Nathaniel Hawthorne resisted the idea that humanity had divine potential and recognized the reality of evil. Hawthorne believed that every society needed to have a prison and a cemetery: “The founders of a new colony, whatever utopia of human virtue and happiness they might originally project, have invariably recognized among their first practical necessities that of assigning a portion of the virgin soil as a cemetery, and another portion as a place of prison” (2331). He thought that people were naturally evil and sinned, so a prison was needed to keep evil people and influence away from society. Hawthorne's beliefs are seen in The Scarlet Letter. The recurring theme of “the power of darkness” and the unequal balance between transcendental and puritanical views are evident throughout the novel. “The Power of Darkness” brings out the sin and worst in all of us, including the people we least expect to be. bad. In The Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne and the minister, Arthur Dimmesdale, have secret meetings that lead to an affair in the forest. From their relationship a child is born. Because Hester is the mother, she cannot hide the fact that she is the child's mother or that she has had an affair and is punished with prison and a scarlet letter pinned to her chest that she must wear for the rest of her life. . However, the minister's sin remains a secret. Although Hester and Dimmesdale's love and passion are natural compared to Hester and Chillingworth's relationship, an arranged marriage to a much older man, their love and relationship is still a sin. The sins of Hester and Dimmesdale bring out the darkness and evil in others. people starting with Dr. Chillingworth. After Chillingworth learned of Hester's affair with... middle of paper... then nature answered her, "Such sympathy of nature... filling the heart so full with splendor that it overflows outward." world” (2413). If Hawthorne had been a transcendentalist, Hester would only have had to go into nature to reach God. It would not have been necessary to go through this process. The Scarlet Letter portrays many of Hawthorne's anti-transcendentalist views and ideas. Her characters, Hester Prynne, Arthur Dimmesdale, and Chillingworth represent the power of darkness and how everyone is naturally evil. These characters brought evil into each other. Hawthorne also shows an uneven balance between the views of a Transcendentalist and Puritan society. Works Cited Lauter, Paul and Richard Yarborough. "The Scarlet Letter." Heath's Anthology of American Literature. 5th ed. vol. B. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2006. 2331-444. Press.