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The Consequential Punishment In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter

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Put your mind to the general welfare of the population of this town. If people were to move on from the unnecessarystress and anxiety that the "sinful" woman has caused, our town could achieve peace! Hence, it is imperative that the lady Hester's current punishment of strict jailtime be repealed and the consequences that the scarlet letter itself holds be our justice.In essence, it is important to look at both of the consequential punishments in question; from an outside perspective. The true matter of importance here is the people's welfare. If the mass wish to divert their attention to Hester and her wrongdoing, then they themselves with be overcome with restlessness in the end. As an overall perspective, leaving Hester to be on her own forever is the ultimate punishment. The "sinful" Hester Prynne is put to jail for life, it is unlikely she will learn her lesson. Hester Prynne will never understand her wrongdoings. Doing a comparison such as this is important. It grants us the foresight to understand how and why we decide her fate. Within the novel, it is stated that "Throughout them all, giving up her individuality, she would become the general symbol at which the preacher and moralist might point..." (Hawthorne 66). This is an indication as to the power that is granted to her with that all the attention that is given to the sinner.
While Hester Prynne suffers herabsurd jail sentence, it is absolutely essential to realize the ability of this town to make a rational decision. …show more content…

Let that be the people's justice and let her suffer a lesson of shame and loneliness. For better or worse, the burdensome thought and worry of her repercussions are not worth such

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