The Scarlet Letter

The eighteenth century British novelist Laurence Sterne wrote, “Nobody, but he who has felt it, can conceive what a plaguing thing it is to have a man’s mind torn asunder by two projects of equal strength, both obstinately pulling in a contrary direction at the same time.” This quote can be used to describe an element from Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “The Scarlet Letter”. More than one character in the book is tormented by the task of having to make a tough but wise decision which will shape the flow of events throughout the rest of the novel. One of these characters is Hester Prynne. Hester has an ambition to tell Arthur Dimmesdale about Roger Chillingworth’s true nature, but is unable to do so due to Chillingworth’s blackmail. Moreover, she wants to escape from the impurity of the community that she lives in, a choice she will not be able to make unless Dimmesdale’s cowardice disappears.
Hester is eager and, in s...