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Women in the puritan society
The influence of puritanism on women
The influence of puritanism on women
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More handpicked essays just for you.
Women in the puritan society
The influence of puritanism on women
The influence of puritanism on women
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: Women in the puritan society
The exception indicated the ever relentless vigour with which society frowned upon her sin.” (Hawthorn, pg 48.) Even years after she committed adultery, her reputation was still so foul that the townsfolk would not allow her to make things deemed “pure.” They thought it was inappropriate. Still later, seven years after Hester was forced to stand upon the scaffold, the minister Arthur Dimmesdale announced that he was the one Hester committed adultery with, and then fell down, dead.
Since Pearl serves as that constant reminder and she loves her so much, it acts as a way to help show Hester, and readers of the book, that while they may have sinned, they can still love themselves and see the best in the sin that was committed. What's done is done and nothing can change that and that should be
Throughout the book, Pearl is shown as a symbol of Hester's sin. In The Scarlet Letter, it says “But she named the infant “Pearl”, as being of great price, purchased with all she had, her mother's only treasure!”(Hawthorne 81). This is showing that Hester loves Pearl, but feels bad that she has to live her life being the product of sin. In the novel, Hester is always reminded of her sin and Pearl is the product of Hester and Dimmesdale's sin.
This was an age of expansion for the human intellect, and Hester imbibed (7) this spirit. This freedom of thought, though common on the other side of the Atlantic, would have been held by the townspeople as a deadlier crime than that stigmatized (8) by the scarlet letter. Her speculations (9) were often bold. It is presumed that if not for the little Pearl, she might have become an Ann Hutchinson of sorts, or a prophetess, sentenced to death for attempting to undermine (10) the foundations of the Puritan
Hester and her daughter, Pearl, were constantly ridiculed by the inhabitants of the town, and many citizens believed that Hester deserved a harsher penalty for her actions. One woman mocked Hester while gossiping with her peers when she declared, “‘This woman has brought shame upon us all, and ought to die’” (36). Agreeing with this claim, many of the villagers continued to mock and scrutinize not only Hester’s actions, but Hester herself. Another woman suggested that “‘a brand of hot iron [should have been put] on Hester Prynne’s forehead’” (36). While this sentence seems less harsh than death, this woman’s comment proves that she too believed that Hester deserved a severe punishment for her despicable sin.
In the novels, The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, and The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, discipline played an important role. Hester Prynne in The Scarlet Letter committed adultery and was sentenced to wear the letter “A” on her bosom at all times and to stand on a scaffold every Sunday at twelve. In The Crucible, discipline was known to be more extreme. Innocents began to lose lives as they were either hanged or pressed by stone. In both novels, the discipline was supported by the townspeople.
She receives three punishments from the townspeople, who claim they will free her from her sin. The community orders Hester to go to jail, wear a scarlet letter on her chest, and stand on the town scaffold for hours. Hester wears her scarlet letter proudly on her chest, and endures much suffering because of her public ridicule. Hester is “kept by no restrictive clause of her condemnation within the limits of the Puritan settlement” after she was released from prison, but she chooses to stay (Hawthorne 71). Later, Hester’s child, Pearl, symbolizes the Puritan view of Hester.
She cannot be defined by just one label, but both. She is a mother to Pearl, who is a child born from adultery. She is a caregiver, seamstress, a lover, and a counselor, but the Puritanical society Hester lives in constantly reminds her that she is just a whore. By subscribing to this label, Hester loses her identity in a way. The effect of being an outsider due to the letter causes her to become a shell of her former self.
Hester Prynne is guilty as charged for committing a sin towards her Puritan religion, committing adultery, and refusing to give up the identity of Pearl’s father. Hester deserved the punishment she was given. She knew what cheating would turn into, and the consequences of it, but she did it anyway. Thank you for taking the time to read this
AP courses are supposed to be hard. Their curriculums were designed by the Collegeboard to challenge motivated students and build up essential academic skills. However, aspects like the cost of taking AP exams, Arlington’s policy requiring students to take the AP exam with the course, and the north’s late school year start often create unintentional difficulties, adding stress to already difficult classes. To start, the exam themselves are expensive. At $94 per exam, even students who are able to afford the fee might think twice about dropping hundreds of dollars on AP exams.
Enough evidence was given in the book that Hester deserves the punishment. To prove that she does, Hester was raised as a Puritan so she knew what would be the consequences she has committed adultery and is left with a baby alone to raise without a father role model. As well she is not suited to be a mother. She can’t keep Pearl.
In the novel, Hester Prynne’s sin is the most obvious as she has committed adultery and as a result gives birth to a child named Pearl. Her adulterous act is extremely frowned upon in the New England Puritan society and she is forced to be publicly recognized and humiliated and decides to brand a red “A” on her
The novel follows Hester Prynne, a young woman who committed adultery, and her journey through the hardships of having a child out of wedlock. Hester is publicly ridiculed for her actions because of the Puritan society she lives in. Nowadays, people have affairs and those people are okay with their actions. Plus, they aren’t punished for the most part. Everyone has a different opinion on what is right and what is wrong.
Hester didn't deserve to be publicly humiliated. Hester already has a lot to deal with. Hester didn't like being shamed. In conclusion, Hester's punishment was unjust because Hester was sent to prison for committing adultery.
Right from the start, Hester knew that Pearl was going to be different from the other kids because she was born a sin. Pearl acted differently from the normal kids, which may be because she wasn’t around other kids to see how they acted and learn from them. “The truth seems to be, however, that the mother- forest, and these wild things which it nourished, all recognized a kindred wildness in the human child” (Hawthorne 140). Pearl was connected more with the forest than she was with people. She spent more time in the forest, playing with flowers and moss, and she didn’t play with other kids because they didn’t want to be around her.