Imagine a life where one is isolated from all of his surroundings and the people around him purposely avoid coming in contact with him fearing for society’s judgemental nature. He has no one to lean on when he needs comfort or when he needs simple guidance. This unfortunate event is animated in the novel The Scarlet Letter, written by Nathaniel Hawthorne. In the novel, a woman by the name of Hester Prynne is committed for adultery and her punishment is to wear a letter “A” on her bosom to symbolize her sin. Hester’s husband, Roger Chillingworth is the reason to her transgression. Hester was unfortunately forced to be punished for her sin by herself, though it takes two to commit her specific sin, and Chillingworth was consumed by the revenge
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On election day, Hester stands among the crowd minding her own business and awaits for Dimmesdale till he gives his sermon so they can leave New England once in for all with Pearl as a family. Hawthorne writes, “Unscrupulous as it was, however, it cannot bring them near than a circuit of several yards” (241). This quote refers to the alienation the townspeople has for Hester. They act as if there is an invisible force surrounding Hester making it impossible to be near her. Some may argue that the townspeople was not alienating her for who she is and just the scarlet letter, but that is incorrect. That is due to the fact Hester is the one who committed the sin and the letter is her punishment so it is a part of her. It is also stated by Hawthorne that the letter is the most prominent feature on Hester and how whenever a person encounters her, the letter is the first object he notice. During Hester’s public shame, the entire town turn out to see Hester parade through the streets like a criminal. She was isolated from her community and was for a long period of time, cast as their outsider and constantly gossiped about for her sin. The townspeople judge her and treat her as an outsider, showing her no respect even when she helps them. Hester gets involve in many events around the community to help redeem herself, such as participating in charity and helping the ill individuals. The judgemental nature of the Puritans causes them to isolate Hester, proving the point of Hawthorne’s alienation
On election day, Hester stands among the crowd minding her own business and awaits for Dimmesdale till he gives his sermon so they can leave New England once in for all with Pearl as a family. Hawthorne writes, “Unscrupulous as it was, however, it cannot bring them near than a circuit of several yards” (241). This quote refers to the alienation the townspeople has for Hester. They act as if there is an invisible force surrounding Hester making it impossible to be near her. Some may argue that the townspeople was not alienating her for who she is and just the scarlet letter, but that is incorrect. That is due to the fact Hester is the one who committed the sin and the letter is her punishment so it is a part of her. It is also stated by Hawthorne that the letter is the most prominent feature on Hester and how whenever a person encounters her, the letter is the first object he notice. During Hester’s public shame, the entire town turn out to see Hester parade through the streets like a criminal. She was isolated from her community and was for a long period of time, cast as their outsider and constantly gossiped about for her sin. The townspeople judge her and treat her as an outsider, showing her no respect even when she helps them. Hester gets involve in many events around the community to help redeem herself, such as participating in charity and helping the ill individuals. The judgemental nature of the Puritans causes them to isolate Hester, proving the point of Hawthorne’s alienation