In his defining work The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne writes a story based upon an act of adultery between Hester Prynne and Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale. Rather than merely writing a story about adultery, however, Hawthorne uses symbolism in the form of a reference to another famous act of adultery in order to present an even bigger issue about his contempt for Puritan punishment. Hawthorne writes … Continue reading Puritan Punishment: Chillingworth as Hawthorne’s Prophet