The Scarlet Letter Puritan Society

Nathaniel Hawthorne, the author of The Scarlet Letter, reveals his very pessimistic view of Puritan society in a whole throughout the plot of The Scarlet Letter. It is apparent throughout The Scarlet Letter that Nathaniel Hawthorne instills a passionate, antipathic aversion of the Puritan society as he describes the structure of Boston throughout the continuity of the plot. Nathaniel Hawthorne also logically denounces the structure of Puritan society in Boston by revealing the fatal flaws in the ways of the colony’s constitution. Nathaniel Hawthorne’s vicious ad hominem attacks towards the colonists reflect his distaste for the Puritan way of life. He also utilizes red herrings to distract the reader from the instantaneous plot and puts his

For instance, a woman in the crowd at the market place said “‘At the very least, they should have put the brand of a hot iron on Hester Prynne's forehead’” (Hawthorne 49). This exclamation reaches out to the reader’s emotion by introducing a very torturous device to correct an otherwise miniscule act if not set in a Puritan society. In a more developed world, an affair would conclude without any punishment legally, which is why the reader may view this branding as extreme, which reflects upon the thoughts of the Puritans. Today, not many people would view a public branding as an appropriate punishment for adultery, which makes Puritanism seem very backwards and hypocritically cruel. Later on, Pearl says “‘But why does he not wear it outside his bosom, as thou dost, mother?’” (Hawthorne 172). Hawthorne adds this bit to throw a sense of uneasiness at the reader. A young child recognizing the hypocrisy her father’s sin is very unsettling and dark. It proves the double standard in Boston that people of high importance of kept off the radar and are figuratively void of

Hawthorne challenges the Puritan society by pointing out its hypocrisy when it comes to sin and who commits it. Mistress Hibbins, sister of Governor Bellingham, asks Hester, “‘Wilt thou go with us tonight? There will be a merry company in the forest; and I well-nigh promised the Black Man that comely Hester Prynne make one” (Hawthorne 107). Hawthorne assigns Mistress Hibbins as a witch for a reason. Hawthorne alludes that the Puritan society values hierarchy over divinity, making the Puritans seem entirely hypocritical of their core values. Logically, it would make sense that Mistress Hibbins would be punished for worshipping the devil. The reader understands that the ranking of the mistress is why she is not punished. Thus, it seems illogical to the reader why Puritan society would allow a situation like this to occur. Hawthorne utilizes this theme of hypocrisy throughout the story to make Puritanism seem illegitimate. Dimmesdale is not punished throughout the story for his sin. As a fellow colonist, it should be easy to decipher that he had an affair with Hester and should be punished. The community sees no sin from Dimmesdale purely because he is an important man. If Dimmesdale was just another townsman, he may have been exposed very early on. Dimmesdale’s situation just adds to the list of making Puritanism