Hester Prynne Punishment Quotes

Hester Prynne was a young woman who had a child out of wedlock which resulted in her being punished for adultery. The punishment for this sinful act was for Hester to stand on a scaffold to be interrogated and shamed publicly and to also wear a scarlet “A” for the rest of her life. People who sin will eventually be disciplined or punished for their preceding wrongful acts.

The novel The Scarlet Letter was set back in the 17th century in a community of Puritans therefore during that time period adultery was not tolerated. The Puritans planned on making this disgraceful act be taken with her to her grave. “Thus she will be a living sermon against sin, until the ignominious letter be engraved on her tombstone” (Hawthorne 42). Hester was aware

that her decision was not acceptable but did not want her daughter Pearl to be looked down upon as well. The community looked at Pearl as evidence for Hester’s crime instead of an innocent child who just happened to be in a discriminatory predicament. However, the man who assisted Hester in committing this crime was not forgotten about. The Puritans wanted to dishonor everyone who was involved. “It irks me, nevertheless, that the partner of her iniquity should not, at least, stand on the scaffold by her side. But he will be known!...” (Hawthorne 42). The father of Pearl was a man named Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale who at first was not known for the sin he committed but soon paid for it. He had the scarlet letter “A” on him as well but his mark was more so permanent since it was on his chest. Dimmesdale will always be reminded of his sin and have a mental punishment being that the mark cannot be removed. No one knew how the mark came about on his skin but Pearl believed the Black Man put it there whenever Dimmesdale put his name in the book using his blood (Hawthorne 125). Though, the mental torture is not enough to pay for what he has done. Roger Chillingworth chooses to establish several ways to torment Dimmesdale once he identifies the Reverend’s mark of sin. The primary reason Chillingworth desires vengeance is because he is Hester’s husband who is in disguise as a doctor. This monstrous character is aware of the amount of destruction he can do to Dimmesdale’s mental state and puts his skills in full effect until Dimmesdale’s dying day. After Dimmesdale’s death, Chillingworth does not have anyone to torture and soon dies. Death is the penalty that is against him for essentially murdering Dimmesdale.
Being that no sin is greater than the other, every character that committed one paid the price in the end. The social atmosphere that Hawthorne set this novel in made it simple to establish an idea about some of the customs from that period. The most acknowledged people in this novel were the Puritans. They were Christians who believed they were expected to be an excellent example that others could follow which made their viewpoints matter. Although it is not confirmed that this novel is based on how a Puritan community was previously, just like other parts of history, it teaches the reader a lesson. People are able to learn from past mistakes in history so they can prevent similar situations from occurring. According to the novel, the Puritan’s made it so that even if Hester had a job or a home inside of the community that she was still an outcast. “In all her intercourse with society, however, there was nothing that made her feel as if she belonged to it. Every gesture, every word, and even the silence of those with whom she came in contact, implied, and often expressed, that she was banished, and as much alone...” (Hawthorne 56). This quote allowed the reader to understand that the Puritan community was strict with their punishment to those who did not live accordingly to the scriptures. However, the Puritans did not have complete control to outcast Hester if she did not live in their community. Since Dimmesdale felt a sense of guilt just as Hester did, she insisted that they just leave and live without anymore burdens. “There thou art free! So brief a journey would bring thee from a world where thou hast been most wretched, to one where thou mayest still be happy!” (Hawthorne 132). The influence that certain religions had on the way a person is viewed is not the same in today’s society.
In society today most people do not allow religion to decide if they are socially accepted but instead social media and people who seem to be well known.

Unfortunately, they still let others determine if they fit in with everyone else, just as the Puritan’s did. For example, Hester was forced to wear the scarlet letter because it allowed everyone to know she committed adultery. Most people place labels on those who do things that are not approved of, but the label that is placed upon them cannot be seen. The label is just placed inside of their minds and it triggers their emotions due to the pressure to fit social standards. It is obvious that the novel The Scarlet Letter’s portrayal of how being judgemental can affect a person did not spark a change in today’s society. These labels that are placed on person affects their mental state and they tear them down emotionally. The opinions of the Puritans,as well as the society, turned Hester into a person who was helpless after she was rejected. But farther on in the novel, she realized that the community’s opinion does not matter, the way she viewed herself did. “She had wandered, without rule or guidance, in a moral wilderness; as vast, as intricate and shadowy, as the untamed forest, amid the gloom of which they were now holding a colloquy that was to decide their fate.” (Hawthorne 134). The pain and hardships that she faced could have been avoided if she would not have put herself in a risky predicament. Therefore since she made the decision to sin she received public

punishment.