What is the line one must cross for their actions to result in them being shunned from society? In The Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne is shunned by society when her sin is discovered, while members of society largely disregard the sins of her lover. In modern society, adulterers are not forces to display the letter A on their chest or stand on a scaffold to be publicly shamed, but the underlying concept is still prevalent. An example of this that possesses many parallels to The Scarlet Letter is the "Lewinsky Scandal". Monica Lewinsky shouldered the bulk of the judgement by society as President Clinton was defended and protected.
The situations that led to the shunning of both Hester Prynne and Monica Lewinsky are very similar. Both women were part of an adulterous relationship with a man in a position of power. …show more content…
It was not as if she could have easily denied her sin because her sexual relationship resulted in a child. However, if she truly wanted to hide her sin she had other options and she does consider leaving town and moving somewhere else. She chooses to stay in Salem, though she does withdraw from society. It is impossible for Hester to return to a normal life. To make a living she makes beautiful embroidered pieces that eventually become very popular, though she is not allowed to make anything for weddings so as not to soil the bride's purity with her sinner hands. It also changes the was she can raise her daughter. Pearl is perceived to be a child of sin or demon-child and thus has essentially no interaction with other children her age. It is clearly not healthy for a child's only social interactions to be with
The situations that led to the shunning of both Hester Prynne and Monica Lewinsky are very similar. Both women were part of an adulterous relationship with a man in a position of power. …show more content…
It was not as if she could have easily denied her sin because her sexual relationship resulted in a child. However, if she truly wanted to hide her sin she had other options and she does consider leaving town and moving somewhere else. She chooses to stay in Salem, though she does withdraw from society. It is impossible for Hester to return to a normal life. To make a living she makes beautiful embroidered pieces that eventually become very popular, though she is not allowed to make anything for weddings so as not to soil the bride's purity with her sinner hands. It also changes the was she can raise her daughter. Pearl is perceived to be a child of sin or demon-child and thus has essentially no interaction with other children her age. It is clearly not healthy for a child's only social interactions to be with