Life-ception

I hate to be negative, but the one thing The Scarlet Letter has done for me (other than cause me to lose brain cells) is give me severe trust issues towards anyone and anything that seems to have any credibility at all. I mean...if Dimmesdale, the venerated priest and holy role model that every Puritan holds so dearly is secretly an adulterer, just think about about all the other lies and secrets that could be out there. Who would've guessed that the reverend Dimmesdale could be not only imperfect, but the lover of the heinous Hester Prynne and the father of the devil-child, Pearl? Who am I to say that my own life isn't just an extensive, elaborately crafted lie?

The Scarlet Letter is full of hidden identities and untold secrets - Dimmesdale wears a thick mask of piety in order to conceal his sin, while Chillingworth falls under the guise of a benevolent physician to obscure his vengeful intentions. After reading this, I can't help thinking...how much of my life is actually what it seems? How many people do I know are actually who they say they are? How can I even be sure that I myself am not a product of some mysterious sin that happened years ago, as Pearl was? Who am I even? 24601?!

Just kidding, that was an exaggeration. But I still have my doubts. Just last night I found myself absentmindedly gazing at my mother as she sat at the dinner table, passively eating wonton soup as she watched the Voice of China on her beloved Samsung Galaxy Tab. I thought to myself, "What could my mother, this seemingly simple woman who chastises me to wash dishes and study for the SAT, could be hiding behind those unusually large Asian eyes?" Could it be possible that she, like Hester Prynne, is wearing a figurative scarlet letter on her own chest? A series of mind-blowing deductions and far-fetched possibilities dashed through my mind before I was commanded to start eating, and don't blame anyone but myself if my wonton gets cold.

Perhaps I'll never find out the truth. But the next time I fail a test or find myself on the receiving end of another heartbreaking Facebook message, at least I can find comfort in knowing that maybe none of it is real.