The two A's worn in the novel by both Hester
and Dimmesdale are dramatically
different, yet
they are born and made by the same identical sins. These letters are also
differentiated by
the infinitely changing emotional state and physical well being of the
character, the
towns views of morality and natural
order, and the affecting environment.
The two sins of
most importance in the novel and that serve the greatest beneficiality in the
appearance of the
A's are--of course-- adultery and hypocrisy.
The separation in the appearance of both of the
A's begins with each characters
own personal
interpretation of the extremity of their sins.
Where Hester's A is beautiful
and artistically
done ("fantastically embroidered and illuminated upon her bosom; pg.37)
her
interpretation of the extremity of her sins is one of self composure and
nonchalantness.
She views her
sins solely as a "violation in the natural order" of the environment
and
therefore cannot
even perceive her sin as being evil except through outside brainwashing.
While
Dimmesdale's personal interpretation as to the extremity of his own sins is a
"violation
of God's law," which is the law that he is totally dedicated to and
supported by.
Dimmesdale's
interpretation of his sin is much more severe than Hester's, it is a breach and
direct
contradiction of his own self consciousness and physical existence. Therefore the
appearance of his
A, even though it is never directly described in the novel, must be raw,
jagged, and
brutally crooked (...a ghastly rapture; pg.95).
Maybe Dimmesdale's self torture
is so horrifying
or inconceivable that it is either indescribable, (...too mighty to be
expressed only by
the eye of his figure; pg.95), or best left up to the reader's imagination.
Unlike Hester,
Dimmesdale, because of self interpretation, cannot in any way conceive his
sins of being
anything but evil.
Although the appearance of the A's are
proportional to the interpretation by each
character; also
the appearance of the A's is directly correlated between the consequences
each character
receives because of their sins, both Hester's and Dimmesdale's punishment
is introduced
through a new character and some sort of isolation. The new character's are
a form of
abstract contrasting where each new character is an extension of the sinner's
"A"
itself. Where as Chillingworth is a doubled extension
of Dimmesdale's consciousness;
Pearl is a
contrast to Hester's creativity, patience, and composure. Dimmesdale's
punishment
through Chillingworth is one of mental bombardment and spiritual torture
which supports
the theory that Dimmesdale's A must be horrifically putrid and
indescribable. Pearl's punishment towards Hester is one of
irritation that attempts to
counter balance
Hester's everlasting patience and composure.
Because Hester does not let
her irritation
get to her and remains constantly tranquil, the A that she wears (ie. the
extension of the
A she bears) is as beautiful and natural as she is.
So the A's worn in the novel, even though from
the same origin, are the exact
antithesis of
each other separated by personal interpretation and individual consequences.
Where one
character's beauty and open mindedness to her crime and punishment makes
her A and her
punishment (Pearl) natural and beautiful.
While the other character's torture
and self hatred
of himself and his crime make the burden that he carries much more heavy.
Dimmesdale's A
and the extension to his A (Chillingworth) are ugly, and brutal.
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