History Literature / TheScarletLetter

** Chillingworth has a very chilling personality.

* UnreliableNarrator: According to the preface, the narrator is basing his novel is based on a historical record. Obviously he is making most of it up, including almost all of the dialogue, since all the eyewitnesses to these meetings are dead by the end of the novel.

* AllOfTheOtherReindeer: Although Hester is never again welcomed by the community after her disgrace, she works hard and thanklessly to provide for and help anyone in need in the community, to the point where people start to say that her "A" stands for "able" or "admirable" -- although Hester herself never forgets what it really means.

* HistoricalDomainCharacter: Mr. Bellingham, Mrs. Hibbins and Governor Winthrop were real. It is unknown whether the real Mistress Hibbins was Bellingham's brother.

* AllOfTheOtherReindeer: Played straight, then averted. Although Hester is never again welcomed by the community after her disgrace, she works hard and thanklessly to provide for and help anyone in need in the community, to the point where people start to say that her "A" stands for "able" or "admirable" -- although Hester herself never forgets what it really means.

----

%%* ThePenance

* PublicExectution: Mistress Hibbins' eventual execution.

* UglyGuyHotWife: Hester is beautiful, but both Dimmesdale and Chillingworth aren´t.

%%* AntiVillain: Chillingworth.

* CassandraTruth: At one point, Pearl suggests that Hester wears the scarlet letter for the same reason Dimmesdale keeps his hand over his heart. Hester thinks this is absurd, but later it is revealed that Dimmesdale has tortured himself by searing a letter "A" over his heart, implying that he ''is'' Pearl's father.

* RedEyesTakeWarning: Chillingworth

''The Scarlet Letter'' is an 1850 romance written by 19th-century American author Creator/NathanielHawthorne. It was adapted into a very good silent movie in 1926 with Creator/LillianGish, and a very bad 1995 film with Creator/DemiMoore cast as Hester.

%%* SlutShaming: Half the story.

* BeautyEqualsGoodness: Played with. Hester is at her most beautiful when she's at her best spiritually. Dimmesdale becomes less and less healthy, and thus less beautiful, as he descends into madness. Chillingworth is ugly at the start, and becomes hideous by the end.

%%* CreepyChild: Pearl, most definitely.

* ProtagonistCenteredMorality: a particularly blatant example. The antagonist Chillingworth does objectively good things: He gains great medical knowledge from the indians at considerable personal risk and uses it for the benefit of the community. When Chillingworth comes home to see his wife (and indirectly himself) publicly shamed, he comforts Hester, medicates her and her daughter and mostly blames himself for his wife's infidelity. He helps Dimmesdale medically and emotionally by correctly insisting that Dimmesdale will never fully recover until he relieves himself of whatever is weighing his heart. Despite these good acts, the Puritans of Boston seem ungrateful for having a man who has put so much effort into becoming a great doctor for them and seem to interpret everything he does in the worst possible light. Everyone, including the narrator and Chillingworth himself assumes that he is doing everything for the very worst of reasons. Just to hammer in his badness the narrator makes Chillingworth ugly and uglier as the story goes on. Protagonist Dimmesdale on the other hand does objectively bad things by impregnating Hester so she is exposed to public shame and causing her a great deal of guilt and then letting Hester take all the blame and all responsibility for the child. He is extremely hypocritcal in participating in the public shaming of Hester, even pretending to try to make her give away the name of her lover. He neither has the courage to confess and face the consequences, nor to take his secret to the grave. Choosing the most cowardly possible solution he waits until he only has seconds left to live to confess. Yet he obviously has the sympathy of the narrator, Hester and all of Boston.

* Forgiveness: Chillingworth forgives Hester even saying that it is mostly his own fault. Her accomplice, however, is a completely different matter...

* ProtagonistCenteredMorality: The antagonist Chillingworth does objectively good things: He gains great medical knowledge from the indians at considerable personal risk and uses it for the benefit of the community. When Chillingworth comes home to see his wife publicly shamed, he comforts Hester, medicates her and her daughter and mostly blames himself for his wife's infidelity. He helps Dimmesdale medically and emotionally by correctly insisting that Dimmesdale will never fully recover until he relieves himself of whatever is weighing his heart. Despite these good acts, the narrator and Chillingworth himself assumes that he is doing everything for the very worst of reasons. Just to hammer in his badness the narrator makes Chillingworth ugly and uglier as the story goes on. Protagonist Dimmesdale on the other hand does objectively bad things by committing adultery with Hester and not publicly acknowledging that Pearl is his daughter. Yet he obviously has the sympathy of the narrator, Hester and all of Boston.

----

It's 17th-century Puritan Massachusetts. Life is difficult to eke out in a strange and hostile New World. Among a community that adheres to a strict faith, Hester Prynne, a young Englishwoman sent to the colonies ahead of her much older husband (whose whereabouts are unknown), has had a child out of wedlock. Released from prison two months after the shameful birth, she refuses to disclose the name of the child's father. As punishment, the Puritans force her to wear a [[TitleDrop scarlet letter]] on her breast: '''[[color:#ff2400:A]]''', for adulteress.

Humiliated and ostracized, Hester raises Pearl, the child of her love affair. Throughout the book, we receive hints that Pearl may not be entirely human. Her demonic leanings do not go unnoticed by Hester, nor by the community at large.

* ReformedButRejected: Double subversion. Hester ''does'' regain the respect of the community by continuously being charitable and a hard worker in spite of her sin, so much so the magistrate thought of allowing her to remove it. Even so, Hester feels that society shouldn't claim her back and that she must find her own way of dealing with her sin.

* ProtagonistCenteredMorality: a particularly blatant example. The antagonist Chillingworth does objectively good things: He gains great medical knowledge from the indians at considerable personal risk and uses it for the benefit of the community. When Chillingworth comes home to see his wife (and indirectly himself) publicly shamed, he comforts Hester, medicates her and her daughter and mostly blames himself for his wife's infidelity. He helps Dimmesdale medically and emotionally by correctly insisting that Dimmesdale will never fully recover until he relieves himself of whatever is weighing his heart. Despite these good acts, the Puritans of Boston seem ungrateful for having a man who has put so much effort into becoming a great doctor for them and seem to interpret everything he does in the worst possible light. Everyone, including the narrator and Chillingworth himself assumes that he is doing everything for the very worst of reasons. Just to hammer in his badness the narrator makes Chillingworth ugly and uglier as the story goes on. Protagonist Dimmesdale on the other hand does objectively bad things by ruining Hester's life and making Pearl grow up a poor pariah. He is extremely hypocritcal in participating in the public shaming of Hester, even pretending to try to make her give away the name of her lover. He neither has the courage to confess and face the consequences, nor to take his secret to the grave. Choosing the most cowardly possible solution he waits until he only has seconds left to live to confess. Yet he obviously has the sympathy of the narrator, Hester and all of Boston.

* RedemptionEqualsDeath: Dimmesdale neither has the courage to admit his crime nor the courage to take it with him to the grave. Taking the most cowardly option he reveals the "A" seared onto his chest, admitting to his adultery with Hester, as he finally succumbs to his heart condition so he neither has to endure the condemnation of his neighbours, nor take the secret to the grave. There's a possible case of this with Chillingworth. Although he died because he no longer had Dimmesdale to torment, he leaves Pearl a fortune.

* ProtagonistCenteredMorality: a particularly blatant example. The antagonist Chillingworth does objectively good things: He gains great medical knowledge from the indians at considerable personal risk and uses it for the benefit of the community. When Chillingworth comes home to see his wife (and indirectly himself) publicly shamed, he comforts Hester, medicates her and her daughter and mostly blames himself for his wife's infidelity. He helps Dimmesdale medically and emotionally by correctly insisting that Dimmesdale will never fully recover until he relieves himself of whatever is weighing his heart. Despite these good acts, the Puritans of Boston seem ungrateful for having a man who has put so much effort into becoming a great doctor for them and seem to interpret everything he does in the worst possible light. Everyone, including the narrator and Chillingworth himself assumes that he is doing everything for the very worst of reasons. Just to hammer in his badness the narrator makes Chillingworth ugly and uglier as the story goes on. Protagonist Dimmesdale on the other hand does objectively bad things by ruining Hester's life and making Pearl grow up a poor paria. He is extremely hypocritcal in participating in the public shaming of Hester, even pretending to try to make her give away the name of her lover. He neither has the courage to confess and face the consequences, nor to take his secret to the grave. Choosing the most cowardly possible solution he waits until he only has seconds left to live to confess. Yet he obviously has the sympathy of the narrator, Hester and all of Boston.

''The Scarlet Letter'' is an 1850 romance written by 19th-century American author Creator/NathanielHawthorne. It was adapted into a very good silent movie in 1926 with LillianGish, and a very bad 1995 film with Creator/DemiMoore cast as Hester.

* AbsenceMakesTheHeartGoYonder: Chillingworth was separated from Hester for a very long time, and she figured he was dead, falling into the arms (and bed) of Rev. Dimmesdale. It turns out she was wrong; her husband is very much alive...and [[GreenEyedMonster jealous and vengeful]]. (He generously forgives her, even stating that it mostly his own fault though -her lover is a completely different matter.)

''The Scarlet Letter'' is a romance written by 19th-century author Nathaniel Hawthorne. It was adapted into a very good silent movie in 1926 with LillianGish, and a very bad 1995 film with Creator/DemiMoore cast as Hester.

It's 17th-century Puritan Massachusetts. Life is difficult to eke out in a strange and hostile New World. Among a community that adheres to a strict faith, Hester Prynne, a young Englishwoman sent to the colonies ahead of her much older husband (whose whereabouts are unknown), has had a child out of wedlock. Released from prison two months after the shameful birth, she refuses to disclose the name of the child's father. As punishment, the Puritans force her to wear a [[TitleDrop scarlet letter]] on her breast: [[color:#ff2400:A]], for adulteress.

%%* BatmanGambit: Orchestrated by Chillingworth to coerce Dimmesdale into [[spoiler:admitting he's Pearl's father]].
* BabiesEverAfter: [[spoiler: When Pearl grows up, she has a child of her own.]]

* CassandraTruth: At one point, Pearl suggests that [[spoiler:Hester wears the scarlet letter for the same reason Dimmesdale keeps his hand over his heart]]. Hester thinks this is absurd, but later it is revealed that [[spoiler:Dimmesdale has tortured himself by searing a letter "A" over his heart, implying that he ''is'' Pearl's father.]]

* DeathByDespair: [[spoiler:With Dimmesdale, the man he has been tormenting for seven years, dead but redeemed by confessing to his sin publicly, thus foiling his plans once and for all, Chillingworth loses the only thing that keeps him going -- the need for revenge -- and soon dies before the year ended.]]
* DefiledForever: Hester never stops blaming herself for what she did, even if she does earn the respect of the town back; [[spoiler:Dimmesdale]] tortures himself physically and mentally over the guilt; even their daughter, Pearl, is described in terms of a demon or monster because [[HeroicBastard she was born of sin]].

* DoubleStandard: Examined -- Hester takes the rap for committing adultery [[spoiler:as Dimmesdale stands free, but not from his conscience]]. After all, signs of adultery were... more visible in a woman.

* HeterosexualLifePartners: In order to treat Dimmesdale effectively, Chillingworth must share a house with him and become "intimate" friends with him. [[spoiler:The latter also uses it to blackmail Dimmesdale into admitting to his sin.]]

* MaybeMagicMaybeMundane: There's a recent theory that [[spoiler:Dimmesdale was being poisoned by Chillingworth]] with two poisonous plants mentioned in the novel -- henbane and deadly nightshade. Both contain scopolamine and atropine, poisons used by Native Americans which can cause cardiac irregularities, hallucinations, lack of coordination and voice changes; the former causes a deep, distinctive sleep and suggestibility, while the latter causes pupil dilation and chest rashes. Coincidence? Maybe, but Hawthorne published a short story six months before this that uses atropine, and his wife was treated with scopolamine and had that sleep. Since he also had a pretty strong interest in botany, he knew what plants would've produced the poisons. Also, some people in the novel attributed [[spoiler:the letter on Dimmesdale's chest]] to divine retribution; some believed that he did it to himself out of guilt, and some believed Chillingworth did it to him by means of dark magic and/or poisons. Hawthorne explicitly states that no one can know and leaves it to the reader to decide.

* MorallyAmbiguousDoctorate: Chillingworth. He [[spoiler:poisons the man he's supposed to be treating as revenge for being cuckolded]], which is definitely in violation of the Hippocratic Oath.

* NeverLiveItDown: InUniverse, this is the point of the scarlet "A" Hester has to wear [[spoiler:and the "A" seared onto Dimmesdale's chest]].

* ProtagonistCenteredMorality: a particularly blatant example. The antagonist Chillingworth does objectively good things: He gains great medical knowledge from the indians at considerable personal risk and uses it for the benefit of the community. When Chillingworth comes home to see his wife (and indirectly himself) publicly shamed, he comforts Hester, medicates her and her daughter and mostly blames himself for his wife's infidelity. He helps Dimmesdale medically and emotionally by correctly insisting that Dimmesdale will never fully recover until he relieves himself of whatever is weighing his heart. Despite these good acts, the Puritans of Boston seem ungrateful for having a man who has put so much effort into becoming a great doctor for them and seem to interpret everything he does in the worst possible light. Everyone, including the narrator and Chillingworth himself assumes that he is doing everything for the very worst of reasons. Just to hammer in his badness the narrator makes Chillingworth ugly and uglier as the story goes on. Protagonist Dimmesdale on the other hand does objectively bad things by ruining Hester's life and making Pearl grow up a poor paria. He is extremely hypocritcal in participating in the public shaming of Hester, even pretending to try to make her give away the name of her lover. He neither has the courage to confess and face the consequences, nor to take his secret to the grave. Choosing the most cowardly possible solution [[spoiler: he waits until he only has seconds left to live to confess.]] Yet he obviously has the sympathy of the narrator, Hester and all of Boston.
%%* {{Revenge}}
* RedemptionEqualsDeath: [[spoiler:Dimmesdale neither has the courage to admit his crime nor the courage to take it with him to the grave. Taking the most cowardly option he reveals the "A" seared onto his chest, admitting to his adultery with Hester, as he finally succumbs to his heart condition so he neither has to endure the condemnation of his neighbours, nor take the secret to the grave. There's a possible case of this with Chillingworth. Although he died because he no longer had Dimmesdale to torment, he leaves Pearl a fortune. ]]

* TalkAboutTheWeather: What [[spoiler:Hester and Dimmesdale]] first do when they meet in the forest.
* TogetherInDeath: [[spoiler:Hester is hinted to have been buried alongside Dimmesdale.]]

* UnreliableNarrator: According to the preface, the narrator is basing his novel is based on a historical record. Obviously he is making most of it up, including almost all of the dialogue, [[spoiler: since all the eyewitnesses to these meetings are dead by the end of the novel.]] The narrator obviously takes Dimmesdale's and Hester's side and interprets everything Chillingworth says and does in the worst possible light. It sure makes the reader wonder what the historical record "actually" (it doesn't exist in real life of course) said and in turn what "actually" happened, but it is probably very far from the novel.
* WhereAreTheyNowEpilogue: [[spoiler:The main narrative ends with Dimmesdale's death. A year after that, Chillingworth, forever denied his revenge, dies a shriveled shell of his old self. Hester and Pearl leave for Europe, but the former later returns to Boston to continue her charitable work, while occasionally receiving letters from Pearl, who has apparently married a European nobleman and has since inherited Chillingworth's property. Eventually Hester is finally being forgiven for her sin, and upon her death was apparently buried alongside Dimmesdale.]]