Writing Resources
Guilt and its handmaiden shame can paralyze us or catalyze us into action Appropriate guilt can function as social glue spurring one to make reparations for wrongs Guilt This is a common modern analyzation of the effects of guilt but let us explore and see if this is how it affects our main catalyst Hester Prynne In the early chapters of the Scarlet Letter we observe being humiliated and mocked on the town scaffold This woman has sinned against her God and her husband Hester Prynne has committed adultery with an unidentified man A punishment more than public shaming was a scarlet letter A that Hester embroidered herself as that was her traid that she must wear on her bosom for life This letter A stood for adulterer marking her out as married and different and served as a forever reminder of the sin she had committed One thing also reminded her of her constant sin her dear illegitimate daughter Pearl In this paper I will explore how guilt seeks out Hester in both judicial and personal shame as sin continues to consume her until it is resolve First I would like to explore the all too familiar scarlet letter Hester is forced to wear as punishment which can be connected with judicial guilt How interesting it is the extent that a piece of fabric on the chest can tear one apart and torment you as it serves a constant reminder of the sin you wish you could just forget But you cannot and neither can Hester Prynne
