HESTER PRYNNE IN THE 21ST CENTURY
Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter occurred in the 17th century, where religiously based laws were more widespread than now. In Hawthorne’s novel, the lead character, Hester Prynne, endured the shame and consequences of her crime of adultery. Likewise, in the 21st century, it is still controversial and unjust for women to be convicted and persecuted for actions as grievously as being discussed. Furthermore, women located around the globe such as Nigeria, Pakistan, and Iran suffer similar fates as Hester. “She deserves to be stoned to death,” the prosecutor declares, “because pregnancy in a woman who is not known to be married is clear evidence of extramarital sex.”(“Will She Be Stoned to Death” 1) In …show more content…
Honor killings include actual or imagined adultery or premarital sex. In comparison to Hester, who was condemn for adultery, both were women who committed the crime of extracurricular relations. “’I killed my daughter because she insulted all of our family by marrying a man without our consent, and I have no regret over it.’ Police investigator Rana Majahid quoted him as saying.” (“Pregnant Pakistan Woman Stoned to Death by Her Family” 1) The male relatives of Farzana Parveen, the murder victim, deny any guilt associated with the “honor killing”. Similar to The Scarlet Letter, the women both brought shame among their associates. Living in such a religiously bias community, a private human rights association reported 869 women in 2013 were victims of honor killings, including Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani. Although Hester’s punishment did not lead to her death, the Puritans sought shame upon her for participating in such a deviant act and was sentenced to a lifetime of guilt and shame “Therefore, although the Islam law prescribes 100 lashes for fornication, and death by stoning for adultery, these punishments are not really meant to be performed as much as they are meant to make these crimes hated by the eyes of the society in order to minimize the occurrence.” (“Pregnant Pakistan Woman Stoned to Death by Her Family” 2) The communities equally believed in the ultimate punishment of shame to prevent the reoccurrence of crimes against their “higher
Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter occurred in the 17th century, where religiously based laws were more widespread than now. In Hawthorne’s novel, the lead character, Hester Prynne, endured the shame and consequences of her crime of adultery. Likewise, in the 21st century, it is still controversial and unjust for women to be convicted and persecuted for actions as grievously as being discussed. Furthermore, women located around the globe such as Nigeria, Pakistan, and Iran suffer similar fates as Hester. “She deserves to be stoned to death,” the prosecutor declares, “because pregnancy in a woman who is not known to be married is clear evidence of extramarital sex.”(“Will She Be Stoned to Death” 1) In …show more content…
Honor killings include actual or imagined adultery or premarital sex. In comparison to Hester, who was condemn for adultery, both were women who committed the crime of extracurricular relations. “’I killed my daughter because she insulted all of our family by marrying a man without our consent, and I have no regret over it.’ Police investigator Rana Majahid quoted him as saying.” (“Pregnant Pakistan Woman Stoned to Death by Her Family” 1) The male relatives of Farzana Parveen, the murder victim, deny any guilt associated with the “honor killing”. Similar to The Scarlet Letter, the women both brought shame among their associates. Living in such a religiously bias community, a private human rights association reported 869 women in 2013 were victims of honor killings, including Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani. Although Hester’s punishment did not lead to her death, the Puritans sought shame upon her for participating in such a deviant act and was sentenced to a lifetime of guilt and shame “Therefore, although the Islam law prescribes 100 lashes for fornication, and death by stoning for adultery, these punishments are not really meant to be performed as much as they are meant to make these crimes hated by the eyes of the society in order to minimize the occurrence.” (“Pregnant Pakistan Woman Stoned to Death by Her Family” 2) The communities equally believed in the ultimate punishment of shame to prevent the reoccurrence of crimes against their “higher