In the novel The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, the reader is introduced to Hester, a young woman that has committed adultery. Hester was a humiliation and disgrace to the Puritan society due to her sin. She is put on the scaffold to be humiliated in front of her town, then placed in jail. On page 64 it states, “Of an impulsive and passionate nature, she had fortified herself to encounter the stings and venomous stabs of public contumely, wreaking itself in every variety of insult…” This quote demonstrates the shame and degradation that she was put through. She was put on display and exposed to the townspeople, allowing them to ridicule and belittle her for her sin. Throughout the chapters, we see that this Hester's humiliation in society
…show more content…
This does not mean her sin is forgiven by the people, in fact, she is still scorned by some people, this change simply means that there is a progression in forgiveness. Some things that attributed to this change in society is Hester's work in the town. She nurses the sick, feeds the poor and helps people in time of need. Hester reacts to this change by becoming more aware of the world as it is. On page 178 it states, “The public is despotic in its temper; it is capable of denying common justice when too strenuously demanded as a right; but quite as frequently it awards more than justice, when entirely to its generosity.” This quote describes a major aspect of the novel up until now because the reader has seen what the public can do to shame and humiliate Hester. We have also seen their (the public's) capabilities when they are trying to elevate her from her sinful status. Hester also rejects this change because she isolates her self from the world and manages to shut down mentally. The scarlet letter was supposed to remind her of her sins and the reminder was there to help her improve her life. Instead, the letter closed her off and makes her question her existence. On page 182 is says “ The scarlet letter has not done its office.” This illustrates that the letter did not do what it was supposed to
This does not mean her sin is forgiven by the people, in fact, she is still scorned by some people, this change simply means that there is a progression in forgiveness. Some things that attributed to this change in society is Hester's work in the town. She nurses the sick, feeds the poor and helps people in time of need. Hester reacts to this change by becoming more aware of the world as it is. On page 178 it states, “The public is despotic in its temper; it is capable of denying common justice when too strenuously demanded as a right; but quite as frequently it awards more than justice, when entirely to its generosity.” This quote describes a major aspect of the novel up until now because the reader has seen what the public can do to shame and humiliate Hester. We have also seen their (the public's) capabilities when they are trying to elevate her from her sinful status. Hester also rejects this change because she isolates her self from the world and manages to shut down mentally. The scarlet letter was supposed to remind her of her sins and the reminder was there to help her improve her life. Instead, the letter closed her off and makes her question her existence. On page 182 is says “ The scarlet letter has not done its office.” This illustrates that the letter did not do what it was supposed to