FREE ESSAY ON THE SCAFFOLDING OF SIN

THE SCAFFOLDING OF SIN

THE SCAFFOLDING OF SIN
For thousands of years, humans have confronted their sinfulness. Some trust in their
religious faith to help with their struggles, some sin more to hide the truth. But in the
end, man must stand alone - as a sinful creature before God. In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The
Scarlet Letter, Dimmesdale has a difficult time finding a place to relieve his sin. The
Scarlet Letter's scaffold is a place for the protagonist to find peace with himself.
That scaffold holds more importance than just somewhere to condemn prisoners. It is the
one place where Dimmesdale felt liberated to say anything he wishes. In Puritan culture,
the scaffold is used to humiliate and chastise prisoners, be it witches at the stake,
thieves in the stocks, or a murderer hanging from the gallows. In The Scarlet Letter, the
scaffold was viewed more as a place of judgement. "Meagre ... was the sympathy that a
transgressor might look for, from such bystanders, at the scaffold." (p. 63) Indeed, it
was used for castigation, but it was also a place of trial: Hester's trial was held at
the scaffold. Standing upon the platform opens oneself to God and to the world. "They
stood in the noon of that strange and solemn splendor, as if it were the light that is to
reveal all secrets, and the daybreak that shall unite all who belong to one another." (p.
186) Being on the scaffold puts oneself in a feeling of spiritual nakedness- where you
feel exposed to God, but cleansed. It was the one place where Dimmesdale could find
complete reconciliation.
Witnessing such an event as reconciliation is quite a fascinating experience. But without
knowing what is going on, it can also be quite horrifying. "Without any effort of his
will, or power to restrain himself, he [Dimmesdale] shrieked aloud: an outcry that went
pealing through the night, and was beaten back from one house to another, and
reverberated from the hills in the background; as if a company of devils, detecting so
much misery and terror in it, had made a plaything of the sound, and were bandying it to
and fro." (pp. 178-9) Indeed, the townsfolk felt the latter. "Drowsy slumberers mistook
the cry either for something frightful in a dream, or for the noise of witches."(p. 179)
They did not understand that this was his reconciliation. Both Governor Bellingham and
Mistress Hibbens had awoken to the frightful sound and looked from their house in
investigation. When they perceived it was the Reverend in another of his midnight vigils
rather than a cry for help, they stumbled right back to their sleeping chambers. Along
with this inquisitive attention from onlookers, came the looks of disdain, from
Chillingworth and others. "Smiling on her [Hester]; a smile which -- across the wide and
bustling square, and through all the talk and laughter, and various thoughts, moods, and
interests of the crowd -- conveyed secret and fearful meaning." (p. 284) Chillingworth
might of had other plans, but after hearing what Dimmesdale had to say, Chillingworth
thrust himself to his knees and admit defeat.
Although he was a sick man, Dimmesdale's struggle was not for life, but for repentance.
In fact, his mental anguish of sin is what had caused his illness. Dimmesdale would spend
some nights scourging himself, just himself and a whip-like punishment device. He felt it
critical to admit his sin to himself and to his community and brethren "... The Reverend
Mr. Dimmesdale turned to the dignified and venerable rulers; to the holy ministers, ...
as knowing that some deep life-matter -- which, if full of sin, ... was now to be laid
open to them." (pp. 306) This act of declaring his sin is one step closer to salvation.
The scaffold provides a perfect venue to stand before God with everything before oneself.
Dimmesdale stood before God and his community and chose to "sink upon the scaffold.
Hester partly raised him, and supported his head against her bosom. Old Roger
Chillingworth knelt down beside him, with a blank, dull countenance, out of which the
life seemed to have departed. (p. 308) On the scaffold, Dimmesdale openly brought his sin
to light and felt restored.