Hester In A Puritan Society Essay Research

Hester In A Puritan Society Essay, Research Paper

The Puritans, in Nathaniel Hawthorne.s The Scarlet Letter, were a group of people who were shaped by English experience and complete involvement in religion. The Puritan society molded itself and created a government based upon the Bible and implemented it with force. The crime of adultery committed by Hester generated rage, and was qualified for serious punishment according to Puritan beliefs. Ultimately the town of Boston became intensely involved with Hester.s life and her crime of adultery, and saw to it that she be publicly punished and tortured. Based upon the religious, governmental, and social design of the Puritan society, Hester.s entire existence revolved around her sin and the Puritan perception. Therefore it is evident within The Scarlet Letter that the Puritan community to some degree has constructed Hester.s character.

In the novel The Scarlet Letter it is evident that the base of their social framework was that of the Church. The Church and beliefs of Protestantism became all encompassing within the town of Boston; meaning that the Church would be directly involved in the running of the community and its regime. The Enforcing of laws were established by scripture read from the Bible, as the Puritans considered the Bible as the .true law. of God that provided guidelines for church and government. Those who disagreed or committed crimes against the government, were not only criminals but also sinners, and they were sought to be punished severely. The Puritans stressed grace, devotion, prayer, and self-examination to achieve religious virtue while including a basic knowledge of unacceptable actions of the time; this was expected to secure order and peace within the Puritan community. The Puritan culture is one that recognizes Protestantism, a sect of Christianity. Though a fundamental of Christianity is forgiveness for one.s sins, this seems to have been forgotten amongst the women of the community: .Morally, as well as materially, there was a coarser fiber in those wives and maidens of old English birth and breeding, than in their fair descendants.. As read between the lines we can notice a concern in Hester.s acceptance within the Puritan community. More so, Hester senses a lack of acceptance within the circle of woman in the community. The use of the term .coarser fiber. intertwines the relationship that she once had, and what it has become within the woman of the community. It has also come to my attention that when Hester compares the women of the community to their descendants, she clarifies that the women of the community have become deviant, and or immoral to their religious past. This is concluded when Hester is first brought out of her prison cell, and is introduced back into the community. When Hester is first brought out of her prison cell, the gossiping goodwives recommend much harsher punishment, from a brand on her forehead to death. Hester, who had done little wrong prior to this sin of adultery, is no longer seen as a human being, but merely as a symbol of evil and shame to the town. The Puritans, one of the most devoted groups of Bible scholars, forget one of Jesus. most famous of quotes, .He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.. The women forget to look inside themselves before they cast their opinions upon Hester. It is not these people.s right to determine Hester.s punishment, not the women.s nor the magistrates.; such a right is reserved only for God. Hester soon found herself very much a part of the local Church and government.s heavy hand. Everyone was aware of her sinful act, for she was placed on a scaffold amidst the entire town for a painful viewing. The religious morals instilled in the Puritan society caused her much pain long after the public humiliation. Permanently .symbolized as a sinner,. Hester was branded for life with a cloth letter worn on her bosom.

The letter .A. that was sown onto the bosom of Hester had become a symbol of sin and was intimately associated with Hester. Because the Puritans shaped religion, social life, and the government together, each member of the society was involved in the religion, social life, and government.everybody in Boston saw the .A. on Hester.s chest in the same light. Also, each member thought alike and would make sly remarks at Hester and her child. The two became objects of cruel jokes, and were made fun of as .an exhibition. every time they ventured into town. Hester furthered her interaction with society and in doing so also increased the amount of ridicule she received. With the motive to penalize herself, Hester set forth towards her social life, which she thought God had appointed to her as punishment for her sins. The punishment received by Hester in the novel was based upon the Puritan religious, social, and governmental beliefs, structured into a single ideology, which was formed from their English experience and complete commitment to religion. The Church and the government, one in the same, sentenced Hester to a life of embarrassment, first upon a scaffold, and later with the letter .A.: “On the breast of her gown, in fine red cloth, surrounded with an elaborate embroidery and fantastic flourishes of gold-thread, appeared the letter A. It was so artistically done, and with so much fertility and gorgeous luxuriance of fancy, that it had all the effect of a last and fitting decoration to the a