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Social norms theory
Following rules in society
Social norms that can be violated
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A group of settlers feel that Hester’s punishment is justified on a social level and we should , now accept her back in the settlement. Our reasons for this decision is that we feel that she has suffered enough. She has gone through enough torture in life and we should forgive her. Hester’s social stigma was having to support pearl and herself , pearl reminding her of the sin she committed , and living alone with pearl outside the settlement. One of Hester’s social punishments caused by her adultery was that she had to support her child and herself all alone. A normal woman would not be able to do this but she was able to due to her embedding skills that she used on the scarlet letter. “Her needlework was seen on the ruff of the governor ;
In chapter two, Hester had to stand on a scaffold with her daughter Pearl. While, she was walking up to stand on the scaffold Hester got taunted and stared at by the children and adults. We also, learned of the big letter “A” on her chest, which stood for adultery. This stood as a means of entertainment for the townspeople. “Open a passage; and, I promise ye, Mistress Prynne shall be set where man, woman, and child may have a fair sight…”. After Hester’s term of confinement was over, she moved to the outskirts of Boston. She lived with her daughter and made a living by sewing. We learned that Hester was a skilled seamstress and her work was in high demand. Hester could sew clothing for ceremonies and for the fashionable women of the town. Although, the townspeople loved her needlework they do no accept Hester and did not let her sew wedding
“Woman, it is thy badge of shame!" (107). Governor Bellingham was describing the scarlet letter to Hester while they were discussing if the punishments that Hester had to go through were adequate enough for the crime. Hester was living in the outskirts of the city in a small abandoned cottage for several years with the only thing that had any monetary value in her life, her child and the product of committing adultery, Pearl. She and her little Pearl were shunned from the community for her acts. In the Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Hester is punished in more than one way, and she is able to deal with it openly so the community will, over time, forgive her.
It's something that has been said since forever by well meaning parents and high school counselors and in The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, the author reiterates this bit of advice to the characters as well as the readers: "Be true!" When viewed from the surface, almost none of the characters followed the simple suggestion offered by Hawthorne, or the entire conflict of the novel could have been averted. Chillingworth the revenge monger was unwilling to reveal even his real name and intent, and Dimmesdale the sentimental and trusted pastor, was unable to reveal his dark secret. That leaves Hester. In the beginning she was not only forced to be true to herself and the whole town, but to emotionally and mentally evolve. She had found her identity in the novel the day she stood on that scaffold. If given a choice, Hester would have rather worn the mark of shame than not, because the letter had transformed her into who she is. The blood red letter may not be pretty, but it is immensely better than living a lie. By digging a little deeper into the novel, it's plain that Hester is the only one true in the entire book, both to her self and society. Hester and Hester alone had the courage to do what was right by showing who she really was. She let the events of the novel shape her like a ball of clay into the person she would become, instead of controlling events or resisting change. Although many may say she didn't learn her lesson by wanting to run off with Dimmesdale, she had in fact learned her lesson thoroughly and by admitting her love she didn't make the same mistake a second time.
Initially, in Chapter 14, Hester has a sense of pity towards Roger Chillingworth, where she notices how the physician has changed from being a shy, light-hearted man to this so called, “spawn of the devil”, where he now has a darker, more evil demeanor to him now. This is shown in the novel where Hawthorne states, “All this while, Hester had been looking steadily at the old man, and was shocked, as well as wonder-smitten, to discern what a change had been wrought upon him within the past seven years.It was not so much that he had grown older; for though the traces of advancing life were visible, he bore his age well, and seemed to retain a wiry vigor and alertness. But the former aspect of an intellectual and studious man, calm and quiet, which was what she best remembered
Reading the Scarlet Letter reminds me of one of my own experience. When I was a fifth grade elementary student, two of my friends and I agreed to cheat on a geography test. On the day of the test, one of my friends was caught. The teacher found the cheat sheet where it showed the handwriting of the three of us. When he was asked who the other two is, he remained silent. The teacher said that he will be punished, standing in the corner of the classroom for one straight week, and it will be lighter if only he told our name. My friend still did not say a word, so he received the punishment. What he did was similar to what Hester Prynne does. In The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Hester Prynne is portrayed as a woman with remarkable strength of character through direct and indirect characterization.
with. Having a heart blinded by love Hester choose to stay in the town and
A change is to make or become different. In the Scarlet Letter change is very evident in the main character Hester Prynne. Hester has undergone both physical and emotional changes that have made her more acceptable to the Puritan Society.
Every individual at some point has questioned their mother’s effectiveness and ability to do her job, be a mother. However, many still ponder at what qualities actually describe a good mother, and sometimes causes legal issues and debate. One of these debated mothers is Hester Prynne, the malefactress who committed adultery and gave birth to a daughter, whom she named Pearl. That said, Mrs. Prynne also shows signs of being a very good mother, whereas she teaches her daughter about the religious practices of the time, she never lets her daughter out of her sight, and she actively cares about her daughter’s well being. Overall, Hester Prynne is a good mother and should be able to keep her fateful daughter, Pearl.
Hester Prynne, from Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel, the Scarlet Letter, faces a crucible. She commits adultery with Reverend Dimmesdale and becomes pregnant with a daughter, Pearl. She is isolated from the community and the general public except for when she must stand upon the scaffold for three hours as part of her punishment for her sin. She must also wear a scarlet letter “A” for adultery on her breast. The town looks at her differently because of her sin but Hester stays true to her personality. Hester fairs her life by honoring her punishment and her mistakes, as well as taking care of Pearl and teaching her to be kind.
free from the laws and regulations made by the king of England. In the new
Hester Prynne committed a crime so severe that it changed her life into coils of torment and defeat. In The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Hester is publicly recognized as an adulteress and expelled from society. Alongside the theme of isolation, the scarlet letter, or symbol of sin, is meant to shame Hester but instead transforms her from a woman of ordinary living into a stronger person.
Throughout many years of her life, Hester was considered an outcast by the people of her town. These repercussions are felt by her daughter, Pearl, as well, because she has no friends. They don't associate with others and some instances occurred when Puritan children would throw rocks at the two. During this time, Hester refuses to make publicly known the name of her child's father. To bear the weight of her punishment all alone made her even stronger. As her life progressed, Hester became less of an outcast in the public eye. She was gifted at embroidery and was charitable to those less fortunate than she. (Although Hester was a talented seamstress, she did not make as much money as she could have because she was not allowed to sew wedding dresses. This is obviously because she had committed sins that were supposed to be confined to the sanctity of marriage.)
In the Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne commits adultery, a disgraceful sin, and she is severely punished. Yet although her sin was not a good choice, Nathaniel Hawthorne, the author, attempts to justify her actions. His writing indicates that he does not accept of her behavior but that it was not completely her fault. Being a Puritan, Hester was forced into one way of life, the only acceptable way in the eyes of her community. This pressure to adhere to numerous strict rules was metaphorically compared to a difficult journey down a narrow, winding road in the forest with little light. The Puritanical way of life curbed deviant behavior and is a justification for Hester's sin because every so often, everyone strays from the path but it the reaction to the wrongdoings that should be defining and Hester remained strong and took the consequences.
Throughout The Scarlet Letter, the author Nathaniel Hawthorne uses many literal and figurative items to illustrate the significance of various characters or themes. Coupled with the tangible evidence given, the reader can make many miscellaneous assumptions of the importance of these items to directly and indirectly contribute to the issues of the novel. One cryptic item that symbolizes more than it seems to is the appearance of one of the main characters, Hester Prynne. Hester Prynne's appearance and hair signify the levels of will and determination she possesses at the moment.
After Hester stood on the scaffold, being humiliated in front of the public she was granted the option to leave or stay in Boston. “Here. she said to herself, had been the scene of her guilt, and here should be the scene of her earthly punishment; and so, perchance, the torture of her daily shame would at length purge her soul…” (Hawthorne 72). Since Hester decided to stay in Boston, because it was the place where she committed her sin the citizens treated Hester and Pearl very poorly. When Hester and Pearl would walk through town they would get evil glares and the children’s parents would tell their kids biased information about Hester and Pearl, because of this the children wouldn’t want to play with Pearl, instead they threw things at her. Hester’s decision to stay in Boston with all the citizens that saw her as a sinner really took a toll on how she was treated.