Hester Prynne is a woman from Boston, Massachusetts. During the 1640s she was punished for committing adultery. She was given multiple punishments. The punishments that were given to her were very harsh. Hester's punishments were cruel because she was publicly ridiculed; she must wear the Scarlet Letter for life; and her child may be taken away from her.
To begin with, Hester Prynne's punishment is harsh because she was publicly ridiculed. She stood in front of the entire town being questioned. The judges were trying to get Hester to say who the father of her child was. They treated her as if she was the most sinful person alive. Women in the crowd spoke badly about her. They criticized her for the letter "A" she had on her chest. "" At the
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It is not only a reminder to Hester, but a reminder to anyone who sees Hester. The Scarlet Letter took away her humanity. "… the Scarlet Letter, so fantastically embroidered and illuminated upon her bosom. It had the effect of a spell, taking her out of the ordinary relations with humanity, and inclosing her in a sphere by herself." (Hawthorne.46.) The Scarlet Letter would be on her forever meaning Hester would be seen as bad forever. People will always be criticizing her. "Tomorrow would bring its own trial with it; so would the next day, and so would the next; each its own trial, and yet the very same that was now so unutterably grievous to be borne. The days of the far-off future would toil onward, still with the same burden for her to take up, and bear along with her, but never to fling down; for the accumulating days, and added years, would pile up their misery upon the heap of shame." (Hawthorne. 65&66). Children would even pick on Pearl because of her mother's sin. Wearing the Scarlet Letter for life is a very cruel