Public Punishment In The Scarlet Letter

The public expresses a great deal of concern with image and adjusts public punishment to reflect their concern over image because the public wants to seem kind and benevolent to impress others, instead of expressing kindness. Sometimes one brands themselves with a mark, either physical or mental, to prevent his or her mistakes from showing, but in the process he or she also prevents them self from discovering redemption. Dimmesdale hides his own shame with through his guilt, while the public bestows a mark upon Hester. Through a political lens, In The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne wants to point out the flaw in public humiliation and how it fails to address the problem. Instead, Hawthorne wants to show how public humiliation only serves to benefit …show more content…
Hester’s scarlet letter seeks to shame Hester instead of foster growth and correction of her actions. An object like a scarf could easily cover Hester’s shame and hide the scarlet letter from sight of the public, but Hester does not cover her mark because she uses it to represent to herself when she feels she reaches redemption: “Ah, but let her cover the mark as she will, the pang of it will always be in her heart,” (Hawthorne 39). Hawthorne shows two important features about public punishment that fall short: correction and publicity. Hester’s scarlet letter does not influence her to change, but she wears it to appease the public. The scarlet letter tries to hide Hester’s moral development and hold her back from her redemption. Hawthorne uses Hester to show that despite the marks that hold someone one down, one should not hide punishment, but embrace it because one needs to address their mistakes and problems in order to mature to a better person. R. V. Young agrees with Hawthorne about the pressure that builds for Hester because of the public: “As an adulteress who bears an illegitimate child, Hester is by that fact alone a threat to social cohesion and subject to the full weight of public opprobrium” (Young). While Hawthorne talks about redemption through Hester’s perspective with the scarlet letter, Young …show more content…
Hawthorne realizes that public punishment should shed light on wrongdoings, but not seek to isolate an individual. Hester manages to help herself and support Pearl while the Public seeks to isolate Hester. Although her “evil deed” shows poor faith in her husband, Hester cannot help but feel “no faith” for her future. (Hawthorne 61). Hawthorne shows that the individual can punish themselves better than the public because the individual feels the consequences of their own mistakes more than the public. Without the public, Hester now has the burden of her own personal judgement and to support herself and a child. The public adds separation and hate. Hawthorne wants to convince readers that the public can help the individual along that journey instead of erecting a barrier and negligence of the punished individual. In agreeance with Hawthorne, Londhe analyzes Hester’s actions to handle her consequences. Londhe takes into account Hester’s dark situation and commends Hester’s bravery: “Hester acknowledges her sin and boldly displays it to the world” (Londhe). Despite hopelessness, Lordhe uses Hester’s example to show that the individual needs to take action. Londhe further emphasizes Hawthorne’s meaning to include perseverance to move past hopelessness into redemption. Recovery and redemption occur at the individual level through perseverance, both Londhe and Hawthorne agree in