The Scarlet Letter :: Literary Analysis, Hawthorne

When someone makes a mistake, they usually try to hatch the truth to avoid the consequences. The Puritans had a very stringent society in which all sins were met with harsh punishment. In The reddish letter, by Nathanial Hawthorn, Hester Prynne and Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale ease up adultery, but the public only knows about Hesters sin Dimmesdales remains hidden. However, by hiding his sin, Dimmesdale suffers much more than Hester does. In The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorn shows that the repercussions of a secret sin are much worsened than those of a revealed sin.Hesters punishment comes from society, so it is not nearly as painful as it could be. One part of Hesters punishment is to comport on the scaffold in shame for three hours. The scaffold is a place where iniquity is dragged out into the sunlight (57) and the truth is revealed, so everyone in the Puritan town knows that Hester is guilty of the sin. While her punishment is denigrating, it is not as bad as the punishment s usually are, for she does not have to undergo that kicking around the neck (58). The other part of her punishment is to wear, for the rest of her life, a scarlet A on her dress. The A, for adulterer, is meant to be a stigma for everyone to realise and mock. However, Hester beautifully embroiders the mark with gold-thread and wears it with pride. The mark stays with her after she leaves the scaffold and finds a home on the edge of town. She is originally scorned and avoided, but she is inevitable She sews for the governor and soldiers for public ceremonies. Due to the passage of time, her usefulness, and her acceptable behavior (she neer battles with the public nor complains), Hester is forgiven and her sin is forgotten. Seven years after receiving the A, people vary the meaning of the letter from adulterer to able, and instead of referring to her as a sinner, the townspeople refer to her as one who is so helpful to the sick, so well-provided to the afflicted (169). S ociety feels that Hester had already served enough punishment, and she eventually becomes a prize woman in the town. Since the truth about her sin is known, Hester is able to crucify societys punishment eventually she regains the acceptance, and even the admiration, of the Puritan townspeople.