"The Scarlet Letter" Quote #1

While I began reading “The Scarlet Letter” by Nathaniel Hawthorne, I came across a quote that reminded me of many other real life situations. At the point in the story where I found this quote, a sort of debate was taking place about Hester Prynne and the A stitched into her clothing. Someone stated that Hester could simply hide the letter under a broach. ‘“let her cover the mark as she will, the pang of it will be always in her heart.” After reading this I thought about the many things that people around us try to hide. Whether it’s a crime that was previously committed, a hidden physical feature, or a simple secret; many of us have one thing or another that we try to keep private. Nothing is wrong with keeping your own privacy; it’s that just because no one else knows your secret, doesn’t mean that your guilt and regret won’t exist.

Although I definitely have not committed adultery, I can think of more than a few situations that can relate to this quote. Just about everyone makes mistakes here and there. Even though it’s not exactly something to share, you can still feel the guilt or regret inside. In Hester’s case however, the whole town has seen her scarlet letter. After everyone knows about the crime she had committed then there’s no point in hiding anything. It would be more trouble to try to hide something that everyone knows is there.