Tools of Characterization

Direct Characterization

Our narrator enjoys summarizing his characters’ motivations frequently, informing us outright about their good traits and their bad traits. He likes to describe their attributes rather than relying on dialogue or action to convey their personalities and desires.

This narrative style of telling rather than showing echoes the way in which biblical parables are told. A character seems less important than the behavior or idea he represents. Hawthorne is fascinated by the relationship of the individual and community to sin. In many ways, his characters struggle with iconic ideas and situations that everyone may encounter at one point or another.

Occupation

In early American Puritan society, every person has a specific job and role in the community. There are no artists, writers, dreamers, or poets. Our narrator references this fact when he wonders, in the preface, what his Puritan ancestors would think of him setting out to write a book. He suspects they would think he was devoting himself to a pointless, frivolous act. In mid-17th century Boston, everyone is expected to contribute to the productivity and efficiency of the community. Let’s examine our characters.

Hester becomes a seamstress, supplying government officials and most of the town with ornate, beautifully crafted garments. Some are horrified and others amazed when they see for the first time the scarlet A she has embroidered for herself. The mastery of the stitching and detail reveals her to be an incredible artist. In her role as town seamstress, Hester shows imagination and creativity – qualities that her fellow townspeople do not value or cultivate in themselves.

Arthur Dimmesdale is a man of God and a spiritual leader of the townspeople. He speaks about the nature of man and of the man’s relationship to God. He is revered by all for the passionate way in which he delivers his sermons, and people look to him as their moral compass. In the eyes of the town, he serves his role in society beautifully. However, we, the readers, know that he is not truthful and that he has committed adultery. In the eyes of the community, Dimmesdale is the moral opposite of Hester Prynne, but in reality, he has sinned greatly. Looks can be deceiving.

We wish it were as easy for us to become doctors as it is for Roger Chillingworth. Then again, it probably wouldn’t be so good to have pseudo-doctors parading around, relying on extensive knowledge of medicine gained through Grey’s Anatomy and House. Roger Chillingworth is a rich old man who has spent a long time with Native Americans (possibly the Massachusetts or Pawtucket people). He arrives in Boston one day and informs the townspeople that he is a doctor. They believe him, and he immediately finds a place in society. His occupation, like Dimmesdale’s, conceals a secret. Chillingworth both heals and harms.