Sustainability in the Face of Adversity – In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter

Abstract

This paper considers the levels of sustainability or to say it differently the extent to which the four main characters of A Scarlet Letter are able to endure hardships in the face of the rigid structure of the Puritan society which brings upon them, nothing but adversity. These characters are namely, Hester Prynne, her legal husband Roger Chillingworth, the pastor Arthur Dimmesdale, all of them caught up in the love triangle and Pearl, Hester Prynne’s daughter, the outcome of her illicit relationship with the minister. The objective of this research paper is to observe the way in which Hester Prynne, the protagonist, positively and gradually integrates into this environment of an unforgiving Bostonian Puritanical society through her fortitude to face up to the hard times imposed on her as a result of her behaviour. Initially, the reader gets an insight into the story line of The Scarlet Letter, the Puritan period and its society. The significance of symbolism in this novel is also discussed. Secondly, the ambiguity, the transformation and evolution of the four characters throughout the duration of the novel is considered. Finally, by using the weaknesses of the other characters as a foil, the sustainability and endurance of the protagonist is appreciated proving that despite great adversity sustainability in life is yet possible.