Sin In Scarlet Letter

Sin was a substantial problem in the 1700s that had to be confessed, no matter the circumstance. The Scarlet Letter, written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, is a novel about adultery during the Puritan times. Public Confession and The Scarlet Letter, written by Ernest W. Baughman, is a scholarly article that looks at the history of theses specific Puritan times. Nowadays, crime and felonies are actions that happen daily all over the world. In the 18th century, sin was completely unacceptable. Baughmans article displays a deeper look into the character of Dimmesdale, public confession, and court & church punishments. Dimmesdale himself represents a walking, breathing, living sin in The Scarlet Letter. As Baughman explains in his article, “...he also argues that his capacity to do good (by serving God as a minister) would be lost if his guilt were known.” (Baughman, 225). Dimmesdale’s argue to try to defend himself is pathetic. He is supposed to be a minister, therefore he should be the first to know that sin must be

The article indicates that, “The Governour shall cause the offender for his first time of refusal to be whipt, for the second time to be whipt twice and to acknowledge his fault upon the Saboth day…” (Baughman, 223). The church had a very strict, violent way of dealing with punishment. They believed that when you sin, you have “broken His heart” (Baughman 223). The article also confirms that, “An erring member brought before the congregation… might be dealt with in four ways: he could be admonished to mend his ways; he could be suspended from participation in the Lord’s supper; he could be excommunicated; or he could be cleared…” (Baughman, 224). Unexpectedly, the court system was not as violent as the church’s punishments. The government’s punishments seemed to be held at a more social standard, whereas the church’s were at a more physical