Reasons for the Making of Characters

In all novels, characters have their own reason for being in a novel. Some of them are in it to make the novel have a dark feel to it and others are there to make it have a heavenly feel to it. However, in The Scarlet Letter both dark and heavenly feelings are combined to give the novel its interesting aura. In The Scarlet Letter, characters have significant roles and play them well to make the book interesting and it makes readers want to know what is going to happen next, although it requires a strong understanding of what it going on. Mistress Hibbins, Governor Bellingham, and Reverend Mr. Wilson have their reasins and purposes to be in The Scarlet Letter.

Mistress Hibbins is an old lady who calls herself a witch and lives with her brother Governor Bellingham. Mistress Hibbins goes out every night to ride with the Black Man, another name for the devil and associate with him. Mistress Hibbins resembles a visible ghost because she shows up at random times and she knows things others do not know. This is why she was included in The Scarlet Letter. One of Mistress Hibbins purposes in the story is to convince Hester to come with her to the forest and meet the Black Man, but Hester refuses the invitation. Mistress Hibbin's brother, Governor Bellingham, is not so much different from Mistress Hibbins but he serves a different purpose in the story.

Governor Bellingham is an old man who governs Boston, Massachusetts. His purpose in the story is to decide the consequences that Hester Prynne will receive. One of his functions is to determine whether or not Hester should keep her daughter, Pearl. He is included in the novel because he strictly adheres to the rules of the Puritan society and does whatever he can to follow the rules and keep the Boston clean. Although he is living with his sister, he does not know that she is a witch and that she goes out to ride with the Black Man. Another character that is similar Governor Bellingham is Reverend Mr. Wilson.

Reverend Mr. Wilson is a man who, like Governor Bellingham, strictly adheres to the rules and he does not tolerate anything that goes against them. Mr. Wilson is normally around Bellingham when he is talking to Hester. He serves as a person that tries to get Hester to tell the truth about everything that happened to her. That is his purpose for being in the novel. At the beginning of the novel when Hester is standing before almost everyone in town, Mr. Wilson gets angry and demands that Hester speak up and say what needs to be said, but she refuses. Mr. Wilson is basically like a more demanding person than Mistress Hibbins.

Mr. Wilson, Mistress Hibbins, and Governor Bellingham are all sort of similar in ways. Mr. Wilson and Governor Bellingham want to know information for Hester's case and Mistress Hibbins knows what they want to find out, but they do not pay much attention to her. Their purposes, functions, and reasons for being included in the novel are good