The Scarlet Letter Isolation Theme Book Review Reflection

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The Scarlet Letter Isolation Theme Reflection
Isolation is a perennial topic in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s masterpiece, ‘The Scarlet Letter.’ It is conveyed in both external and internal forms and happens to all four of the masterpieces’ protagonists Pearl, Dimmesdale, Chillingworth, and Hester. Hester enters the village alone; from what I extrapolate, the loneliness Hester experienced throughout her life caused her to begin an affair with Dimmesdale. Equally, Dimmesdale’s unusual upbringing, sophistication and intelligence distinguished him from other villagers. In efforts to have a reputable life in a place so unfitting, Dimmesdale utilizes his talent to successfully direct the flock while also leading a double-life as Hester’s lover. Dimmesdale’s lies, evident to him and Hester, further isolate him from self-deprecation and guilt. Eventually, he informs Hester their love is doomed, and he will perish alone, without Hester. This act seals Hester and Dimmesdale’s spiritual fate in perpetual isolation.
Chillingworth’s story is one of an intelligent, older intellectual whose love and yearning for knowledge isolated him from society. He realized not how uncanny asking for Hester’s hand in marriage was while back in England. Chillingworth’s presumed demise on his travel to Boston was the gateway which led Hester to love Dimmesdale and consequently brought forth her disgrace and ignominy. Stemming from Hester’s actions and her sad notoriety towards Pearl’s birth, Chillingworth enters the settlement in anonymity, living alone, engulfed with a vengeance. Amusingly, the isolation in Dimmesdale’s and Chillingworth’s lives unifies them in an unlikely relationship, one where Dimmesdale acts as Chilling...