Sin, Knowledge, and the Human Condition

Sin and knowledge are linked in the Judeo-Christian tradition. The Bible begins with the story of Adam and Eve, who were expelled from the Garden of Eden for
eating from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. As a result of their knowledge, Adam and Eve are made aware of their humanness, that which separates them
from the divine and from other creatures. Once expelled from the Garden of Eden, they are forced to toil and to procreatetwo labors that seem to define the
human condition. The experience of Hester and Dimmesdale recalls the story of Adam and Eve because, in both cases, sin results in expulsion and suffering. But
it also results in knowledgespecifically, in knowledge of what it means to be human. For Hester, the scarlet letter functions as her passport into regions where
other women dared not tread, leading her to speculate about her society and herself more boldly than anyone else in New England. As for Dimmesdale, the
burden of his sin gives him sympathies so intimate with the sinful brotherhood of mankind, so that his heart vibrate[s] in unison with theirs. His eloquent and
powerful sermons derive from this sense of empathy. Hester and Dimmesdale contemplate their own sinfulness on a daily basis and try to reconcile it with their
lived experiences. The Puritan elders, on the other hand, insist on seeing earthly experience as merely an obstacle on the path to heaven. Thus, they view sin as a
threat to the community that should be punished and suppressed. Their answer to Hesters sin is to ostracize her. Yet, Puritan society is stagnant, while Hester
and Dimmesdales experience shows that a state of sinfulness can lead to personal growth, sympathy, and understanding of others. Paradoxically, these qualities
are shown to be incompatible with a state of purity.
But Hester Prynne, with a mind of native courage and activity, and for so long a period not merely estranged, but outlawed, from society, had habituated
herself to such latitude of speculation as was altogether foreign to the clergyman. She had wandered, without rule or guidance, in a moral wilderness. . . .
The scarlet letter was her passport into regions where other women dared not tread. Shame, Despair, Solitude! These had been her teachers,stern and
wild ones,and they had made her strong, but taught her much amiss.
These are the narrators reflections at the beginning of Chapter 18, A Flood of Sunshine. The quotation concerns the theme of sin and knowledge that
is so central to The Scarlet Letter. Over the course of their first significant conversation in many years, Hester and Dimmesdale decide to run away to
Europe together. The minister is still in a state of shock, but Hester accepts their decision with relative equanimity. One result of her sin has been her
profound alienation from societyshe has been forced into the role of philosopher. Although the narrator tries to claim that her speculations have led
her amiss, it is clear from his tone that he admires her intellectual bravery. It is deeply ironic, too, that it is her punishment, which was intended to
help her atone and to make her an example for the community, that has led her into a moral wilderness devoid of rule or guidance. Finally, this
passage is a good example of the eloquent, high-flown yet measured style that the narrator frequently adopts when considering the moral or
philosophical ramifications of a situation.
But there was a more real life for Hester Prynne here, in New England, than in that unknown region where Pearl had found a home. Here had been her sin;
here, her sorrow; and here was yet to be her penitence. She had returned, therefore, and resumed,of her own free will, for not the sternest magistrate of
that iron period would have imposed it,resumed the symbol of which we have related so dark a tale. Never afterwards did it quit her bosom. But . . . the
scarlet letter ceased to be a stigma which attracted the worlds scorn and bitterness, and became a type of something to be sorrowed over, and looked upon
with awe, and yet with reverence, too.
This passage, which appears in the novels final chapter, concludes the books examination of the theme of individual identity in the face of social
judgments. After many years absence, Hester has just returned to her former home. She resumes wearing the scarlet letter because her past is an
important part of her identity; it is not something that should be erased or denied because someone else has decided it is shameful. What Hester
undergoes is more akin to reconciliation than penitence. She creates a life in which the scarlet letter is a symbol of adversity overcome and of
knowledge gained rather than a sign of failure or condemnation. She assumes control of her own identity, and in so doing she becomes an example for
others. She is not, however, the example of sin that she was once intended to be. Rather, she is an example of redemption and self-empowerment.