The Themes Of Judgement And Humanity In The Scarlet Letter, By Nathaniel Hawthorne

Nathaniel Hawthorne, the author of the book “The Scarlet Letter”, introduces two themes throughout the book through a variety of people. He uses the authoritarian people such as the religious leaders, the court people, as well as the people in her community and village, and her husband. These people demonstrate a form of judgement as well as humanity towards Hester and her little girl Pearl. Hawthorne gives the story of Hester, a young married woman, who was discovered to have committed adultery after having a child who was not her husband’s. The reason that everyone knew that the baby was not her husband’s was because her husband was left behind in England while Hester emigrated to the U.S.and was thought to not come to meet her. Her pregnancy …show more content…
Hester and her daughter Pearl were victims of both of these. They were mistreated, pointed fingers at, done terribly bad, but were also treated with respect at the very end. The mistreatments, judgements, and acts of humanity towards them was part of the process that made them stronger and independent. Hawthorne, the author, uses the authoritarian people such as the religious leaders, the court people, as well as the people in her community and village, and her husband to show judgement and humanity throughout the book. By the end of Hester’s consequences, she became a “go-to” person who was also well respected and admired. People went to her for help with their situations that needed fixing. Hester was sought and asked for, by the people of Boston who needed help in situations which symbolized a source of respect after the mistreatments from Hester’s disgrace. Hester’s actions towards the people after their mistreatments impacted them since Hester never once tried to defend herself, but instead remained with the same personality that she had. This is all shown by Hawthorne throughout the book “The Scarlet