『주홍글자』에 나타난 종교와 도덕과의 관계

Abstract

The objective of this paper is to analyze religious and moral sense in Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter. Nathaniel Hawthorne succeeds in analyzing the sense of guilt in the human mind through his puritan religion and sense of morality. As Hawthorne had been educated in religious tradition of Puritanism, he was interested in morality, religious faith and the human will.He sets three characters on the stage and is interested in religious perspective. Hawthorne's main material is the psychology of guilt and the ethics of the Calvinistic life in New England. He believes that love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who mistreat you. Three distinct kinds of religious sin can be isolated in The Scarlet Letter.Hester Prynne commits the sin of adultery with minister Dimmesdale, and she repents her sins. She is forced to wear an 'A' on her breast as a sign of an adulteress. She heartily tries to overcome her sufferings. Finally, she has changed the meaning of adultery into that of an angel. Dimmesdale didn't confess himself as guilty. His moral cowardice results in his sufferings. Eventually, he confesses his sin on the scaffold and dies. Even though he confesses late, he also reaches his redemption. Hawthorne regards Roger Chillingworth as the embodiment of malice. Chillingworth transformed himself into a devil and an 'Unparadonable sinner'. He broke away from nature's providence. Finally, he can also receive salvation by repentance. In conclusion, Hawthorne, in The Scarlet Letter, illustrates that people are forced to take their right step because they have original sin.