What I learned from The Scarlet Letter

The Scarlet Letter is the most famous novel of the American writer Nathaniel Hawthorne, one of the greatest romantic American writers in the 19th century. The fully description of the four leading characters in the novel shows that Hawthorne makes skillful use of symbolism and explores the different kinds of humanity of Hester, Dimmesdale ,Chillingworth and Pearl. Hester Prynne is a young and beautiful wiman who has brought a child into the world with unknown father. She is punished by puritan society by wearing the scarlet letter "A" on the bosom of her dress. She accepts the punishment in public and helps the misfortune, at last wins the respect of the towns' people. Arthur Dimmesdale is a man torn by a guilty conscience but without the courage to commit his sin. Having struggled the guilt for 7 years, Dimmesdale confess his guilt publicly. Roger Chillworth is a kind of demon and always wants to take revenge on Dimmesdale. He is gradually destroying himself. Pearl functions as a symbol from some aspects: the symbol of the letter, the symbol of freedom, the symbol of consummation, and so on. This paper concentrates on the analysis of the four major characters from the view of human nature.