Essay on The Greater Sin in Hawthornes The Scarlet Letter

The Greater Sin in The Scarlet Letter In essence, there were three main sins committed in The Scarlet Letter, the sins of Hester, the Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale, and Roger Chillingworth. Roger Chillingworth committed the greatest sin because he let himself be ruled by hatred and the consuming desire for vengeance. The overpowering vengeance and hatred felt by Chillingworth caused his life to be centered on demeaning Dimmesdale and tormenting him until the end of time. Both Hester Prynne and Arthur Dimmesdale committed sins for which they were deeply remorseful, Roger Chillingworth, however, committed the greater sin because he felt no guilt. Unknowingly, Hester Prynne sailed from Europe to the Americas betrayed and tricked.†¦show more content†¦Reverend Dimmesdale was a renowned, prideful man stricken with sin and extreme guilt. From the time Hester and Dimmesdale made love, he was grievous of his sin but he also felt a great love towards her. Dimmesdales stubborn pride troubled him greatly, and although he tried many times, he could not confess his sin to his religious followers. Dimmesdale felt guilt so strongly that he scourged himself on his breast and patterned an â€Å"A† into his own flesh, yet he could not confess his sin until his grief grew so great it caused him to perish. Reverend Dimmesdales sin was greater than Hesters because he let his pride conflict with his repentance, and let his life be ruined by his anguish. Physically deformed and mysterious, Roger Chillingworth finally met his wife after being separated from her for almost two years. He showed no great anger towards her and took upon himself some of the accountability saying it was â€Å"...my folly and thy weakness,† (Hawthorne 52) which was the cause of Hesters sin. Chillingworths only feeling was one of revenge towards the man who had been Hesters lover. Chillingworth was obsessed by hate and revenge so much that when Dimmesdale died â€Å"... the life seemed to have departed...† (Hawthorne 72) from him and he died within a year of Dimmesdales death. Chillingworth never felt guilt or attempted repentance because he â€Å"... violated, in cold blood, the sanctity of a human heart.† (Hawthorne 133). He sought to destroy DimmesdalesShow MoreRelated Justice Explored in Nathaniel Hawthornes The Scarlet Letter1043 Words   |  5 Pages Justice Explored in The Scarlet Letter nbsp; Nathaniel Hawthorne created themes in The Scarlet Letter just as significant as the obvious ideas pertaining to sin and Puritan society. Roger Chillingworth is a character through which one of these themes resonates, and a character that is often underplayed in analysis. 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