Sympathy In Scarlet Letter

In The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne used devilish characters and dark symbolism to criticize the strict Puritan society and it’s rules. The story begins in colonial Massachusetts where the Puritans herd around to observe the main protagonist’s humiliation, The protagonist, Hester Prynne, was accused of committing adultery, and for her punishment she must wear a scarlet colored letter A on her chest. She also must serve a prison sentence and stand on a scaffold to be humiliated in front of the harsh, judgemental Puritan community. Throughout the book, Hester and her illegitimate daughter, Pearl, are outcasted from the community but they learn to live with their circumstances. It is clear that characters are restricted by the Puritan guidelines,

In Puritanism and the Power of Sympathy, Van Engen explains how John Winthrop believed that sympathy created a bond between a person and their community, that overall, it provided support and helps the community, and because of this, it was a Puritan’s duty to show sympathy. In the paragraph introducing his topic, Van Engen writes, “Puritans, moreover, considered sympathy both a doctrine and a duty.” A doctrine is an idea taught by the church. Because it sympathy was an idea spread by the church, Puritans are more religiously inclined to develop sympathy as a trait. Many of the traits taught to Puritans were taken very seriously and passed on to following generations. In the article “The Puritans”, Digital History defends the Puritans, explaining that they are not as hostile and rigid as people were led to believe. In the first paragraph, the author writes that the Puritans had a bigger effect on shaping today’s morals than any other group in history. This supports Van Engen’s article as it shows that Puritans focused on developing traits that will lead to their salvation, so much so that it shaped today’s

This fact alone consumed their lives. The academic journal article “Cultural demography: New England deaths and the Puritan perception of risk” written by Daniel Smith and David Hacker related the perception of risk with the actuality of data on deaths, specifically with Puritans. It summarized Puritan sermons, explaining that sermons explain how death is certain; however, its timing is uncertain. The academic journal also pointed out that Puritans do not qualify their deaths. In the section on the themes of mortality risk, Smith and Hacker wrote that “the capricious timing of death made preparation for it necessary at all stages of life.” In short, this means that because everyone dies but no one knows when, one must be prepared to die at any time. Because of this, Puritans made sure they were living good religious lives. This idea is supported by the article “Background on Puritan Theology.” In this article, the author, Ann Woodlief, wrote about the history of Puritanism and concepts that Puritans believed in. In her introductory paragraph, she writes, “A person does not know for sure if he or she is saved. Therefore, the Puritans were constantly examining their lives, especially their thoughts and inclinations.” The constant examination of one’s life calls for a change in lifestyle. The whole Puritan lifestyle was based around being prepared to