1. Choose one character and identify 2 examples of that character’s good deed or traits. Then identify 2 examples of that character’s bad deeds or traits. (Use the same character) Why do you think Hawthorne gives both good and bad qualities to his characters?
2. Dimmesdale’s guilt is destroying his health. Yet he says Chillingworth is more evil than either himself or Hester. Why does Dimmesdale believe this? Do you agree? Explain your opinion.
2. Dimmesdale’s guilt is destroying his health. Yet he says Chillingworth is more evil than either himself or Hester. Why does Dimmesdale believe this? Do you agree? Explain your opinion.
1. I think the best character for this comparison is Hester Prynne because she is loyal and can learn from her mistakes while at the same time being negatively lead by her emotions and her sexual passion. She has both positive and negative qualities because she's human, anyone can do something negative but it takes a select few to something for the betterment of humanity. I think personally Hawthorne gave her both negative and positive qualities to prove she is just a human no more and no less because of her mistakes.
ReplyDelete2. I have concluded that Dimmesdale believes that Chillingworth is more evil than himself or Hester because it's human nature to defend yourself against other's claims. A person when faced with opposition will take blame and force it on someone else to protect their name, but it takes a real man to take that blame and accept it and apologize. I personally do not agree that either of them are evil because you do not measure a man upon his bad qualities, only their best qualities. People are so focused on negative connotations of others that they refuse to see the good in one another, and I am sure that everyone reading this is so focused on the bad of another person that they refuse to see the good.
I personally really liked reading your answer to the second question. I appreciated how you pointed out that it takes a real man to accept what he or she has done and apologize. I also liked how you pointed out how people only look at the negatives, instead of the good qualities. Nice job!
DeleteI enjoyed reading your work and loved how you brought the real world into your thoughts and talked about focusing on positivity rather than negativity. Good work!
Delete1.I believe Dimmesdale is a great character to show both the good and bad qualities. The good qualities that he possesses is the one that we were all shocked about based off the comments in the blogs of Chapters 6-9. Dimmesdale actually allowed Hester to keep Pearl. This shows that he is compassionate and sympathetic. Another good quality he has is how he is liked a lot by the community. I believe his very strong bond with God helps him gain these good qualities. However, he does have bad qualities. He preaches about how sin is bad, yet he sins with a married women. He’s a hypocrite. I believe the author shows the good and bad qualities to show the readers that nobody is perfect. If your a priest and have a strong bond with God, you can still make a mistake and you can still have a bad quality. Or maybe you are known to be the biggest sinner, yet there is good qualities in a person. To me, this is something everyone needs to understand. In this crazy world there are people who are bad and horrible yet, they might have a good side of them. Then there are people that we all worship to be amazing, yet they could have a few bad qualities and have committed some sins throughout their life. Nobody is perfect.
ReplyDelete2. I strongly disagree with Dimmesdale. Clearly he is slightly immature. There is not much to say about this but, the life advice if you can’t own up to something you did then you should not do it at all. I don’t understand how Dimmesdale who is just as much a sinner as Hester can claim she is more evil then himself? Dimmesdale is very wrong too. I believe this just another thing many people struggle with today, owning up to their mistakes.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your statement that Dimmesdale is immature in a sense .
Delete1. Hester Prynne can easily fit this comparison because she is simply human. She represents a human because we saw she is a strong, loving, and proud character, however, she also can commit sin. She held her head high while wearing the scarlet letter and instead of ratting out Dimmesdale, she was quiet and took the punishment for her sin. I believe Hawthorne gave the main character both good traits like loyalty and kindness and also bad traits like going behind her husbands back and loving another man because he is using her to represent us. Humans make mistakes and must keep their head high and be strong and take their punishment, just as Hester did.
ReplyDelete2. I believe Dimmesdale is wrong about thinking Chillingworth is more evil than him and Hester. He is too afraid to own up to his actions, which causes him to take other people down and make him feel better about himself. I do not know which character I would consider “evil”, however, I do know that a true person will own up to their mistakes and not try to hide their actions.
I think it is interesting that you disagreed with Dimmesdale comment about Chillingworth being more evil, it gave a different perspective. Personally, I disagree with the idea that Dimmesdale brings others down to make himself feel better. Dimmesdale is literally killing himself over his sin, he is not trying to glorify it. Overall, I think you have a good blog.
DeleteWithin the book “The Scarlet Letter” there are plenty of examples of characters who have good and bad qualities. A well rounded character with both good and bad qualities that stands out to me is our main character, Hester Prynne. Obviously, Hester Prynne is a good person who has made some poor choices in her life. One good quality that is shown within “The Scarlet Letter” is that of Hester Prynne is a loving and caring mother. Even though Hester knows that Pearl is not growing up in the best environment and situation, Hester makes it apparent that she is trying to give her daughter Pearl the best that she can provide. Another good quality Hester Prynne possesses is that she does not pass the blame onto others. Hester knows that she has done wrong in her passed but she is not going to place all the blame onto Reverend Dimmesdale or Roger Chillingworth. As Hester has made some good decisions within “The Scarlet Letter” she also made some faulty decisions. One obvious example of poor decision-making on Hester’s part is that she cheated on her husband, Roger Chillingworth, with Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale. Hester being an adulteress has been shown within the second chapter and follows Hester throughout the whole book. An additional ambiguous decision is that Hester threw away her scarlet letter when she was making plans to run away with Dimmesdale. Even though people have been talking about removing the scarlet letter from Hester’s name, Hester said that she would never take off the scarlet letter. By taking off the scarlet letter it was like she was breaking a promise with herself. Nathaniel Hawthorne creates his character with both bad and good qualities to make them seem more realistic. It is good to have characters possess both good and bad qualities because it makes room for character development within “The Scarlet Letter”.
ReplyDeleteReverend Dimmesdale says Chillingworth is more evil than either himself or Hester. I personally agree this this statement. Both Hester Prynne and Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale have paid for their sins: Dimmesdale by self-inflicting pain and Hester by wearing her scarlet letter. Chillingworth has yet to repent for his sin. The question that should be asked is what is the intent of both Dimmesdale and Chillingworth’s sin? Dimmesdale did not purposively intend to hurt people. However, this is not to say that Dimmesdale is free of blame. Chillingworth, on the other hand, knowingly went after people and intended to hurt people in the process. I agree with Reverend Dimmesdale completely, Chillingworth is far more evil than either Hester or Dimmesdale.
I agree with your statements and I really think we see eye-to-eye. I also really liked your choice of vocabulary.
DeleteI really enjoyed reading your work, and I find it interesting that you mention the act of taking off the letter to be Hester breaking a promise with herself even though she feels freed by it. It’s an interesting perspective of that moment.
DeleteHester is the perfect example of one who carries both good and brad traits and qualities. She is a very loyal woman, because of how she treated both men even after all they went through together. But, with that being said, she kept the secret of her affair and sins for a long while. Hawthorne most likely gave good and bad qualities to his characters because he wanted to show how humans actually act and not give a fake representation of human actions.
ReplyDeleteI believe that Dimmesdale is defending himself by saying that Chillingworth is more evil than himself or Hester. I agree with him in this part of the novel. Chillingworth has done nothing to make or repent for his wrong doings, white Hester and Dimmesdale have confessed to their sins.
I agree with your thoughts on Dimmesdale saying Chillingworth is more evil than himself or Hester in order to defend himslelf. I believe this was unusual of Dimmesdale to say, however, because he had previously been so hard on himself.
Delete1. Dimmesdale seems to be used as the representation of a good person. A good person is not perfect, nor are they evil; they are a balance of both. Dimmesdale has a balance, between his allowing Hester to keep her child and having relations with her in wedlock with another man, as well as between his acceptance of Chillingworth and his immediate condemnation upon hearing he is Hester's husband. Hawthorne used Dimmesdale for a multitude of reasons. In giving him positive and negative attributes, he made him more relatable to the reader. This is a fundamental part of story telling in any medium. If the reader can't relate to the characters, the story will fail. He also gives Dimmesdale polarized traits to show the struggles of being human. This allows him to add a certain volatility that can be used to enhance the story. Hawthorne uses Dimmesdale effectively and efficiently to keep the reader interested.
ReplyDelete2. Dimmesdale believes Chillingworth's need for revenge is more black than his guilt for his actions against Hester because his guilt is internal, a pain against his own actions. Chillingworth's revenge is so immensely more evil than Dimmesdale because it is the hatred of another soul that drives him onward, giving him a certain power that should not be obtained through hate. Dimmesdale's self-loathing is a type of reflection on his actions, a way to make himself better. This is the opposite of Chillingworth's actions. Essentially, Dimmesdale's actions come from a lace of goodness and betterment, where as Chillingworth's actions originate from a place of hatred and lack of self-awareness.
Yes, I completely agree with your points. You explained the differences between Dimmesdale's and Chillingworth's sins very well, nice and easy to read and follow. I especially like the way you pointed out that good people, while good, are not perfect and are still capable of wrongdoings. Very nice.
DeleteHester Prynne is a character with obvious good and bad traits. This young woman committed a great sin, adultery. She also has a hard time coping with the reality that Pearl is truly a child of God. She is always stating how she is an elfish creature. These are clearly her bad traits. Her good ones though include her ability to accept her punishment for committing her sins. She also helps the poor and the townspeople by sewing clothes and other garments. The reason Hawthorne gives her, and many others, good and bad qualities is to show that no one is perfect and the world works in mysterious ways.
ReplyDeleteDimmesdale concluding that Chillingsworth is more evil than him and Hester seems out of context. Dimmesdale has his own sins and issues to take care of. Saying his suffering comes merely from Chillingsworth is a bit out of hand. He has caused himself worry and sickness and although it seems heightened when Chillingsworth is near, it can only be assumed he’s playing the blame onto him and him alone.
I agree with your thoughts. I like how you mentioned that Hester has a hard time coping with the reality of the connection between Pearl and God.
DeleteNathaniel Hawthorne is considered one of the greatest writers in American literature; and rightfully so. He creates both an interesting takes on societal views that are still relevant to this and characters that are complex and 3 dimensional. He does this to remind us that humans are not purely good and not purely evil. Human beings are not perfect and do not act as such. One such example of this in “The Scarlet Letter” is the character of Hester Prynne. Hester Prynne is first presented as no more than a sinful, stubborn creature. It is true, Hester did commit both the sins of adultery and pride. Hester, at first acts like she is unrepentant for her sin. Later we see that she has humbled herself and spends much of her time helping others. She also protects the identity of Roger Chillingworth and warns Dimmesdale about his motives. She is a complex character and her actions show that in the book.
ReplyDeleteDimmesdale claims that Chillingworth is more evil than him and, personally I agree. Dimmesdale sinned and abounded Hester and Pearl, certainly, but Chillingworth has subjected him to torture, which is slowly killing him. That, I think is more cruel than abandoning a person. I believe Dimmesdale believes that Chillingworth is more evil than he is because he is a cowaand trying to compensate for his own shortcomings. He is trying to say, “Hey, I screwed up, but do you want to know who really screwed up? Roger Chillingworth.” Morally, it’s a bad move, but everyone has done it at some point. Again, it shows how complex and realistic the characters are that Hawthorne created.
I personally disagree with your ideology that those who are condemned for their sins should be humble and that Chillingworth is evil. I believe that those who sin should learn from their mistakes and move on with their life, not remain in a constant state of shame. You cannot state that someone is "evil" purely based off of their bad qualities because that isn't how the real world works, it's a mixture between good and bad and because Hawthorne never revealed his good qualities it would be a biased opinion. Overall I couldn't exactly understand your train of thought for your second answer, if someone could help me it would be appreciated.
DeleteJulie, I agree with your opinion to the second question with the information we were provided from the book. We are not provided with many good qualities of Chillingworth, which leads us to think he is the more evil one between him and Dimmesdale. On the contrary, Dimmesdale was given a list of favorable qualities. This leads us to think Chillingworth was more evil. If we had a complete list of the good and bad traits of each character, a more decisive opinion could be made.
Delete1. It is rather easy to agree that Hester Prynne or Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale both resemble good and bad qualities. However, I decided to look at a different candidate to compare these features. Pearl, Hester's daughter, although being a young age, has started to develop as a person and possess her own personality. Within this newly formed personality, Pearl has both good and bad traits. Two good traits would be her willingness to defend her mother and the rumors being spread about her, as well as her perception of certain things that no one else recognizes. Two bad traits would be the disobedience shown in her behavior and the lack of respect she has for people. I believe that the reason why Nathaniel Hawthorne gives both good and bad qualities to all of his characters is so that the readers can easily relate to them. In my perspective, the author is really just mirroring the human population themselves, but at a much larger scale.
ReplyDelete2. In my perspective, Dimmesdale is stating that Chillingworth is more evil than Hester or himself because he wants to free himself of guilt. He wants to lighten his heavy burden and make it seem as if his situation is not the worst situation to be in. In contrast, Chillingworth is certainly not considered innocent, or even less evil than Arthur and Hester, in my opinion. All three are facing their own sin and living through their own punishment, whether that be self-inflicted or publicly condemned.
These are all very good opinions and I agree with all of them. I liked how you chose someone different, Peral, to compare. Very well written.
Delete1. The character that is described as having both good and bad qualities the best is Dimmesdale. Throughout the book the reader is able to see the many different sides of Dimmesdale. One great example of his good qualities would be when he decided that he would allow Hester Prynne to keep her child. This shows that he is a true genuine man are cares for his people. Another excellent example of Dimmesdale’s good qualities would be when he sat in the woods with Hester and talked to her about her experiences with the scarlet letter. With all good things come the bad, and Dimmesdale has shown many of these. In these past couple of chapters we have learned the he not as innocent as everyone thought. He committed to having relations with another women. After he commits to this he then tell Hester that he has questioned the faith. Hathorne does an amazing job to tell the readers about the many sides of Dimmesdale. At the end of this set of chapters Hathorne no longer call Dimmesdale by minister or Mr. Dimmesdale but by his first name Arthur. By Hathorne using both good and bad characteristics to describe Dimmesdale it reveals to the reader the multiple sides of him.
ReplyDelete2.Dimmesdale has confessed to having relationships with a married women, but he stills says that Chillingworth is more guilty the him or Hester. I completely agree with Dimmesdale’s reasoning. Chillingworth has been hiding in the shadows and letting Hester take the brunt of the hit for what he and Hester did. This also falls on Hester, because she let him walk away and choose not to get him involved. Both Heater and Dimmesdale crimes are both great crimes, but I believe Chillingworth’s crime is just a little greater. He had committed a crime and new he was in the wrong but still hid. In today’s world if someone runs from the police it adds to the criminals punishment. This is what Chillingworth did, so I believe that his crime is just that much bigger then Dimmesdale and Hester.
1) Most of the characters in this book have many natures about them, both good and bad. This is how the characters can be relatable to the readers and have a more immersive reading experience. Pearl is one character that has shown many deep traits of herself. She is shown to be strong willed and can do with whatever people think about her. This makes her capable as a person and a good descendant of Hester. She also seems rather intelligent in being inquisitive about the letter and how it may relate to the pastor's clutching of his chest. And she can read a social situation well by seeing some arrangement between Hester and Dimmesdale in the forest when she returned. But she is also shown to be disagreeable with quite a temper whenever she chooses to act out. She doesn't care about what others think, which I said was a strong trait, but it can also be seen to be negative when she disrespects elders or has too much of an opinion. Both good and bad traits are important in people and in characters, instead of being some random, 2-dimensional story, the ups and downs provide human insight into literature to make it feel real.
ReplyDelete2) I definitely agree that Chillingworth has done worse than Dimmesdale and Hester combined. They may have acted out in passion and disregarded the law and god but Chillingworth spent years thinking only of revenge and has been consumed by it. He is shown to be clearly evil and full of malevolence. The reason that Dimmesdale health is declining and not Chillingworth's, since he is more evil, is simply because Chillingworth is that bad, to not even care of what he does. Dimmesdale is tortured by it because he is a good man and truly repents what he has done.
I completely agree with your statement of giving characters qualities good and bad interests the readers. Great job organizing your thoughts and expressing them as well.
DeletePeople are humans, and humans make mistakes. It is nearly, if not entirely, impossible to find someone who has not made a mistake. Mistakes are a part of life, and people should not be completely judged by a single error that they made. For this reason, Nathaniel Hawthorne created his characters to have bad qualities as well as good ones. Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale is one of those characters. There are many great aspects of Dimmesdale’s life that make him a good person. He is a great preacher who inspires through his sermons. He not only works through his words, though. He also works within his community to help the sick and the dying. Although Dimmesdale seems like a great person, he does have his faults. He committed the sin of adultery. By committing this sin while also preaching against it, Dimmesdale became a hypocrite. He knew he should not have done it, but he still committed the sin anyway. Arthur Dimmesdale has many great qualities, but he is a human, and humans make mistakes.
ReplyDeleteDimmesdale believes Roger Chillingworth is more evil than himself and Hester. He believes this to be true because he thought his sin with Hester had a concentration of its own and was done out of passion. According to Dimmesdale, Chillingworth’s sin was committed through cold blood and violated the human heart. Even though Dimmesdale and Hester’s sin was grave, I think Chillingworth is committing a worse crime through his intent to hurt others. Loving your neighbor as yourself is one of the greatest commandments. By investing so much time trying to ruin the life of Dimmesdale, Chillingworth is completely disregarding God’s commandment. I think the intentional crime against Hester and Dimmesdale by Roger is much more evil than the sin that was committed and regretted by the couple.
I agree with a lot of what you said and enjoyed what you had to say about Dimmesdale. I especially agree with you on the fact of Hester and Dimmesdale regretting their sin and Roger Chillingworth knowing hat he was doing with intent.
Delete1. A round character in literature is one possessing many qualities, both good and bad. Nathaniel Hawthorne creates round characters to make the story as realistic as possible. One great example of this type of character is Hester. Hester’s good characteristic include her love for her daughter, and being able to raise Pearl alone to the best of her ability. Another good feat is being able to protect the identities of both men in her life, and not force more problems upon other people. The one obvious flaw of Hester is her infidelity to her husband, which has been the catalyst to the whole story. Another vice of Hester’s is her pride. Many characteristics make up a person and Hawthorne uses many good and bad traits to create his characters.
ReplyDelete2. Dimmesdale believes Chillingworth is more evil than himself because of the varying degree of sins they’re committing. Chillingsworth intends to hurt another person intentionally because of his strife for revenge. Dimmesdale however committed an act of adultery, which is a serious sin, but Chillingworth has suffered no where near as much as the internal pain of Dimmesdale or the external humiliation of Hester. I agree with Dimmesdale, because God is the only being able to seek revenge. Chillingworth is attempting to be a god, a much graver sin than adultery.
Hawthorne gives his characters both good and bad qualities in order to add dimension to them. By giving both good and bad qualities, Hawthorne makes the story realistic and honest. Arthur Dimmesdale is portrayed as a round character in the story. He is forgiving and compassionate. He has forgiven Hester for hiding the truth about her husband, and has continuously been compassionate toward Hester and Pearl. However, he has his share of downfalls. Throughout the story, Dimmesdale has been lying to the townspeople by hiding the truth of his sin. Pearl has asked him to be publicly seen with her, and he has denied it in fear of the people knowing the truth about him. Dimmesdale has also been selfish in a way by allowing Hester to suffer publicly, while he protects his reputation, and allowing Hester to keep his secrets for him.
ReplyDeleteI agree that Chillingworth is more evil that Dimmesdale and Hester. I think Dimmesdale believes this because while Hester and Dimmesdale judge themselves, Chillingworth shows hate toward them. While all three characters have suffered as a result of the affair, Chillingworth has handled it much differently than Hester and Dimmesdale.
I think the way you explained your ideas here was very good. I agree with your response and look forward to seeing what you have to say as the year goes on.
DeleteDimmesdale is a character within this novel that expresses both good and bad traits. He appears to be quite dynamic in various aspects throughout the book. His empathetic acts towards people show that he truly cares about the better well-being of others. For example, when he allowed Hester keep Pearl despite the sin she committed. Dimmesdale also portrays a devoted connection with God and the church. As well, as he is thought highly of by the members of the area. Quite contrary to what was previously mentioned, he is acting like a plaster saint for not practicing what he is preaching. He goes on to talk about how terrible sin is when, quite frankly, he committed sin with a woman who was already coupled. Dimmesdale also acts spineless when he did not confess what he did, but rather allowed Hester take all of the accountability for their joint sin. I personally believe Nathaniel Hawthorne gives the readers these specific sort of characters to show the realities of the world and how everybody has their strengths and weaknesses that make them who they are. No human is perfect.
ReplyDeleteI believe that Dimmesdale is absolutely correct in saying that Chillingworth is more evil than either himself or Hester. Dimmesdale and Hester have the weight of guilt on them for sin, but Chillingworth portrays vulgar acts. It all depends on how they express themselves.
All humans have good and bad traits about them, which help to shape who they are as well as who they will become. For instance, Hester Prynne has both good and bad qualities about her. To start off with the good, from the start of people accusing her of adultery, she silently accepted the blame and did not pin it on anyone else. She did not blame it on her husband who was away and say that she felt abandoned. She did not blame it on the father of the child. Instead, she humbly accepted whatever would come with her actions. This is an admirable quality considering this has been a cause of much chaos throughout history dating back to Adam and Eve, as the blame for original sin went from Adam, to Eve, and finally to the serpent. Hester Prynne is also seen as a loving mother and an example for others to learn from within the community. However, just as all humans, she has also done bad things in her life. Her most prominent deed was adultery against her husband with Mr. Dimmesdale. She had also then proceeded to not tell who Roger Chillingworth was in relation to herself to Mr. Dimmesdale. She allowed Mr. Dimmesdale to suffer from Chillingworth’s need for revenge. I think Hawthorne shows both good and bad qualities to his characters to show that no one is just good or bad. There is always room for change and development in a person’s life.
ReplyDeleteDimmesdale believes Roger Chillingworth is more evil than both himself or Hester. He may think this because he has seen the suffering and regret that Hester as well as himself face with, but only sees the bad of Roger Chillingworth. I think that Hester Prynne and Mr. Dimmesdale have been able to take their experience as well as their mistakes and learn from them, unlike Roger Chillingworth. He was unable to move on from his idea for revenge and has only fallen down more and more into sin. I do not feel that it is my place to judge whether Roger is more or less evil than Dimmesdale and Hester, however I definitely think he is in a difficult and dark situation at this point in the book.
I like how you were able to find specific examples of Hester’s good and bad qualities. I also really enjoyed your outlooks on Chillingworth, Hester, and Dimmesdale; I like how you explained all of their situations separately then related then together.
Delete1. Hester is the character I will use for my examples, as she is the one with the most prominent chacteristics in my eyes. She's has done many good things, caring for her daughter instead of abandoning her, and also thus can be said that it is her love for her child. Another good example of Hester is she tells Dimmesdale about Chillingworth. This, in my mind, shows that she wants to make amends for him, trying to save Dimmesdale for her husband indirectly. This shows that she just wanted to make him understand why he is being tortured by Chillingworth. My two bad examples are that she turns harsh and mean over time and, obviously, her cheating on her husband. Hawthorne makes characters have good and bad quality to make the characters more human-like. He does this so then you can't tell whose the good or bad person in the book, having no really antagonist.
ReplyDelete2. I believe the Chillingworth is an evil person, but not he is worse than Hester or Dimmesdale. To me their all on the same level of evil. Dimmesdale believes this because Chillingworth just out to get him, and he only sees that side of him, not the motive of his torturing. This is an justified stance, yet he can't say that he is any better, and then you get the feel of him being almost idiotic, just immediately blaming Chillingworth, and then Hester after she tells him about Chillingworth.
I like how you said that the antagonist is not known because all characters are balanced with good or evil traits. Also, I did not think about how they are all on the same level of evil. Well done, Anthony.
Delete1. As mentioned in previous blogs, it is impossible to find someone with either all good traits or all bad traits. Although, some people are more lenient towards good, and some to bad. Each character in this book could be talked about in this question because they are all human. I think that Hester is the most suitable because not only in she the main character, but she is a very good example of a person with a mixture of good and bad traits. She is, in some cases, loyal, and she is very strong. The negative aspects include the fact that she buys into Satan's temptations and she tends to follow her sexual desires before thinking.
ReplyDelete2. Chillingworth, Dimmesdale, and Hester have all committed sins, but to say that one sin is worse than another is wrong. Through God's eyes, all sin is evil no matter if it is immortal or mortal sin. The intention if Dimmesdale and Hester's sins were not to hurt anyone or targeted at any specific person. Chillingworth's sins are intended towards making Dimmesdale miserable. He feels bad for what he has done and its tearing him apart, but Chillingworth will not leave him alone. To say that one sin is worse than another , as mentioned before, is wrong, but I do think that one sin could be more preferable than another. In this case, I think that none of the actual people are evil, because if they were, than every human in the whole world would be evil. I would have rather committed the sin of Dimmesdale because i could not live with myself committing a sin that is intended to drive a person completely insane.
That was very smart adding your point in sin through God’s eyes. It opened up a whole new prospective on this topic.
Delete1.Hester Prynne is a well-rounded character because Hawthorne gave her good and bad qualities. Hester’s best two qualities are loyalty to follow through with a plan and reflecting on past mistakes and fixing them. On the other hand, she is not loyal to her husband and has an unquenched sexual drive. Hawthorne gave Hester these qualities to show that she indeed is a human and makes mistakes.
ReplyDelete2. I believe that Dimmesdale is false with his accusation of Chillingworth being more evil than Hester or himself. He is saying this because it is natural for someone to blame somebody else for their wrongdoing. Dimmesdale does not want to accept the fact that his sin with Hester is great, so he tries to comfort himself by blaming Chillingworth. Chillingworth’s methods of trying to reveal Dimmesdale’s sins can be considered abusive. However, Chillingworth is just trying to help Dimmesdale. Dimmesdale can view the methods as evil acts, but he committed adultery with a married woman. I think Dimmesdale needs to own up to what he has done instead of blaming Chillingworth.
Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote the book giving the characters two sides, good and bad. He did this to make his characters believable and real. The people reading the book can relate much more to characters who are similar to themselves. Just Iike any human, Hester has a good side and a not so good side. Her character is good because she is a loving mother who is trying to give her daughter the best under the circumstances. She is also not quick to point the finger at others for her wrong doing. She took ownership and was honest. Speaking of her wrong doings, she has bad qualities as well. The first is that she did commit the sin of adultery. She also has the been in the wrong by making poor decisions after her affair. Nathaniel Hawthorne gives her and other characters good and bad qualities to keep the book realistic and to not make it seem that everyone is perfect. I personally feel he does a great job showing this through the entire book.
ReplyDeleteDimmesdale believes that Chillingworth is evil because he is committing a sin. He is committing sin by trying to drag others down and hurt Hester and Dimmesdale. Chillingworth is committing a worse sin because he is devoting his life to it and he is doing it out of hatred. His intention is to harm others. Hester and Dimmesdale did not intend to hurt anyone. Hester and Dimmesdale made a mistake based off of impulse and love. They also just got caught up in a moment of passion but did not purposefully plan it out like Chillingworth did. Now Hester and Dimmesdale both realize that they made a mistake and have accepted punishment for it. Chillingworth on the other hand is still just trying to ruin the lives of others and he is totally aware of what he is doing. Chillingworth is unforgiving and merciless. This goes against God’s teachings.
Although it was well illustrated that many characters show many signs of good traits as well as bad, one in particular that shows this is Miss Hester Prynne. The first very prominently good trait she holds is the ability to take responsibility for her actions. She committed her sin and received her scarlet letter. She did not deny what she did and act as though she was innocent. She also had the responsibility to stay loyal to raising her daughter and she did that. Hester loved Pearl very deeply. Another good trait she holds is she is incredibly strong. She was constantly ridiculed and reminded in every aspect of the sin committed. Hester did not hide from this, rather, she handled the whole situation gracefully and with great strength. She also remained strong for her daughter which is quite admirable. Although there are good qualities, the bad come hand and hand. That being said it shows how genuine of a person Hester is because we all make mistakes some just more crucial than others. One bad trait is the sin she committed. While being a married woman she had an affair with another man and ultimately having a child. Another bad trait is the ability to be easily persuaded. Hester allows other people to influence her opinion on what is right and wrong.
ReplyDeleteI disagree with Dimmsdale’s accusation that that Chillingsworth is more evil than him or Hester. Dimmsdale came to this conclusion based on the fact that Chillingsworth is obsessed with getting revenge. Although that is indeed true, it is not all that strange for Chillingsworth to this reaction to this situation. Although he is also evil for allowing his anger and wrong doing to get out of control. Dimmsdale and Hester have to be considered more evil I just believe he is trying to alleviate some of his guilt.
I believe that Hester exemplifies a character with good and bad qualities. Her good side is when she chooses not to reveal the name of Pearl’s father, her strength and courage, and her choice to raise Pearl on her own instead of giving her to a Puritan family to raise. However, Hester errs in her initial sin of adulatory and in decision to peruse a relationship with Dimmesdale. Even Pearl senses this might not be such a good idea, and Pearl, seeming to have a better understanding of the world than any other of the characters, is seldom wrong. Hawthorne does a good job of showing this because he shows the character’s whole human character. Humans are not wholly good or wholly evil. That said, Hawthorne formed his characters to get the reader to see both sides of a person- the goodness and the mistakes- as there are two sides to everything.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Dimmesdale’s statement that Chillingworth is more evil than either himself or Hester. Dimmesdale believes this because of Chillingworth’s obsession for vengeance. I agree with Dimmesdale because I believe that someone truly evil has to lack a set of moral values and a conscience. Dimmesdale clearly has both of these things otherwise he wouldn’t feel the guilt. True evil is sneaky, and the fact that Dimmesdale recognized his sin and felt the impact enough to physically debilitate him, means that he cannot be truly evil. Chillingworth deliberately plans out his revenge, causing him to think very little of the evil and harm he has caused, and he doesn’t seem to be bothered by any of his acts. All of the characters have done some degree of evil throughout the book, but Chillingworth is in the most danger of being totally consumed by the evil because he cannot recognize it among his actions.
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ReplyDeleteI believe Hester would be the best person for the good and bad qualities. In the beginning Hester shows off one of her good qualities in protecting the names of the two men. This shows selflessness, and the ability to know when she did something wrong. Hester showed her strength when she was raising Pearl, and even though she was ridiculed by people through the story, she didn’t crumble and fall, she knew what she had to do, and she did just that. Hesters bad qualities is of course the sin. Cheating on a spouse is a terrible thing to do, and unfortunately many people do it in todays world. However Hester was still able to rise above it. I think Hawthorne did this to show us that Hester isn’t so different from us. Nobody can say they are perfect, everyone has sinned, and everyone has some great qualities. This allows us to understand Hester more as a person.
ReplyDeleteI do not agree with Dimmesdale’s statement. I believe he is saying this to make himself feel better, and most everyone tries to shift the blame onto another person. As well as a sin is a sin, all of them committed sins. All of there sins are equal, the sins of one person does not out weigh that of another. I don’t believe that these people are “evil” just because they are sinners. I have sinned, it doesn’t make me evil. We shouldn’t let the bad things we have done define us as a individual.
1.) Dimmesdale is a character with both good and bad traits. Two of his good traits would be that he is forgiving and empathetic. Two of his bad traits that have negatively affected his character would be that he is a coward and he is sinful. There is a reason that the author would give both good and bad traits to his characters. One reason would be that it allows the reader to connect with the characters better. Another reason would be to give them dimension and show that they are not all good or all bad.
ReplyDelete2.) Dimmesdale could be seen as correct in saying that Chillingworth is more evil than himself or Hester. One reason this would be true is because Chillingworth has intent to harm whereas Dimmesdale did not. Dimmesdale’s crime was consensual. However, evil is evil. It works on levels but only in certain situations.
In order for any character to be seen as a real human being, they must have flaws. This is because the reader will not relate to a character without flaws, since the readers themselves have flaws. Due to this, I find Dimmesdale a very relatable character. Thus far in the book, Dimmesdale is a representation of a “good” person. Dimmesdale proves to be a compassionate person when he shows mercy toward Hester when he allows her to keep Pearl, despite her past. He is also a dedicated member of the church. He is thought well of by many people. However, being the lifelike character that he is, he possess some flaws as well. For example, by allowing Hester to keep Pearl he is going against his own teachings. Dimmesdale is also to blame for allowing Hester to be solely blamed for a sin that they both took part in. Furthermore, I believe that the author, Nathaniel Hawthorne, gives both good and bad qualities to his characters to insure that the book would be realistic and the characters would be relatable.
ReplyDeleteDimmesdale has come to believe that Chillingworth is more evil than himself or Hester. Both Dimmesdale and Hester may be portrayed as evil because of their sinful actions, as well as Chillingworth. However, Chilingworth becomes obsessed with the concept of revenge which makes him more dangerous and evil than Dimmesdale and Hester. Although I do believe that Chillingworth may be more evil than Dimmesdale and Hester, I do not think that Dimmesdale came to this belief immediately. I think that Dimmesdale was becoming so overwhelmed with guilt that he believed that if he were able to label someone else “more evil” than himself, then he would feel less guilty.
It is a common belief that there are many good traits along with a few bad traits that make up a string character in a story. Hawethorne reveals both sides of these traits for most of his characters in his story in order to make the reader realize that there can be two completely different sides to a person. He is showing that someone can’t be all good or all evil. Chillingworth is a great character to use as an example for this topic. He has quality good traits such as his care for others and his ability to treat his patients in order to restore their health. However, he has bad traits such as using his work as a way of stalking his patients and by constantly trying to go over his boundaries as a doctor.
ReplyDeleteIt is very evident that Dimmesdale believes that Chillingworth is more evil than Hester Pryne and himself. He most likely makes himself believe this so that he doesn’t have to deal with the guilt any longer. Even if he is only believing this to make his worries go away, I do believe that he is correct in thinking Chillingworth is more evil.