The Scarlet Letter, shows how badly people were treated for committed a sin in that time period. The main character, Hester Prynne committed lechery and in puritan society, which was very closely related to religion breaking the commandment that forbid adultery earned a very big punishment. It was even worse for Hester because she ended up conceiving a child. One way Hester was shunned by people was by having to wear the scarlet letter that would bring her public shame. Hester knew that because of the letter “young and pure would be taught to look at her, with the scarlet letter flaming on her breast,—at her, the child of honorable parents,—at her, the mother of a babe, that would hereafter be a woman, —at her, who had once been innocent, —as the figure, the body, the reality of sin”
According to them, adultery is the biggest sin and if anyone was found committing this kind of sin then they will be punished and have to wear “A” on their dress for committing the shameful act. In the novel, Hester lifted the weight of the scarlet letter on her shoulders because the Puritan community forced her to wear the letter “A”. This demonstrates the importance of geography and demonstrating the community’s religious viewpoints because of its place. If the story had taken place somewhere else then Hester would not have to through this agony. Geography is the device that makes the story.
Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter is a novel that focuses on sin in the Puritan society. Hawthorne revolves the theme around the four main characters Hester Prynne, Arthur Dimmesdale, Roger Chillingworth., and Pearl. Hester Prynne is forced to wear the scarlet letter ‘A’ after committing adultery against her husband Roger Chillingworth, with the minister Arthur Dimmesdale. As a result an odd child is born.
The Scarlet Letter begins in 1642 Boston, Massachusetts with the Puritan society punishing Hester Prynne for her sins against God. The puritans believe that any crime is a crime or a sin against God and the Puritan leaders take this very seriously. Hester committed adultery with an unknown man. She was living out her punishment peacefully with her child Pearl until Roger Chillingworth appears back in town. No one knows that Chillingworth is Hester 's husband except for Hester.
The Scarlet Letter Arguement According to Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, the author argues that sin and suffering exists even in a utopian society. To illustrate, Hester prynne commits the sin of adultery.
Mahatma Gandhi, a civil rights activist, once stated, “I do not seek redemption for the consequences of my sin. I seek to be redeemed from sin itself. Until I have attained that end, I shall be content to be relentless.” Gandhi, similarly to Hawthorne, believed that sin had to be penanced and redeemed in order to learn from a misdeed, and hopefully, not to be repeated. Nathaniel Hawthorne, author of The Scarlet Letter, clearly integrated his opinion on sin through his writing.
Dying with their sins seems to be the greatest fear the townspeople have and Hawthorne describes it as, “Dying sinners cried aloud for Mr. Hopper, and would not yield their breath till he appeared”(10). It is a great vulnerability to bare their deepest mistakes to someone who sees all and judges them for the rest of eternity. “The black veil involved his own spirit in the horror with which it overwhelmed all others”(6) the minister had seen his reflection in a glass cup, reminded of the horrible sin the veil represent for him. He quickly runs, the fear of the known chasing him and taunting him by hanging in front of his face, ever so reminding that he shall die with it.
Imagine living in a place where one small sin could define who you are for the rest of your life. That is what happened in The Scarlet Letter written by Nathaniel Hawthorne in 1850. The novel is set in a seventeenth-century Puritan community in Boston, Massachusetts. A young woman by the name of Hester Prynne commits a small act of adultery and is shamed for the rest of her life, by wearing a scarlet letter “A” on her breast. The book is centered around the theme of justice and judgement.
The Scarlet Letter takes place in the 17th century Boston, in a puritan settlement. A woman by the name of Hester Prynne, is led from the prison with her daughter, Pearl, in her arms and the letter “A” sewn on her breast. There is talk about how the woman’s name is Hester and the sins she has committed. Hester’s husband sent her to America, but was not able to make it to Boston himself, it is believed he was lost at sea. While waiting for her husband, Hester had an affair with a younger gentleman, and has given birth to a child.
The Consequences of Sin Sin is defined as “an offense against religious or moral law”. The idea of sin and being ostracized for your sins was extremely relevant during the Puritan period when religion was the greatest component of daily life. The Puritans believed that they had entered a covenant with God and therefore any sin, such as crime and adultery were considered a breach of their covenant with God. This view led to the church punishing people who committed sin in order for God not to punish the church as a whole. The consequences and effects of sin is shown through the character development in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s, The Scarlet Letter.
Have you felt the need to exculpate your sins, for your guilt is eating you inside? The Scarlet Letter gives you the experience to suffer with the characters and their desire to expiate their sinful selves and at the end you would think that all of their suffering would be mollified and they would live happily ever after like every other popular story, but it had a different twist. To be candor ,when I finished reading the book I was pretty disappointed, for the characters in the story who suffered from beginning to end didn’t really liberate and feel repentance for their sins or restart their life like the human beams they were. I love twist endings, but I feel like the story could’ve of ended differently. I felt like Hester didn’t really
In the Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne expresses that redemption is possible through commendable actions. Hester Prynne, the protagonist, works to change the way viewers interpret The Scarlet Letter from its original significance. Her punishment pushed it’s sinful meaning,, however, her engagement in various acts prove otherwise. Although many scholars have argued that the embroidered ‘A’ in the book represents the path of sin and shame, a careful examination suggest that it represents a path of redemption. Hester is looked upon as the outcast of society.
Effect of Sin and the Chance of Redemption Sin is a powerful action that has an everlasting consequence of guilt. Once done, the person wants to forget about his felonious actions; however, hopefully a person’s conscience is a constant, nagging reminder. In order to be free of the constant pain, redemption is pursued for even the person who sinned in public or private. In The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne proves that the truth of sin eventually need to be confronted in order for a person to stop suffering.
What is redemption? Redemption is the act of being saved or freed from sin. This is an important part of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “The Scarlet Letter.” Redemption was what the characters in the book were seeking, and was the reason for many of their actions. Because of the time period and the fact the people were Puritans, sins were not tolerated nor common, so when they happened they were a huge deal.
Hawthorne described three things in The Scarlet Letter. Sin, guilt, and redemption. Hawthorne uses people to symbolize them. Hester Prynne was one. Hawthorne allows the reader to get a better understanding by using biblical references.
