Scandalous Behavior In The Scarlet Letter

Westby Caspersen October 27, 2015
A Chance for Penance The shunning and malice directed towards the perpetrator of a scandalous act can cause him or her to break under the pressure leading to more scandalous behavior, or it can be accepted, which results in perpetrator being able to earn back acceptance into his or her community and ultimately become a more benevolent person. Scandals and public backlash to them were present in the 1800s while Hawthorne was writing, and still are pertinent today. The scandal of Yankees’ player Alex Rodriguez, and its effects, contain the same details as Hester’s story in The Scarlet Letter. Both Hester and A-Rod created a scandal that was widely, negatively publicized, and the authorities harshly disciplined

I regret that my actions made the situation worse than it needed to be. To Major League Baseball, the Yankees, the Steinbrenner family, the players association and you, the fans, I can only say I’m sorry.” Yankee fans promptly responded by booing him after he hit a home-run, and people worldwide continued to ceaselessly mock him over social media. Early in the regular season, while exceeding all expectations in terms of his play, he hit his 660th career homerun which made tied for fourth all-time and triggered a six million dollar bonus in his contract. When the Yankees refused to pay him the money, Rodriguez did not criticize them or make use of the player’s union that was ready to fight on his behalf. Instead, he showed respect for the Yankees in his interviews and quietly reached a compromise where the Yankees would pay three million dollars to charity. When asked about this decision Rodriguez said “I’ve learned my lesson. I’m doing things a different way now.” Rodriguez again showed poise when a fan who caught his three thousandth hit refused to give up the ball and made unprovoked derogatory remarks about Rodriguez on Twitter. Again, instead of making the situation worse, Rodriguez handled it well. He personally met with the fan and was able to obtain the ball in exchange for autographed gear and a sizeable donation to the fan’s favorite charity. These two situations, where Rodriguez reacted with composed dignity, helped him earn back the respect of his teammates and fans. The media began to refer to him as “an upstanding clubhouse citizen” instead of a shameful disgrace. Instead of boos, he received standing ovations after his homeruns, which were more numerous than anyone predicted prior to the season. Just like Hester,