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The Puritans In The Scarlet Letter

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The Scarlet Letter, written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, has many connections to the life style and beliefs of the Puritans. Throughout The Scarlet Letter, it is clear that the people of Salem strongly represent the Puritan way of life, which tends to often contradict the common teaching of Christianity today. The Puritans were a religious group in the late 16th through 17th centuries. Their purpose was to purify the church and remove themselves from the evils of society. They were known for their intense way of living by having “a spirit of moral and religious earnestness that informed their way of life” and sought to be “in a covenant relationship with God in order to redeem one from one’s sinful condition” (“Puritanism” Britannica Library). …show more content…

Looking at how the people of Salem take sin very seriously, it shows how much they relate to the Puritans. The Puritans seemed to have a mindset very against pleasure and things that bring humans joy simply by nature. Hawthorne shows this idea through his own Puritans in The Scarlet Letter. It has been highly supported through evidence that the Puritans were very stern people, against most anything that brought pleasure and leisure into one’s life. After Hester sins, they show no mercy by going as far as to ridicule her and make her feel like she is less of a human being because of her mistake. Hawthorne shows his very opposite view by raising the question that maybe human nature is impossible to get around and punishment of a sinful nature, something all people have in common, should not be taken to the Puritan’s extreme level (Daniels 7-9). The Puritans also believed that “God punished the whole community on the slightest provocation” (Johnson 52). This belief shows just how seriously the Puritans saw sin, likewise the people of Salem. By having this mindset, they feel it is necessary to show Hester Prynne the significance of her sin and show God that they do not allow such actions to be tolerated within their community (Hawthorne 55-57). They do this because they want to avoid punishment of the whole community, and instead inflict serious punishments on the sinner to

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