Kendrick1

MollyKendrick
APEnglish
Mrs.Stanford
17April2016
HesterPrynne:HotMessorjustIsolated?
StuartGreavesoncesaid,Isolationisfeastingonyourself,justashortsimplequote,
howeveritholdsanabundantamountofmeaningandpower.Thisquotesummarizestheeffects
ofisolationonapersonandhowsocialseparationcanturnapersononthemselves.Theylose
selfmotivationandpurpose,andbecomeemotionlessintheirdailylives.Isolationstillhappens
today,eventhoughitisnotasnoticeable,itcanbeseeninschoolsthroughclichesandbullying.
Somepeoplehaveexperiencedisolationbefore,justnotasextremeasinthenovel.Forexample,
inprisonsomepeopleareisolatedaspunishmentformonthsatatime.Isolationcanleadto
abnormalsleeppatterns,attentiondisorders,andissueswithlogicalandverbalreasoning(Bond).
Thethemeofisolationappearsthroughoutthenovel
TheScarletLetter
,throughmultiple
characterslivesincludingArthurDimmesdale,RogerChillingworth,andHesterPrynneeach
individualcharacterdepictsisolationdifferently.
ArthurDimmesdaleisaministerinthecityofBoston,aswellasthefatherofPearl.
ArthurDimmesdaleisinlovewithHesterPrynneandtogethertheyhaveadaughter.However,
nooneknowsthatReverendDimmesdaleisthefather,andhewouldbesubjecttoagreatshame
ifitwerediscovered.InPuritancultureitisacrimeandasintohaveachildoutofmarriage,
makingholyReverendDimmesdaleasinner.Eventhough,hecannotadmittohiscrime,orhe
willbekilledinthecenteroftown,hestillgetspunished.TheReverendfeelsveryguiltyand

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ashamedofhiscrime,sohecarvedtheletterAintohischesttoforeverscarhimself.Also,
Dimmesdalewhipshimselfandstarveshimselfaspunishment.Theseactswentonforover
sevenyears,eachdaybeinganewreminder.DimmesdaletrulybelievesthatonJudgmentDay
hewillcomeforwardandadmittohissins,whichwillsethimfree.Theburdenofkeepingsuch
abigsecrethascausedDimmesdaletogoinsane,hehasnoonetotalkto,notevenHester.This
quotefurtherdescribestheonlyoutcomeofDimmesdalesisolations,Itsresult,onearth,could
hardlyfailtobeinsanity,andhereafter,thateternalalienationfromtheGoodandTrue,ofwhich
madnessisperhapstheearthlytype.(Hawthorne177).Isolatinghistrueselfandfeelingshas
causedhimnotonlytogoinsane,buthascausedanumberofhealthproblems.Reverend
Dimmesdalehastolivewithaphysicianformedicalneedsandmanypeopleinthetownthinkhe
isdying.TheeffectsofisolationonReverendDimmesdaleareveryserious,andtakeatollon
himasawholeperson.
Anothercharacterinthenovel
TheScarletLetter
thatisisolatedisRogerChillingworth.
ChillingworthistheonlyphysicianinBoston,helivedamongsttheIndiansforsometimeand
learnednaturalpractices.Chillingworthisaveryintelligentman,howeverheisveryoldand
deformed.Also,heisthehusbandofHesterPrynne.Hester,whoismuchyoungerthen
chillingworth,wasforcedtomarryhim.ChillingworthlovedHesterbutheknewshedidnotlove
himback.EventuallyHesterleftEnglandfortheNewWorld,leavingRogerbehind.Roger
predictedthatitwouldhappenoneday,buthecouldnotlethergo.Aftermanyyears
ChillingworthfoundHesterinBoston,andtheymadeadeal.Rogerwouldkeephisidentitya
secret,andmoveforwardwithhislifeinBoston.However,Chillingworthwasverylonelyand
stilllovedHester.Chillingworthdescribedhisownheartaslonelyandchillinchapter4of
The

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ScarletLetter
(Hawthorne69).ThequestionofwhoHestersloverwas,ateawayat
Chillingworth.Hedevotedhistimetosolvingthemystery,untilonedayherealizedhispatient,
thathehadbeenlivingwith,wasthefatherofPearl.Calm,serene,RogerChillingworthbecame
evilandwasdrivenbyrevenge.Hewentmadwithpower,slowlytorturinghispatienteveryday
whenheshouldhavebeenhealinghispatient.Hawthornesaid,RogerChillingworththesecret
poisonofhismalignity,infectingalltheairabouthimandhisauthorisedinterference,asa
physician,withtheministersphysicalandspiritualinfirmitiesthatthesebadopportunitieshad
beenturnedtoacruelpurpose.(Hawthorne177).BeinglonelyandisolatedmadeChillingworth
obsessoverHester,leadinghimselfintoinsanityandturninghimevil.
HesterPrynnealsoexperiencedisolationthroughoutthenovel
TheScarletLetter
,through
herpunishmentforcommittingadultery.HesterwasforcedtowearascarletA,foradultery,on
herchestforeveryonetosee.Also,Hesterhadtoliveontheveryoutskirtsoftownisolatedfrom
othercitizens.Hawthornewrote,Itscomparativeremotenessputitoutofthesphereofthat
socialactivitywhichalreadymarkedthehabitsofemigrants.(Hawthorne75).Hesterwas
shunnedandshewasanoutcast.Thiswentonforoversevenyears,reshapingHesterslife.
EventuallythescarletAcametosymbolizeHestersgooddeedsanddevotiontoothersinneed,
insteadofhersin.However,HesterPrynneswomanlyglowhadvanished,shebecameplainand
grey,andemotionless.
Allthelightandgracefulfoliageofhercharacterhadbeenwitheredup,leavinga
bareandharshoutline.Eventheattractivenessofherpersonhadundergonea
similarchange.Itwasasadtransformation,too,thatherrichandluxurianthairhad
eitherbeencutoff,orwassocompletelyhiddenbyacap,thatnotashininglockof

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iteveroncegushedintothesunshine.Itwasdueinparttoallthesecauses,butstill
moretosomethingelse,thatthereseemedtobenolongeranythinginHestersface
forLovetodwelluponnothinginHestersform,thoughmajesticandstatuelike,
thatPassionwouldeverdreamofclaspinginitsembracenothinginHesters
bosomtomakeiteveragainthepillowofAffection.Someattributehaddeparted
fromher,thepermanenceofwhichhadbeenessentialtokeepherawoman.
(Hawthorne150).TheeffectsofisolationcanbeseenbyHesterslackoffeminismand
emotions.Theseeffectsmaybeseenaslessseriousorextremethanothercharactersinthenovel,
buttheyarestillevidentandpresent.
Clearly,isolationcanhaveseriouseffectsonapersonsuchasdepression,irregularsleep
patterns,irrationalbehaviourandotherstressinducedhealthissues.RogerChillingworthwas
isolatedandlonely,thiscausedhimtobecomeevilandfocusedsolelyonrevenge.HesterPrynne
wassociallyisolatedwhichdiminishedherbeautyandpersonality,todrabandgloomy.
ReverendArthurDimmesdale,livedhonestonlyinhisownhead,causinghimtobecomeilland
focusedonlyonhisownguiltandpunishment.Eachsituationofisolationdiffersinoriginand
effect,howeverstillpresent.Byreadingthebook
TheScarletLetter
onecanunderstandthe
effectsofisolationthroughcharacterslivessuchasHesterPrynne,ArthurDimmesdale,and
RogerChillingworth.

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WorkCited
Hawthorne,Nathaniel.
TheScarletLetter
.N.p.:Bantam,1986.Print.
Bond,Michael."HowExtremeIsolationWarpstheMind."
BBC
.N.p.,14May2014.Web.16
Apr.2016.