Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter as a love story

Hawthorne's famous novel The Scarlet Letter has the setting of rigid Puritan society where the orthodox Puritan morality was more important than any individual relations. However, the novel can e also viewed as a love story. The relationship between Hester and Arthur Dimmesdale wasn't merely guided by sexual passion, neither was it to fulfill some social or moral duties. it was purely based on love. 

The novel has focused on adulterous relationship between hester and Dimmesdale. But it appears to be so if we see from Puritan moralities. If they were guided by sexual passion only, they could have discarded and disgraced each other very easily. Hester could have confessed Dimmesdale as her fellow sinner. But she never did it. Rather, she was ready to face social condemnation, outcast, discrimination and punishment for the sake of her love to Dimmesdale. She would have been in other kinds of advantages if she had confessed but she didn't forsake love for those things. Therefore, she didn't confess. 

On the other hand, Dimmesdale was on of the judges. if he hadn't loved Hester, he could have made very harsh decision against her so that she would never vex him or the cause would be never opened again. But he always had sympathy and love over every judgment made on her.  It was due to his love to her. In this way, if we see the asis of their relationship we come to know that it was love. Therefore, this novel is a love story. 

Similarly, this novel can be viewed as a love story because love has been shown as a transforming element, not Puritan beliefs of suffering and confession as transforming forces. The concept of severe punishment for the act of adultery was for confession and confession was for transformation. But this concept hasn't worked in the novel. However severe punishment was given to Hester, she never confessed. Yet, she has not only transformed herself but Dimmesdale and the whole society's view to her as well. It wasn't due to the suffering, neither because confession but because of love. 

In the same way, Dimmesdale didn’t' confess according to Puritan or Christian doctrine of suffering and psychology of guilt. He gave himself much suffering. He obviously had a psychology of guilt, yet he didn't confess. At last he confessed after he met Hester in the jungle where she openly expressed her love to him. Previously, he was doubtful over her love to him. But when he knew that she loved him, he was immediately transformed. His confession was the result of this transformation. Actually a true confession happens when one is in love. Because love is the only relation where couples remain true to each other. In this way, since the novel has love as transforming element, it's not a Christian novel, but a love story.