The Scarlet Letter By Nathaniel Hawthorne - 1609 Words

Kristen Zinzi Ms. Wasnetsky AP Literature 15 January 2016 The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne is often renowned as his best work. The novel tells about the rigid ideas of 19th century Puritan New England through the story of Hester Prynne, Minister Dimmesdale, and Pearl. Hawthorne points out that the Puritans are often more ready to judge, punish, and damn someone than to forgive them. He is very critical of this idea, and goes against it by ending the novel with Hester Prynne becoming a respected individual that other women often look to for advice, and by changing the perception many people have of the Scarlet Letter from, â€Å"Adultery† to â€Å"Able†. Throughout the novel Hawthorne refutes the harsh ideals of the Puritans through the†¦show more content†¦The women of the town don’t believe that Hester Prynne is being punished enough for her crime, â€Å" ‘The magistrates are God-fearing gentlemen, but merciful over much - that is a truth,’... ‘At the very least, they should have put the brand of a hot iron on Hester Prynne’s forehead. Madam Hester would have winced at that, I warrant me. But she - the naughty baggage - little will she care what they put upon the bodice of her gown!’ † (44-45). This quote proves the idea that the Puritans are an unforgiving people. At this point in the text, Hester Prynne’s suffering is only just beginning. She at first doesn’t realize the severity of what she will endure in living through her situation. Adultery was a sin punishable by death and Hester was just mindful that it hadn’t come to that. The first step of Hester’s suffering was accepting the fact that her sin was about to change her life. â€Å"Could it be true? She clutched the child so fiercely to her breast, that it set forth a cry; she turned her eyes downward at the scarlet letter, and even touched it with her finger, to assure herself that the infant and the shame were real. Yes! - these were her realities, - all else had vanished!† (51) This is one example of the sin, knowledge and human condition in the sense that, like Adam and Eve, Hester Prynne was expelled from having an easy life. The Scarlet Letter that Hester Prynne was destined