The justification behind the concept of punishment takes many different forms. In Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, the primary rationale behind the Puritans’ punishment of Hester Prynne, the accused adulteress, is retributive, in proportional to the nature of the transgression. The Puritans intend their punishment of ostracism and forced visibility of the letter “A” to match Hester’s crime of adultery by shaming her with a sense of damnation. However, ironically this punishment brings an unintended redemption, one that consists of Hester being able to accept her sin and live a guiltless life. Under this, the office of the scarlet letter ultimately fails in retributive punishment, instead redeeming Hester from her burdening sin.
The Puritans’ …show more content…
However, though it may not seem so, Hester’s return to Puritan Boston, refutes that argument, actually completing her process of redemption. Even after she returns, under her “free will,” she continues to wear the scarlet letter which “ceased to become a stigma [of scorn and bitterness], and became something to be [looked upon] with [awe and reverence]” (240). The decision to wear the letter out of her own “free will,” implies that Hester is independent, and is able to make her own decisions without fear of repercussion or consequence, which reveals that she is still the strong, “able” character that she truly is. The parallelism of the “stigma [of scorn and bitterness]” and “something” of “awe and reverence” elucidates the complete shift in the office of the letter from its initial retributive nature to a respectable vital part of society, completing the process of redemption in accepting sin, in contrast to the failure of the intended punishment. The change of specific to vague diction, with “stigma” and “something” respectively, reflects the mutability of the letter’s nature, furthering the sentiment of its redefinition into a good thing. By “comforting and counselling” (241) the Puritan women of their own sin, Hester comes full circle with her redemption, as she becomes the one who is able to forgive and console, rather than the subject of the negative judgment the Puritans had initially passed on her. The transition between these two roles, from the beginning to the end of the book, reflects Hester’s gradual progression into redemption from welcoming her initial transgression. Through this shift, the original office of the scarlet letter to retributively punish Hester subsequently fails, allowing for the unintended consequence of
The Puritans’ …show more content…
However, though it may not seem so, Hester’s return to Puritan Boston, refutes that argument, actually completing her process of redemption. Even after she returns, under her “free will,” she continues to wear the scarlet letter which “ceased to become a stigma [of scorn and bitterness], and became something to be [looked upon] with [awe and reverence]” (240). The decision to wear the letter out of her own “free will,” implies that Hester is independent, and is able to make her own decisions without fear of repercussion or consequence, which reveals that she is still the strong, “able” character that she truly is. The parallelism of the “stigma [of scorn and bitterness]” and “something” of “awe and reverence” elucidates the complete shift in the office of the letter from its initial retributive nature to a respectable vital part of society, completing the process of redemption in accepting sin, in contrast to the failure of the intended punishment. The change of specific to vague diction, with “stigma” and “something” respectively, reflects the mutability of the letter’s nature, furthering the sentiment of its redefinition into a good thing. By “comforting and counselling” (241) the Puritan women of their own sin, Hester comes full circle with her redemption, as she becomes the one who is able to forgive and console, rather than the subject of the negative judgment the Puritans had initially passed on her. The transition between these two roles, from the beginning to the end of the book, reflects Hester’s gradual progression into redemption from welcoming her initial transgression. Through this shift, the original office of the scarlet letter to retributively punish Hester subsequently fails, allowing for the unintended consequence of