The Scarlet Letter, a novel written by Nathaniel Hawthorne in 1850, functions as an evaluation of Puritan ideas, customs, and culture during the 17th century. Through this evaluation, we can get a good idea of what core values and beliefs the Puritans possessed, as well as the actions they take in cases of adversity brought about by “sinners”. Some Puritan virtues created stark divisions between groups of people, some of which led to discrimination under certain circumstances. One of the most prominent of these is the treatment and standards of men and women, a concept that surfaced during some of the major points in The Scarlet Letter. The divisions that were created by Puritan standards of men and women played a great role in shaping the plot of The Scarlet Letter, determining the fate of many of the characters. In this essay, we will focus on the effects this ideology had on the treatment of Hester and Dimmesdale, and the effects it had on Dimmesdale after he confessed to committing adultery. The Puritans’ treatment of women is blatantly evident at the beginning of the book where Hester is awaiting conviction upon the scaffold for her act of adultery. The townspeople present at the trial presented a very negative sentiment towards Hester, …show more content…
One of the key examples of this in The Scarlet Letter is Dimmesdale, a highly respected preacher who was renowned throughout the Puritan community. When the Puritans learned of his involvement in the adultery case with Hester, they were shocked at first but overall, they did not mock or insult him like they did to Hester 7 years prior. This is clearly shown in their reactions shortly after Dimmesdale confessed: “The crowd was in a tumult. The men of rank and dignity, who stood more immediately around the clergyman, were so taken by surprise, and so perplexed as to the purport of what they
Life for the Puritans was, to say the least, not very exciting or enjoyable. In his novel, The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne demonstrates how Puritan society affects its citizen’s daily lives. In the overtly religious, strict town of Boston, morals and laws are greatly enforced. When the beautiful, young woman, Hester Prynn, commits adultery, the people of Boston respond angrily. The town minister, Dimmesdale, also feels the shame and burden of the sin committed.
Fault, Youth, and Symbolism in The Scarlet Letter The majority of society bases their perception of an individual on wealth, appearance, name, family--an infinite number of things. What if one was told that his or her own brother, sister, best friend, or even their mom or dad was a murderer? How would he or she react? What would they do?
Nathaniel Hawthorne’s brilliant novel, The Scarlet Letter uses hypocrisy to illustrate the corruption within the Puritan religion. Hawthorne’s novel specifically illustrates the injustices of the Puritan religion before, and after The Salem Witch trials of 1692. Most of Hawthorne’s characters did something hypocritical to further develop their character and emotions. Hawthorne uses real historical people to prove his points; including Hester Prynne, Reverend Dimmesdale, and Doctor Chillingworth. All of these characters have either been a victim of hypocrisy or have been exposed by hypocrisy by Nathaniel Hawthorne.
In The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne used devilish characters and dark symbolism to criticize the strict Puritan society and it’s rules. The story begins in colonial Massachusetts where the Puritans herd around to observe the main protagonist’s humiliation, The protagonist, Hester Prynne, was accused of committing adultery, and for her punishment she must wear a scarlet colored letter A on her chest. She also must serve a prison sentence and stand on a scaffold to be humiliated in front of the harsh, judgemental Puritan community. Throughout the book, Hester and her illegitimate daughter, Pearl, are outcasted from the community but they learn to live with their circumstances. It is clear that characters are restricted by the Puritan guidelines,
The idea of the scarlet letter is an example of a Puritan society’s just punishment as a result of breaking the standards set by authority figures. Many Puritans viewed these topics of punishment as an everyday repeating ordeal. The few that were fully confessed to crimes were subject to all of these constant streams of torment. These ideas are reasons the average Puritan would take measures to avoid these actions at all costs; in contrast, today’s society would allow choices of a citizen with very slim or no legal
The Scarlet Letter and Easy A are the stories of women who defy their societies. Hester, of The Scarlet Letter commits adultery but refuses to reveal Dimmesdale or Chillingworth in order to both men from public humiliation. Hester is forced to bear the burden of her punishment alone, while her partner is held up as saintly. Olive, of Easy A, pretends to sleep with various boys in order to protect them from bullying and to boost their social statuses and inadvertently gives herself a bad reputation in doing so. Because both Hester and Olive defy their society’s views of femininity, they are ostracized by their unforgiving and judgemental societies as sinners; however, both women are actually saints who through their good deeds improve their
Nathaniel Hawthorne delivers a biased account of the hypocritical actions displayed by Puritanical societies. As a man of faith, Hawthorne knows scripture and religious rules participants are to follow. He argues that the citizens of Boston are hypocritical in their treatment of fellow citizens. They are often portrayed excessively punishing those who are publically disgraced and hiding their own flaws.
Though Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote The Scarlet Letter two hundred years after the Puritan era, an insight into their community is still seen. Though some characters embody the Puritan era, others are the opposite. Pearl’s strong bond with nature connects her to Romanticism and individualistic spirit disconnects her from Puritanism, and Hester, like her daughter, does not reflect the Puritan era through her indulgence in clothing and emotional characteristics. Pearl’s bond with nature connects her to Romanticism. Pearl’s connection with nature is demonstrated when she is described to be as wild as a bird (Hawthorne 139).
Hawthorne presents the effects of their judgment and justice system of the Puritans by displaying Hester and Dimmesdale’s emotional undertaking throughout Hester’s life. Hawthorne calls attention to the fact that Dimmesdale has not come forward about his sins, he is faced with the harsh judgment of himself and feelings of inferiority, by allowing Hester to endure the punishment alone, although both committed the sin (Hawthorne, 531). Hawthorne writes, “A mockery, indeed, but in which his soul trifled with itself” (531). Hawthorne’s word choice of trifled further reinforces the outrage Dimmesdale feels within for committing adultery. Hawthorne implies that Dimmesdale has made a mockery of himself because of his position as a minister.
A favored illustration of Gothic Romanticism, The Scarlet Letter, is Nathaniel Hawthorne’s critically acclaimed depiction of Puritan society. This consists of an exploration of isolation and hypocrisy through Hawthorne’s rich characters and their complex inner psychological turmoil. To start, it is urgent to know information about the author. Hawthorne was “steeped in the Puritan legacy”( as cited in Nathaniel Hawthorne Biography, 2018). Both of his ancestors turned out to be strict judges during a time where persons got arrested for practicing witchcraft.
The novel “The Scarlet Letter” written by Nathaniel Hawthorne is a very intense read. The novel questions the beliefs, rules, judgements and perceptions of someone’s transgressions. Should someone be punished by society for a sin that affects no one but their own person? Does society have the right to judge a person for said sin?
New Historicism Literary Analysis Essay Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter was influenced heavily by the time era it was written in. To achieve a fuller understanding of the work as a whole it would be best to start by analyzing the time era in which it was written. There are many historical facets that can be explored to help determine some of the underlying meaning in The Scarlet Letter .
In the novel “Scarlet Letter” the idea and concept of sin is explored. Sin is one of those untouchable and unaccepting acts in Puritan society, but throughout the book Hawthorne’s perspective and liberal opinion on sin is shown to readers. Hypocrisy is seen throughout the book with the actions of Puritans themselves and their beliefs. It is a sin that is more hidden, complicated, and less physical however it is quite prominent in this novel and its society. Hawthorne portrays a moderate way of dealing with sin; closer to readers of this time and the teachings of Islam.
However, when Dimmesdale reveals his scarlet letter, he is then referred to by “his bright wings over the people" and "shed[ing] down a shower of golden truths upon them." (170). Hawthorne's comparison of Dimmesdale to an angel conveys the hypocrisy of puritan moral values, revealing how their strict punishments against Hester differ towards a high positioned minister. Puritans assumptions
"No man for any considerable period can wear one face to himself, and another to the multitude without finally getting bewildered as to which may be true." Whether it is believable or not, most people have a side of them that they do not let the rest of the world become privy to. Regardless of the type of persona someone is leading their everyday life with, there is always a possibility of one of the sides, or “faces” to be considered taboo in society. In The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, many of his characters have two sides to them. One of which side is seen by all characters in the book, and another where only a select few get to see the characters’ real identities.