Punishment of the Powerful and Influential
Every great once and awhile, the story of a monumental scandal will spread and plague the nation. Whether it be a cheating and deflating professional sports team, or a corrupt businessmen embezzling money from his clients. No matter how many centuries have passed, a skeleton in the closest shocks not only those entangled in the rumor, but those observing from afar. A subtle and quiet scandal not only punishes the accused, but employs power to numerous individuals. In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s condemning novel The Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne of Puritan Boston Massachusetts becomes intertwined in the town 's biggest scandal since its settlement. Hester had a child with Reverend Dimmesdale, while her estranged husband is thought to be lost at sea, while unknowingly, he is in …show more content…
As shown by the isolation and mortification of Hester, the daily jest of Hester by her own little sprite, and the constant physiological and mental torment of the Reverend Dimmesdale by the leech-like physician, punishment and empowerment are directly linked. Both Father Dimmesdale and Dr. Chillingworth held high authority jobs in Boston, while Hester Prynne was middle class woman. It is no coincidence that the only person exiled and punished for their sins publicly is the woman with no position of authority in the town. Even though Hester, Dimmesdale, and Chillingworth all committed equally immoral acts. The Scarlet Letter is focused on the punishment of Hester from the usual norm of social life. Through the entirety of the novel, Hester faces her punishment and grows strong because of it. On the contrary, once Dimmesdale announces his part in the sin, he cowardly curls up and dies, unable to face the public shame and guilt. The wealthy, professional, and elite should be punished to the same magnitude as those everyday, ordinary
Every great once and awhile, the story of a monumental scandal will spread and plague the nation. Whether it be a cheating and deflating professional sports team, or a corrupt businessmen embezzling money from his clients. No matter how many centuries have passed, a skeleton in the closest shocks not only those entangled in the rumor, but those observing from afar. A subtle and quiet scandal not only punishes the accused, but employs power to numerous individuals. In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s condemning novel The Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne of Puritan Boston Massachusetts becomes intertwined in the town 's biggest scandal since its settlement. Hester had a child with Reverend Dimmesdale, while her estranged husband is thought to be lost at sea, while unknowingly, he is in …show more content…
As shown by the isolation and mortification of Hester, the daily jest of Hester by her own little sprite, and the constant physiological and mental torment of the Reverend Dimmesdale by the leech-like physician, punishment and empowerment are directly linked. Both Father Dimmesdale and Dr. Chillingworth held high authority jobs in Boston, while Hester Prynne was middle class woman. It is no coincidence that the only person exiled and punished for their sins publicly is the woman with no position of authority in the town. Even though Hester, Dimmesdale, and Chillingworth all committed equally immoral acts. The Scarlet Letter is focused on the punishment of Hester from the usual norm of social life. Through the entirety of the novel, Hester faces her punishment and grows strong because of it. On the contrary, once Dimmesdale announces his part in the sin, he cowardly curls up and dies, unable to face the public shame and guilt. The wealthy, professional, and elite should be punished to the same magnitude as those everyday, ordinary