The Scarlet Letter Characters: Hester Prynne, Pearl, Dimmesdale and Chillingworth
Four people tied together by one secret
On the first page of the story, all four of the novel's central people stand within a few yards of each other in the Boston market square. Only one of them knows the full truth, and she is not telling.
Over seven years the secret shapes each of them differently: one grows stronger, one wastes away, one turns cold, and one child sees through it all.
The four main characters are Hester Prynne, who wears the scarlet A; her daughter Pearl; Arthur Dimmesdale, Pearl's father, an admired young orator who keeps their secret; and Roger Chillingworth, Hester's husband, who returns in disguise to find and punish him.
Each of them is defined by what they reveal and what they hide.
Hester Prynne
Hester is beautiful, proud and strong. Instead of hiding the A, she embroiders it in gold thread so it shines. She lives apart, supports herself with needlework and quietly nurses the sick and poor until, years later, many people say the A stands for Able. She is one of the first great heroines in American literature, a woman who accepts punishment without accepting the town's judgement of her.
↑ Back to the topPearl
Pearl is Hester's daughter, named because she was bought at great price, and she is unlike any other child in Boston: wild, quick, beautiful and sometimes unsettling. She is endlessly curious about the A and the man who keeps his hand over his heart. She is both a real child and a living symbol of her mother's choice, and her refusal to accept anything less than the truth drives the ending.
↑ Back to the topArthur Dimmesdale
Dimmesdale is the town's beloved young orator, gentle and brilliant, adored by everyone who hears him. Unable to confess, he lets Hester suffer alone while his guilt consumes him. He grows thin and ill, punishes himself in private and often presses a hand over his heart. His public confession at the end is both his ruin and, in Hawthorne's eyes, his freedom.
↑ Back to the topRoger Chillingworth
Hester's husband is an older scholar who sent her ahead to the colony and was captured on his way. He arrives on the day of her public shaming, hides his identity and becomes the town's physician. He settles beside Dimmesdale, gains his trust and slowly tortures him with suspicion and hints. Revenge hollows him out until, once Dimmesdale dies, he has nothing left and dies soon after.
↑ Back to the topGovernor Bellingham and Mistress Hibbins
Governor Bellingham, a real historical figure, represents the colony's authority; he considers taking Pearl from Hester until Dimmesdale speaks up for her. His sister, Mistress Hibbins, is rumoured to meet with witches in the forest and keeps inviting Hester to join them. She was a real person too, and Hawthorne notes that she was later executed as a witch.
↑ Back to the topWho hides what
| Character | Secret | How they end |
|---|---|---|
| Hester Prynne | Who Pearl's father is, and who her husband is | Returns to Boston, respected |
| Pearl | None; she sees through everyone | Inherits a fortune and marries abroad |
| Arthur Dimmesdale | That he is Pearl's father | Confesses and dies |
| Roger Chillingworth | His true identity | Dies within a year |
| Governor Bellingham | No great secret | Remains in power |
| Mistress Hibbins | Said to meet witches in the forest | Later executed as a witch |
More about The Scarlet Letter
Books Like The Scarlet Letter
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The Picture of Dorian GrayOscar Wilde
Wuthering HeightsEmily BrontëThis guide discusses the whole plot, including the ending.