Imagine living in a place where one small sin could define who you are for the rest of your life. That is what happened in The Scarlet Letter written by Nathaniel Hawthorne in 1850. The novel is set in a seventeenth-century Puritan community in Boston, Massachusetts. A young woman by the name of Hester Prynne commits a small act of adultery and is shamed for the rest of her life, by wearing a scarlet letter “A” on her breast. The book is centered around the theme of justice and judgement. According to Gloria Steinem, “Law and justice are not always the same”. This quote means that following the law may not always mean justice is being served. Laws are rules and guidelines that are set up to govern behavior. Laws set out standards, procedures …show more content…
This concept states that all individuals must be treated equally. Laws are made with the intent of establishing justice, but that is not always the case. I agree with this quote because following laws does not always mean justice is being served. Laws define what is right and what is wrong, while justice also takes into consideration the circumstances of the situation at that time. Nathanial Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter supports Gloria Steinem’s quote that “Law and justice are not always the same.” Support can be seen in the punishment of Hester Prynne, the letter “A” on Hester Prynne’s grave, and the repentance of Arthur Dimmesdale. First, Steinem’s quote can be seen through the Hester’s punishment for her sin. Hester was initially married to a man whom she never loved and was thought to be dead after being lost at sea for five years. After waiting for the arrival of her husband which never came, Hester had an affair with another man and together they produced a child. When Hester had an affair with a man who was not her husband she had committed an act of adultery and had to be punished in the eyes of God and of her community. It was decided that Hester would have to serve time in jail and