Hawthorn uses his transcendental conception of morality, free will and religion to dissect and repudiate the Puritan world-view, a world-view which does violence to the innocent, beautiful and strong. Although the towns people believe they have the moral high ground, it is obvious that Hawthorn uses his rebellious character Hester to critique their cold and hypocritical lives, lives which are fostered by groupthink, hatred and intolerance, all of which serves to make their religious lives appear shallow and philosophically backward. It sympathizes greatly with the main character, who symbolizes many great qualities of the individual human being including free will, self-determination, self-reliance, great love, generosity and charity. The Scarlet Letter remains a deeply romantic, transcendental novel. He goes further to affirm the idea that a character is also an identity, a Greek ‘ethos’ or ‘habitual way of life.’ (Bloom ix) Analyzing Prynne according to Bloom’s ideas, she becomes a person through actions that transcend the symbolism of the scarlet letter that she must wear. Chillingworth displays a constant intuitive ability to create evil and manipulate the people about him. Further, it appears that Chillingworth is aware, at the end of the novel, of Hester's plans to leave on a ship with Dimmesdale, and directly moves to counteract the plans of the two lovers.

Roger Chillingworth is another character who displays intuitive knowledge, as when he comes to realize that Reverend Dimmesdale is Pearl's father. Dimmesdale, and held up its little arms, with a half pleased, half plaintive murmur” (Hawthorn 67). She is also aware of her father, Reverend Dimmesdale, when, for example, as Dimmesdale is urging Hester to confess her lover's name, the child “directed its hitherto vacant gaze towards Mr. Pearl, the child of the woods and of freedom, has the ability to use intuition in order to judge who is good and who is bad. The Scarlet Letter, in keeping with transcendentalism, endorses intuition as a form of reason.

Hester Prynne by Harold Bloom