Hester also taught me a lesson about unconditional love. Not the way she gained her Scarlet "A", but the way she protected the one she loved. She never gave him up so that he could share the blame with her. She stayed strong, and she gave her baby a bright future with her love and strength.
The Scarlet Letter changed me. No, it did not teach me how to gain public humiliation, but something more. This book taught me that love can keep you strong, honesty is the best policy, what other people say don't define you, and bringing others down to your level so you don't get ALL of the blame is wrong. I have been able to use these lessons in my daily life and I'm so grateful for the opportunity I had to read this book.
I love this because I have learned very similar lessons, but not in 'The Scarlet Letter'. These lessons I learned in The Book of Mormon. I have always been intrigued by two principles: The first, that our sins and our secrets will be shouted on the rooftops during the Millennium; and the second, that we will either receive our reward on earth or in heaven. I learned that we cannot keep our mistakes hidden. If we acknowledge what we have done and truly repent, it will not matter what people shout on the rooftops, the price has been paid. I learned that I want an eternal reward, not an earthly one. I am holding out for blessings that will last forever, not for a few minutes or months or years.
ReplyDeleteGreat insights to lessons that I think we can all take time to learn. Through your post I can't help but be reminded of the atonement and how sharing those wrongs we have done can free us from our sins. Such an amazing thought that truly the only thing that matters is our stance with our father in heaven, other peoples thoughts truly don't matter.
ReplyDeleteThrough my chaos last night, I forgot to add in how this story ties to Mormonism.
ReplyDeleteAs I was reading "The Scarlet Letter" my family was reading the story of Alma the younger. Both of these characters had sins that were publicly known, and people judged who they were for what they had done.
Because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ, Alma could be forgiven, and he was able to change his ways. I wanted Hester to know about the Atonement so badly, but I knew there was nothing I could do for her.
I'm grateful that this gospel has the Atonement, that I know that I can be forgiven, and it has been proven to me over and over again. I have read it over and over in the Book of Mormon, and it still means so much to me every time. I'm so grateful that I know that all hope is not lost for me, as it was for Hester, in never being taught about the gospel or about repentance in her life. Although Hester is not real, we are, and the Atonement is for us to use daily. That's a knowledge I'm grateful I have.