Scarlet Letter Part 6

It is sad how the hearts of mankind can be plagued upon so easily. The seven sins of our very human nature: lust, greed, envy, wrath, pride, sloth, and gluttony. We are always caught up in one or the other. There is no way to stop it, it is human nature. The scarlet letter I believe symbolizes all of these. Hester has lust and pride. Dimmesdale has sloth and lust. Chillingworth has greed, envy, wrath, and gluttony. Dimmesdale would definitely be described as a sloth because of the fact that he has not done anything until the final scaffold scene. Hester and Dimmesdale both share the lust and its result is Pearl. Chillingworth is definitely best described through the final four. The greed he holds is a result of want for more pain and revenge. The envy I believe is that he is jealous of Dimmesdale for he has something he no longer has or deserves and that would be Hester. The wrath Chillingworth is best described through how he had tortured Dimmesdale over the years. His gluttony is that he fed himself through all of Dimmesdale’s pain absorbing it into his own being and wanting more of it. The book itself can be also interpreted to mean that we should be left astray from the seven sins and push ourselves towards the six virtues. In the old days when religion was regarded as absolute, many may have believed the book to be a forewarning. That we should be happy that we no longer live in that kind of culture anymore. Though cheating on your husband or wife should be an offense, it is now handled legally. I do believe the six virtues can apply to the reading, but I am skeptical as to how many of them could actually apply to it. Chillingworth’s death later on is a significant factor because he has been released from his bond of revenge, but I doubt he felt any remorse. His death was pitiful to say the least. He dies a year later after Dimmesdale because he no longer has anyone to torture. It sounds so pitiful to die in such a manner and still hold remnants of a grudge. There is no amnesty for the wicked only mercy and depending on the person forgiveness.