In modern times, society frequently sees the seclusion of jail as a hard punishment for those who have done wrong. However, this punishment has far evolved from the practice public shaming, whipping, and sometimes hanging of criminals of the seventeenth century. During this era in American history, the religious Puritans had no tolerance for those who did not live by their rules and punished those individuals in an effort to keep Puritan morals in line. In the historical fiction novel The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne writes in satire about the iron spikes of Puritan law and conforming to such a society. Three of the main characters, Hester Prynne, her daughter, Pearl, and her lover, Reverend Dimmesdale, stand out from Puritan expectations and must endure their community’s bitter judgement. Although society works
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Pearl is a result of sin and is described as an “imp of evil” (85) so it is obvious that in her wholesome community she is unacceptable. When Pearl and Hester go into the town, the children, being raised as they have been, even have “a vague idea of something outlandish, unearthly, or at variance with ordinary fashions” (86) Even the young and innocent know Pearl is not like them and is a threat to their perfect society. This results in negative behavior toward her to protect the youth’s purity. The town’s children “[scorn] them in their hearts, and not unfrequently [revile] them with their tongues.” (86) From an early age, society is taught to reject what is considered bad and different often with impolite behavior. In The Scarlet Letter, the community’s children have the instinct to protect themselves from sinful things which develops into them putting up a barrier between them and what is wrong. At times, this barrier turns into a blinder when significant figures in society go against the
Pearl is a result of sin and is described as an “imp of evil” (85) so it is obvious that in her wholesome community she is unacceptable. When Pearl and Hester go into the town, the children, being raised as they have been, even have “a vague idea of something outlandish, unearthly, or at variance with ordinary fashions” (86) Even the young and innocent know Pearl is not like them and is a threat to their perfect society. This results in negative behavior toward her to protect the youth’s purity. The town’s children “[scorn] them in their hearts, and not unfrequently [revile] them with their tongues.” (86) From an early age, society is taught to reject what is considered bad and different often with impolite behavior. In The Scarlet Letter, the community’s children have the instinct to protect themselves from sinful things which develops into them putting up a barrier between them and what is wrong. At times, this barrier turns into a blinder when significant figures in society go against the