The Scarlet Letter Blog 6: Love
The ideology of love in the novel “The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne is very subdued. An act of adultery was what caused such commotion in the book, but was their acts truly out of love, or just physical attraction? Towards the middle to end of the book Hester meets Dimmesdale in the woods and after such discussion and and an encounter with Chillingsworth, you see where Hester’s love stands. She tells Chillingsworth that she never really loved him, and he is crushed. She then confesses to Dimmesdale Chillingsworth true identity as Hester’s husband, which brings logical reasoning to the fact the Dimmesdale has been getting worse and realizes he was being tortured and guilted into his secret more than usual because of Chillingsworth’s presence. All facts aside, where was Hester’s love before all this? It is evident for 7 years she has focused on Pearl, and after Dimmesdale and Hester plan to run away together she has love for him. But even before then, did she mean what she said about never loving her husband? They say when you cheat on your loved one you do not truly love them, just merely in love with the idea of being in love. If that is the case, she did not love her husband, but did she love Chillingoworth? Hester is not heartless, she is capable of love, we see it with how she acts towards the poor and sick. But where is her love placed? Did she ever truly love?
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