The Scarlet Letter

A great deal of blood has been shed and many wars have been fought during the history of civilization; however, man’s greatest battle and most formidable enemy is only himself. This has been made only more evident with the passage of time and the development of the human character. However, one factor that has remained constant in the human character through this development is conscience. Conscience can be man’s saving grace or his …

…s change from merely feeling the pains of his human weakness while being interviewed, to his attempts at relieving his pain through scourging, fasting, and vigils, to his ultimate acceptance of the truth at the final scaffold scene, Nathaniel Hawthorne succeeds in showing that redemption can be achieved through truth alone; complete atonement comes only with complete truth. This is universal – for all men – who possibly will, through the truth, finally conquer themselves. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ **Bibliography**