Perfection In The Scarlet Letter

As students of all ages scampered to prepare for tests, and elucidated ideologies ceaselessly in an attempt to complete term papers during the academic year, the consternation over potential failure stimulates stress and perspiration. Nonetheless the novels and autobiographies which were read during this American Literature course, accentuated a theme of nonconformity which is not kindled through effrontery but sparked through a cycle of assimilating to making mistakes. While in the academic realm engendering anything outside of perfection is condemned by many pedagogues and students alike, elsewhere the act of unintentional blundering is seen as boon opposed to a burden. Furthermore, through novels such as “The Scarlet Letter,” readers can

extrapolate that mavericks come about due to their disregard for the societal standard of impeccability. Ultimately, equating a shortcoming to a coup de grace will never aid the thirst to innovate as success is not achieve by evading mistakes rather it is engendered by a yearning that is not diminished by failure, instead it is ignited. Through this illustrious course, the philosophy that shortcoming perfection is a deplorable act was extirpated, in lieu students were able to deduce the idea that in order to leave a lasting footprint on this world, one should not hesitate to tie their shoelaces too tight.
Former president of the United States of America, Bill Clinton, once promulgated “If you live long enough, you'll make mistakes. But if you learn from them, you'll be a better person. It's how you handle adversity, not how it affects you. The main thing is never quit, never quit, never quit.” Thus, Clinton’s declaration attests to the discrepancy between the academic world and life postliminary of schooling. While Clinton delineated the means of attainment in the real world, these articulations seem to allude to a stark difference between the academic world and reality after schooling. Bill Clinton’s views accentuate the principal for achievement in the real world, as fulfillment comes about through diligence and learning from inadequacy. While on the other hand, in an article by Hara Estroff Marano, titled “Pitfalls of Perfectionism” of Psychology Today, the author affirms
“Perfectionists, experts now know, are made and not born, commonly at an early age. They also know that perfectionism is increasing. One reason: Pressure on children to achieve is rampant, because parents now seek much of their status from the performance of their kids. And, by itself, pressure to achieve is perceived by kids as criticism for mistakes; criticism turns out to be implicit in it.” (Marano 2008)
The statements made by Clinton, and Marano highlight the disparity between the two worlds.

Such a divergence is quaint, as many typically view education as the passage into a successful life in the real world. Moreover, in regard to Marano’s assertions, one can ascertain that in the contemporary academic world, the key to prosperity, postliminary graduation from an education institution, is seen in the achievement of perfection in the academic endeavors of students. However, in the current world economic exorbitance is attained by embracing failure. By instilling an ideal of valuing perfection over all else in our youth, we are instituting the distress which has hampered many in the real world from achieving their dreams. For instance, renowned entrepreneur Mark Zuckerberg is set out as the standard for eminence and success for aspiring entrepreneurs. Journalist Bob Dorf writes in his article, titled Want to be the next Mark Zuckerberg? Dream

on,
“If you're not a passionate, tenacious, driven entrepreneur willing to work 90-plus hours a week while confronting a high failure rate, update your resume and get a job [...] According to the Kauffman Foundation, America's leading entrepreneurship advocate, in 2013 about 476,000 new businesses started per month, including everything from hair salons to tech startups backed by Sequoia and Kleiner Perkins. While new businesses help create jobs in the economy, the failure rate is high.” (Dorf 2015)

Dorf’s reports confirm that a positive value can be placed on learning from one’s blunders.

The reason being that the prosperous figures such as Zuckerberg, and Bill Gates, who are extolled by society, achieved their current standing through a cycle of aspiring to innovate, becoming victim to a misstep, and learning from their mistake. It corroborates the aforementioned palpable distinction between the academic realm and one’s life after formal education. Likewise, Dorf’s publishings reaffirm the value of failure in regards to triumph as an adult. As a result their diligence was complemented by an exceptional teacher, experience. From Dorf to Clinton, one can see that the pressure that society places on individuals to succeed from adolescence is ultimately futile. By virtue of the fact that such attainment is acquired by embracing failure and gaining from one’s blunders, the real world proves a harsh reality as to the pragmatic pathway to

prosperity.
Accordingly, amidst the works of numerous authors in the past, the doctrine of achieving success through learning from failure is ubiquitous. Preeminently, in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, the main character in the novel Hester Prynne is victim to the perils of a devout Puritan society. Prynne, a woman who was found guilty of adultery, gave birth to an illegitimate child, Pearl, and the two were alienated from the rest of the community. Hester was forced to wear a letter “A” on her chest and, due to the pious nature of Puritans, the Prynnes faced immense vitriol. The purpose of such lied in the idea that through constant acrimony, the Puritans would have set the precedent for future transgressors.