One of the major themes of Nathaniel Hawthorne's “The Scarlet Letter” is the idea of ​​the public self versus the private self. This leitmotif encompasses much more than the idea of ​​an individual against society; it also contains the themes of hidden thoughts versus outspoken speech, of remaining true to oneself versus meeting social expectations, and of freedom through self-realization versus restriction through self-denial. The story develops three characters who represent different schools of thought regarding the contrast between the public and private self. Understanding the mindset and approaches of each of these characters, as well as how they reconcile their two personalities, is essential to discerning Hawthorne's message. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay The first character, Hester Prynne, has the most consistency between her public and private persona. From the opening of the book to the closing, his public image reflects his private thoughts and actions. Having already disappointed society's expectations, she is selfless, reserved, and free to think about life in unorthodox ways. In the public sphere, she does not retaliate against the masses' disparaging opinions of her or try to change their feelings; rather, it accepts people, ideas, and attitudes at face value. She behaves the same way in private. This aspect of Hester's character is seen in her relationships with Pearl, Dimmesdale, and Chillingworth. First, Hester does not impose severe restrictions on Pearl; she usually lets her daughter do what she wants. Hester only steps in to correct Pearl when she thinks her daughter is behaving inappropriately. Hester takes Pearl literally and acts accordingly in response; she does not attempt to rule Pearl to produce a desired result. This aspect of Hester reveals that she is not the type of person to dogmatically assert her own beliefs and opinions about others. She is content to accept the world and the people around her as they are and make the best of it, regardless of her feelings. This approach to life can be seen in her public persona when she willingly submits to her punishment of wearing the ignominious scarlet letter: accepting her fate and society's view. She doesn't necessarily agree with them, but she is willing to put her own emotions aside to appease others. This desire to appease others can also be noted in the considerable amount of time Hester spent caring for the marginalized in society. Hester's private behavior with Dimmesdale is different from that in public, but she still remains true to herself in both scenarios. His thinking is the same; however, she expresses her opinions in private while keeping them silent in public. Publicly, she does not try to influence Dimmesdale one way or the other while redemption is sought for his transgressions: she leaves him alone. In private, however, she shared her concerns and suggestions with him. Hester's approach is governed by her desire to appease Dimmesdale. She sees that Dimmesdale does not want to discuss their affair in front of the community, so she remains taciturn. However, when she sees his private troubles, she follows suit by talking to him about it privately. This further demonstrates Hester's kind, reserved, and tolerant nature: both covertly and publicly. Even with her abhorred husband, Roger Chillingworth, Hester displays a certain degree of submissiveness and selflessness. She respects Chillingworth's request not to reveal her true identity.identity to the public. The only time she confronts him in private is to ask him to stop torturing Dimmesdale. Even this action had nothing to do with Hester's earlier distaste for Chillingworth; it was simply to ameliorate Dimmesdale's suffering. This once again shows Hester's desire to appease people. The character of Hester is a testament to the good that comes from remaining true to yourself, regardless of the context. In public, she appeases the people by honoring their punishment and helps them by caring for the sick and making clothes. In private, she always strives to soothe and help others. By remaining true to herself and not hesitating between two distinct modi operandi, covertly and overtly, she achieves the greatest level of enlightenment and redemption of any of Hawthorne's characters. The character of Roger Chillingworth demonstrates the atrocities that occur when a person's public self is completely divergent and illegitimate to their private self. He presents himself as a kind old man who is there to help the town with its illnesses, namely Dimmesdale's Disease. Yet, in private, it is an evil angel of death who is there to twist the knife already placed in Dimmesdale's heart. In public, he gives the impression of being concerned about Dimmesdale's state of health and wanting to improve it; he seems unaware of the exact cause of Dimmesdale's suffering. This public display is completely fraudulent. Privately, Chillingworth knows that Dimmesdale is Hester's lover, and that the only reason the vengeful old man helps the young reverend is to increase Dimmesdale's suffering. Vengeance is the poison that permeates all of Chillingworth's actions. However, he hides these motivations from the city. This concealment of his private self from the outside world transforms his initial desire for reconciliation and his justified anger into an unhealthy and corrupt animosity. Hester confronts Chillingworth about this, but Chillingworth denies the opportunity to end the downward spiral, which marks his full transformation into villainy. Perhaps if Chillingworth had made his identity and intentions known to the public, he could have stopped his personal rage before it consumed him. Dimmesdale's character is defined by his piety; it is its greatest asset, and yet it is its undoing. His affair with Hester, in his mind, forever shattered his own sense of piety and righteousness. However, he moves away from his new assessment of himself and still participates in a reverend's religious activities. This alone constitutes a gap between private self-esteem and public image. Furthermore, by vaguely telling the public that he is indeed a sinner, the population worships him more. This creates an even starker contrast between Dimmesdale's public image and his own private view of himself, giving him the idea that his private self is the truer and more confidential side. Ergo, when he decides that he must declare and atone for his sins, he chooses to do so in a private setting. His own judgment then becomes impaired because he is only exposed to his own perspective and biases, without any empathy or alternative advice from anyone else. Because Dimmesdale has rejected all public opinions about him as false and uneducated, the alternative view that Hester ultimately presents to him with guarantees of no credibility. Although Dimmesdale is somewhat consistent because he acts miserably in public and in private, and says he is a sinner in both contexts, the two carry different weight in his mind. Dimmesdale's character shows that it is not enough to act the same way in private and in public; it is also necessary to balance and enhance the..