Essential Traits Portrayed

'Sin', guilt, pride, and secrecy are the standout human traits portrayed throughout the Scarlet Letter, each one having positive and negative effects on the characters. One scene that stood out in particular, and is crucial to the entire plot of the story, is written on the very first few pages. This scene takes place at the town jail where Hester is being pressured to confess. This tense scene introduces the main characters. There is Reverend Master Dimmesdale, Hester herself, Hester's baby, Pearl, and all of the townspeople that, as a whole, make up quite a powerful character. Hester committed a sin, and her first punishment is embarrassment. Hester does not confess, and the only result from the public humiliation is to spark gossip amongst the spectators. "People say that the Reverend Master Dimmesdale, her godly pastor, takes it very grievously to heart that such a scandal should have come upon his congregation"(Hawthorne, 63), says an 'autumnal matron'. Little does anybody know that their reverend is being both deceitful and sinful, little better than Hester herself. 

This scene grabbed my attention because of the mystery of who Dimmesdale really is (readers find out later), and the lies and secrecy. Overall, this scene was a good introduction to all of the negative human traits portrayed by most of the main characters, and was an exciting beginning.