Irony in the Scarlet Letter: Unmasking Hypocrisy and Destruction

Introduction

The work of fiction, The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, shows the combination of a violently utopian society throughout the novel to establish the corruption of the Puritan lifestyle located in Boston. The author illustrates how the community overpowers individuals due to their lack of ability to stand within the Puritan religion. In an ironic and skeptical tone, Hawthorne addresses a universal audience to take notice of societal judgments and how keeping one’s wrongdoing a secret and away from everyone can lead to a negative effect on the person.

The Irony of Dimmesdale: A Hypocritical Confession

Hawthorne presents his message of how hypocrisy and destruction can affect an individual through the use of situational irony, Hawthorne grabs the reader’s attention by providing irony to signify the results of hiding secrets away from society throughout the novel. The author characterizes Dimmesdale as the highest example of the Puritan faith and a kind man who genuinely cares for his people. He was a person of very “striking aspect” and “melancholy eyes,” expressing his delicate appearance. As Dimmesdale commits the act of adultery, he comes to the realization that he is the cause of Hester Prynne’s public punishment and her societal dismissal. The hypocrisy lies within Dimmesdale, hiding from his sin but expounding on Hester’s sin. The author’s assertion focuses on hypocritical action from a superior person to uncover how corrupt the community is. The irony is seen through a sought-to-be “true priest” who hides his secrets from his congregation and exposes someone else. Dimmesdale then becomes the person he says not to become. This presents how unreliable the people of the Puritan society are, no matter their status. “I am most miserable,” claims Dimmesdale to Hester.

Scaffold of Irony: Dimmesdale’s Self-Flagellation

When Dimmesdale climbs the scaffold, this is an example of irony because he is pleading for forgiveness. He feels that if he cries out his sins, he will be saved, and everything can go back to normal. The author provided this to exemplify how committing a “crime” reveals psychological stress and changes an individual’s mindset. To remove his guilt and remorse, punishment came in an act and took a toll on his life and as a person. He suffers through starvation and whipping himself to death to attempt to feel better. The priest is also involved in fasting, and this is ironic due to the reason behind it. Unlike other Puritans who fast to “purify the body and render it,”

Ironic Punishments: Symbolizing Mental Struggles

Dimmesdale does not do this out of worship but to punish himself. Long nights of hallucinations and visions changed him mentally and physically. The author mentions the ironic punishments from Dimmesdale in order to make notice of how hiding sin from those who look up to someone in the Puritan world can destroy one’s being. The irony also shows that Dimmesdale struggles with the difficulty of matching his appearance to his reality; therefore, society deals with those who lie and hide behind doors.

References:

1. Hawthorne, N. (1850). The Scarlet Letter. Ticknor, Reed, and Fields.

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