Puritanism in the Scarlet Letter Essay Example

Nathaniel Hawthorne presents the society as strict with Christian-like rules and principles to abide by. This was a close representation of the actual society. The town of New England consisted mostly of Puritan migrants who came into the US from England seeking religious freedom. The puritans had varying degrees of beliefs where society, religion and the family structure is concerned. They believed in a strictly patriarchal society with men being the leaders of the house and women being in charge of domestic tasks. This great family structure kept everyone in line with God, and adultery or any kind of sexual sin was shunned severely. Hawthorne uses the symbol of the scarlet letter in his three main characters to criticize the puritan world and to question whether their beliefs and punishments are justified.

The Scarlet Letter was written by Nathaniel Hawthorne a considerable amount of time after the Puritan era. Hawthorne uses the character of Hester and the punishment of the scarlet letter to criticize the flawed nature of Puritan society and to indicate the necessity of exposure to logical, adverse opinions and mindsets in order to effectively challenge Puritan beliefs. 

Hester's reaction to her punishment reveals the Puritans  hypocrisy and overzealousness to penalize and therefore the inaccuracy of blind, shared opinion. The novel begins with Hester emerging from jail holding Pearl, her illegitimate baby whom she had born out of adultery. She had a smile on her face and the Letter “A” exquisitely adorned on her; she had embroidered it superbly and had made it into a “gorgeous luxuriance of fancy that had all the effect of a last and fitting decoration”(Hawthorn 48). What was supposed to be an emblem of shame and regret for her is depicted as a symbol of resilience and strength. Hester does not hold her head in shame or remorse, but rather she holds it high leading several of her critics to believe that she does not regret her actions. The Puritans are initially described as “being of the most intolerant brood that ever lived.” This so-called general intolerance then leads the group of critics down a rather crude path when applied to the specific situation of Hester and Pearl. They disapprove of what Hester has done, and find her and Pearl “unearthly,” “outlandish,” or otherwise “at variance” with the town’s norms (Hawthorn 85). This is fascinating in itself, as a window into the colony’s collective psyche, but also in terms of the specific word choice, as Hester is, once again, placed outside the sphere of normal human relations. They, as the majority, argue for Hester to have a stricter punishment, With one woman even contesting that Hester should “have the brand of a hot iron put on Hester Prynne's forehead” (Hawthorne 78). However, a young wife and minority opinion interjects the conversation and argues that the townspeople should let “her cover the mark as she will, the pang of it will be always in her heart” (Hawthorne 78). This secondary opinion is clearly much more insightful to Hester’s situation and strays from the Puritans extreme forms of punishment and the fact that she is delineated as “young” is Hawthorne’s way of showing the possibility of change within the future. Despite the bulk of the townspeople coming to a consensus that Hester should be punished more severely, the young women's recognition of Hester’s internal struggles prevails. Thus, by revealing the blind inaccuracy of the majority’ opinion with the observant accuracy of the lone wife’s insight, Hawthorne indicates the disposition towards logical opinions rather than a collective opinion. 

 The varying punishments throughout the Scarlet Letter reveal the ineffectiveness of the punishments on individuals but the effective fear tactics toward the larger collective.  In the 17th century some women who were found guilty of this kind of crime were punished by flogging, and in extreme cases were put to death. Men, on the other hand, were normally handed down a less severe punishment, as the blame was given primarily to women. Had Dimmesdale been revealed as Pearl’s father, his level of punishment probably would have been lesser than Hester’s. In fact, Dimmesdale being exposed as Pearl’s father might not have made a difference in his own life at all. Dimmesdale hides behind his deeds and suffers in silence. The puritans believed that men should be in charge, yet Hawthorne had Hester leading Dimmesdale by having her be the main decision maker and planner. Hawthorne uses Dimmsdale to represent a flaw among the Puritan authority. He submits to sins with Herster when he should be helping her stay on the right path.  Hawthorne even mocks the fact that even the most “holy” Puritans, the leaders and in this case ministers, are the worst sinners of them all.  Dimmesdale is portrayed as an eloquent and revered minister, yet he is the one who committed adultery with Hester and did not confess his sin. When Dimmesdale does try to admit his sin in front of his congregation, people are in disbelief. They believe he is just trying to be humble and praise him for this. Hawthorne says, “The minister well knew- subtle, but remorseful hypocrite that he was!” (Hawthorne 98). Dimmesdale is perhaps the most sinful in his church and knows this. It is not that Dimmesdale does not want to confess his sin, but it’s almost impossible for him because he is of such high rank in the church and a confession that large could deeply undermine the authority that the church has on the general public. This effectively challenges Puritan beliefs as Dimmesdale who is supposed the role model for the puritans is portrayed as a massive hypocrite toward his cause.

Dimmesdale and Hester’s daughter, Pearl, the manifestation of the actual act of adultery, was also seen as a crucial contribution to The Scarlet Letter’s representation as a punishment. For puritans, children were born into the sins of their parents and Pearl, born out of an act of sin, was the perfect example. Women were educated from very young and prepared to take over the domestic duties. They were expected to be, like their mothers, good house wives, mothers and to uphold the puritan belief systems. Hester, however, did not instill these rules into Pearl; therefore, the Governor argues that he should take Pearl away as “it is because of the stain which that letter indicates, that we would transfer thy child to other hands” (76). This is another big slap in the face to the Puritan culture as Hester’s refusal demonstrates the authority that Hawthorne gives to her. The fact that Hawthorne made Hester into a heroine gives the impression that he wanted to point out that females can be authority figures and that the puritan's rules were just as harsh as they were silly. No amount of social control, ridicule, punishment or disgrace could make Hester crumble under the watchful eyes of the Puritans, making Hester the popular, headstrong feminist of her book. 

Throughout the novel, one can see criticism toward the hypocritical, intolerant, and judgemental nature of the Puritan religion. Hawthorne implies that the majority of the conflicts in the story are a result of the strictness of Puritan beliefs. The Scarlet Letter is not only about  Hester’s sin but also about the unfair and harsh nature of Puritan society.