Written by Armando Canales
“‘Look your last on the scarlet letter and its wearer!’—the people’s victim and life-long bond-slave, as they fancied her, might say to them. ‘Yet a little while, and she will be beyond your reach! A few hours longer, and the deep, mysterious ocean will quench and hide for ever the symbol which ye have caused to burn upon her bosom!’ Nor were it an inconsistency too improbable to be assigned to human nature, should we suppose a feeling of regret in Hester’s mind, at the moment when she was about to win her freedom from the pain which had been thus deeply incorporated with her being. Might there not be an irresistible desire to quaff a last, long, breathless draught of the cup of wormwood and aloes, with which nearly all her years of womanhood had been perpetually flavored? The wine of life, henceforth to be presented to her lips, must be indeed rich, delicious, and exhilarating, in its chased and golden beaker; or else leave an inevitable and weary languor, after the lees of bitterness wherewith she had been drugged, as with a cordial of intensest potency” (Hawthorne 250).
Nathaniel Hawthorne employs various types of figurative language in The Scarlet Letter, with the intention of articulating the sentiments Hester harbors about her remaining time in Boston as an outcast. The incongruous nature of Hester’s emotions displays her internal battle between the human desire for freedom and her instinct to preserve a vital part of her identity.
Hester, the living embodiment of the societal taboo of adultery, adopts the stigma associated with her crime. The punishment inflicted upon her by Puritan society enforces propriety within the rest of the community. In doing this service, she is a “life-long bond-slave” (Hawthorne 250). The diction of the word “slave” emphasizes how Hester is bound to her life of torment and humiliation by societal rules (250). Considering the Puritanical society, Hester’s punishment is both derided and embraced. The government officials penalize Hester with the Scarlet letter, publicizing her sin and subjecting her to further degradation by the public, effectively making her the “people’s victim” (250). The diction of the word “victim” accentuates how, despite her crime, the corruption lies within society rather than the prosecuted (250). This diction furthers Hester’s characterization, as it elucidates the struggle of her life in Boston; Hester is simultaneously detached from and ostracized by the public, both a “bond-slave” to Puritan values and a “victim” to its repercussions (250). It is this pain, accumulated over the span of seven years, that manifests into triumph as Hester stands in the crowd awaiting the procession. She is inspired by her and Mr. Dimmesdale’s prior plans to abandon their torturous lives in Boston and sail to Europe through the “deep, mysterious” ocean, that will “quench and hide” the scarlet letter that “burns” upon her chest (250). Hawthorne’s use of diction through the words “deep” and “mysterious” denote the sense of adventure that couples with the notion of running away, starting anew, and looking into the face of uncertainty (250). The juxtaposition of the “quench[ing]” and “hid[ing]” of the letter, after seven years of it “burn[ing]” on Hester’s chest, emphasizes the sudden solace available to her (250). The letter on her chest “burns” with shame and public humiliation while the life ahead of her promises to “quench” her pain and hide the letter from the judging eyes of others (250). This contributes to the plot of the novel, as it is this driving force that both gives Hester hope and serves as the opposing force to Hester’s resistance of change and instinct to preserve her identity.
Despite her human desire to escape her torturous life in Boston, Hester harbors feelings of “regret”, and a desire to take one last drink from the “cup of wormwood and aloes”, one she has been drinking for the past seven years (250). In this metaphor, Hester’s agony is analogized to a bitter drink, one that has flavored her life in Boston. Through this metaphor, Hester reveals her desire to take one last, long drink from the excruciating life she has lived. This desire contrasts human instinct to avoid pain and torment; however, Hester dubiously accepts relief and is hesitant to abandon a part of her identity. The very pain she tries to escape is “deeply incorporated with her being”, showing how mentally scared she is from her ostracization and how the scarlet letter becomes a vital part of who she is (250). Just as Hester’s pain is compared to a bitter drink, her promised life is compared to wine. The “wine of life” metaphor highlights the extravagance and grandeur of the promised life ahead of her. The diction of the “golden” beaker in which the wine of life is served further illustrates the splendor of the life she wishes to live. The juxtaposition between the “wine of life” and the bitterness of the drink she has consumed for so long reveals the possibility of an “inevitable and weary languor”, as Hester feels that a sudden change in lifestyle, whether negative or beneficial, could leave her debilitated and worn out (250). Hester’s anticipation of “languor” characterizes her human resistance to change; though it is within human instinct to desire freedom from torment, Hester finds a part of herself resisting this beneficial change (250).
The simile in the last sentence of the passage compares the bitterness that has “drugged” Hester with a “cordial of intensest potency”, or a strong alcohol (250). This simile analogizes Hester’s desire to sip the torment of her old life to the desires of an addict, furthering her characterization. Though she understands that her life in Boston proffers nothing but torture, her instinct to preserve her identity and her resistance to change institute a craving for the bitterness, just as an alcoholic might be tempted for a sip of alcohol. Similarly, just as an alcoholic might undergo withdrawal after abandoning alcohol, Hester anticipates a “languor” after leaving her old life of anguish behind her (250). This simile contributes to the theme that often times, one may integrate one’s identity with one’s lifestyle, thus making it difficult to alter one’s way of life. Hester’s undeniable addiction to her old life, composed of her resistance to change and instinct of preservation, are conveyed through Hawthorne’s utilization of figurative language in the above passage, effectively revealing her internal conflict and mental trauma.
Armando Canales is from Manila, Philippines. He considers himself well-read and can speak in 4 languages. He writes a considerable amount for his friend’s company’s social media platforms. He is 17 years old.
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