne, N. (1850). The Scarlet Letter. Boston: Ticknor, Reed & Fields.
2. Baym, N. (2005). The Norton Anthology of American Literature. New York: W.W.
Norton & Company.
3. Miller, A. (1975). The Moral Worlds of Nathaniel Hawthorne. Cambridge: Harvard
University Press.
