who are the public sinners and the private sinners in The Scarlet Letter?

Question

The Scarlet Letter

who are the public sinners and the private sinners in The Scarlet Letter?

I'm confused about the characters of Hester, Dimmesdale, and Chillingword... I think that the public sinner is Hester, because people already know about ehr sin, adultery and they punish her. However, Dimmesdale hide his sin, so the private sinner is Dimmesdale.. Is it right? How about Chillingword...?

Asked by jeongeon l #217911 on 12/5/2011 10:45 AM

Last updated by Aslan on 12/5/2011 10:55 AM

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Answered by Aslan on 12/5/2011 10:55 AM

The public sinner is, of course, poor Hester. Dimmesdale is the private sinner. His guilt eats him up but he remains hidden for much of the book. Chillingworth is private too. He keeps his secrets close to him and acts out his twisted motivations behind the scenes (like tormenting Dimmesdale).

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