Deceitfulness in The Scarlet Letter and The Catcher in...

The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, and The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger, both are books relating to the alienation of an individual wanting to fit into society. In the Scarlet Letter, the protagonists, Hester Prynne and Reverend Dimmesdale have committed adultery which is a sin unacceptable in the Puritan Society. Hester is married to Chillingworth, the strange doctor who is out for revenge. Pearl is born to Hester, as an outcome of their sin however Hester does not reveal who the father is. She is obligated to wear the letter â€Å"A† on her chest, as Dimmesdale lives through his life remaining silent. In the book, Hawthorne shows the interactions of these characters and the reaction of these characters to Hester’s sin. In The†¦show more content†¦(Insert quote). Hester also does not believe that what she did was a sin since her and Chillingworth were never really married because they did not love each other. She even tells Chillingworth, â₠¬Å"thou knowest that I was drank with thee. I felt no love, nor feigned any†. This is hypocritical of Hester because she says she did not commit a sin but yet she wears the scarlet letter without a fight. If she hasn’t committed a sin, why wear it? In addition, Hester says to him, â€Å"What we did had a consecration of its own. We felt it so† (Hawthorne __). Chillingworth asks Hester not to reveal his identity to anyone and Hester agrees but she says she says she loves Dimmesdale (Hawthorne __). Thus, Hester could be blamed responsible for Dimmesdale’s pain caused by Chillingworth because if she truly did love Dimmesdale, she would have warned Dimmesdale about who Chillingworth really is to begin with. Arthur Dimmesdale, the minister with whom Hester committed adultery with, is looked upon as a sinless man. Kenneth Pimple, in his article â€Å"Subtle, but Remorseful Hypocrite†, he examines Dimmesdale’s actions throughout the book and discusses how Dimmesdale’s status in his community is advantageous to him. In the beginning of the book, Hester is put on a scaffold where she is asked to reveal the name of her partner. Dimmesdale is the one who tries to convince her by asking â€Å"what can thy silence do for him, except it tempt him†¦ as it were to add hypocrisy