Who should punish a sinner? Should it be society, religion, or the individual? In The Scarlet Letter, all three affect the main character, Hester Prynne. Religion punishes her with the Scarlet Letter, society shuns her, and as an individual she was able to move on in life but still often returned to her haunted past. Religion plays a big part in the novel as well as it did in the Puritan Days. Instead of taking away Pearl, an "A" was sewn onto her chest to constantly remind her of the mistake she made and the thought of the sin she committed would haunt her. She brought up her child day after day forcing the thought of the Heavenly Father always shamefully looking down upon her. Her whole lifestyle was from then on altered. Society was also an influence on Hester. The people of the town believed she was a witch as well as a sinner. As a whole, they somewhat exiled her because nobody had ever dealt with any kind of such sin, and looked down on her. In a way, the people wanted to ruin her life because they thought that she was imperfect, and did not belong in a "perfect" society such as the Puritan culture. Individually she criticized herself no matter where she went, and the mark on her chest that was always there reminded her that she was, and will always be, a symbol of sin. This leaves you with the question, if this was to happen to a man in this strict society, would they face the same punishment? The male dominance can be found throughout history, but it is here, in the Puritan culture, where its roots are found.
EXCERPT: "Women, more especially in the continually recurring trials of the wounded, wasted, wronged, misplaced, or erring and sinful passion, or with the dreary burden of the heart unyielded, because unvalued and unsought, came to Hester's cottage, demanding why they were so wretched, and what the remedy!"
EXCERPT: "Women, more especially in the continually recurring trials of the wounded, wasted, wronged, misplaced, or erring and sinful passion, or with the dreary burden of the heart unyielded, because unvalued and unsought, came to Hester's cottage, demanding why they were so wretched, and what the remedy!"