Historic literature is at the mercy of the authors who write about their history. In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel, The Scarlet Letter, Hester is scolded for her adultery but through 7 years of penance, only then, she starts to be accepted into the Puritan town of Salem again. Puritan beliefs valued seeking salvation from God through acts of kindness and honor. However, the novel reveals the truth behind Puritan Society to the extent that keeps the reputation of the Puritans flawed but still righteous. Nathaniel Hawthorne portrays deceitful Puritan values through the meticulous choice of diction in his progressive novel The Scarlet Letter.
Although the novel The Scarlet Letter was somewhat of a breakout novel for Puritan history the author’s
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Since sin was taken very seriously in the town of Salem Hester was shown as a distasteful person to the townsfolk. Once Hester was placed into the jail cell to be held she was told to be under “constant watchfulness, lest she should perpetrate violence on herself, or do some half-frenzied mischief to the poor babe”(Hawthorne). Hawthorne specifically uses the words “frenzied” and “violence” to describe what Hester may do in her holding cell. With those certain provoking words, it casts an initial idea of Hester as a crazy woman who might kill her baby after committing a sin. Near the end of the novel, Dimmesdale's confession and death confuse the public but it doesn’t cause an uproar of hate or shame to his name. The townspeople are in awe after those events but they believe that he “had made the manner of his death a parable,” (Hawthorne). After some time to process his death, the townspeople engrave his life in the holy spirit. Hawthorne writes the reaction of the townsfolk in a more mellow tone with no anger or hate towards him. Even after he had been hiding his sin for 7 years the people still found him a holy figure. But with no hesitation they berate Hester; however, Dimmesdale is still sought to be a good man in the