Jeffrey M. Boyd

Mrs. Clark

January 25, 2000

Scarlet Letter Project Reflection

This week was one of the longest weeks I’ve experienced in my lifetime. By Tuesday, I thought it would never end. I would not say this experience was difficult because I did not experience any hardships or great trials. There was no massive ridicule, only singular incidents that were mostly play. My week was very structured; I knew exactly when and where I was supposed to be. I did not have to worry about finding my next meal or where to sleep, as a true homeless person would. As I said in my journal, the week was a fun experiment, an interesting ordeal.

There is youth oriented speaker for our church by the name of John Bytheway. Yes, that really is his last name. He has published several of his motivating and inspirational talks in book and on tape. We own several of his tapes. The first tape we ever bought from him was his talk titled, "What are you carrying in your backpack?" In his talk, he relates the story of a particular campout he went on when he was a youth. There was one boy who was having an exceptionally difficult time hiking to the campground. He was about 20 minutes behind the rest of the scout troop, and when he arrived he was beyond physically exhausted. His strength had nearly been depleted. Aghast, the rest of the troop went to help him and find out why this boy was having such a hard time. He reflected, "He had things in his pack that were too heavy, that he didn’t need, that weighed him down, and that made the hike a lot harder than it needed to be." He carried things like canned food, two extra flashlights, two canteens, and a blanket. These are some things that are luxuries on a campout, but are not needed. In the entertaining and inspiring way that he does, John Bytheway likened this experience to life. Life, he said, is like this hike. Your backpack is what you carry with you your entire life. It is not filled with material items, only memories, experiences, and insights learned on the hike. Sin is canned food, bricks, and extras that are too heavy to carry. They make the hike undesirable, difficult, and just horrible. The things that make up bricks and other unnecessary extras include a poor self-image, a tendency to feel sorry for ourselves, and unresolved sin. Another important observation he made is that we cannot change the hike, it is already established and set. We can only change what is in our backpacks and make it easier or harder on ourselves.

This week’s experience has given better insight into Dimmesdale’s plight in the novel. Symbolically, we shared the same heavy burdens in our backpacks. I had my canned food, and he had his unresolved sin. By the end of the week, I was more than ready to shed this burden from off my shoulders. I can only imagine what Dimmesdale must have felt having carried his hardship for seven years. Then I begin to understand what grievances he had on his mind, and his absolute desperation to take them off. I had the luxury of simply sitting down and taking the backpack off, I know that was impossible for Dimmesdale.

Most importantly, I believe the greatest use of this experiment and knowledge is application in our own everyday lives. If I only began to feel a fraction of the weight that must have been on Dimmesdale’s shoulders, I do not want to ever feel the full burden. I have resolved, even before reading The Scarlet Letter, to not let unresolved sin be a brick in my backpack. I have resolved to keep a high self-image and good self-esteem. I accept my many shortcomings and use them as examples in my life. I have stumbled, but not fallen. I find the trail of life much enjoyable this way.