Puritans And Hypocrisy In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter

The time was the nineteenth century, a time of great prudishness in America but born a man Nathaniel Hawthorne that would put the Puritan society and their way to the test. A Puritan is one who follows the English Protestant lifestyle and someone who adheres to strict religious principle; also one who has a strong regard for pleasure sex and nudity. (Webster’s Dictionary, 2003) Born on July 4th 1804 in Salem, Massachusetts and of Puritan decent himself, Nathaniel Hawthorne and his family experienced intense harassment during their time.(Hoeljte, pps 25-26) Experiences that today make Hawthorne not only a great author, but very well liked by readers as well. Nathaniel attended a prestigious school with the aid of wealthy family

Conflict can take on many forms in one’s life, such as conflict with self, with society, with religion and with others. Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, develops the theme of conflict through the moral sin of Hester Prynne. Conflict is observed through Hester’s difficulties with the townspeople, challenges with the Puritan way of life, struggles with herself and tensions with Roger Chillingworth. Committing sin in the Puritan society leads to a great deal of conflicts.

   Throughout The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne repeatedly portrays the Puritanical views of sin and evil.  The Puritans are constantly displayed as believing that evil comes from an unyielding bond being formed between love and hate.  For such reasons they looked towards Hester's commitment of adultery as an action of pure, condemned evil.  However, through the use of light and dark imagery, Hawthorne displays who truly holds evil in their hearts.  The one who is the embodiment of evil creates hypocrisy of Puritanical views towards sin and evil.  Hawthorne displays that those who expose sin to the public and the daylight are the most pure and those who conceal their sin under a

“When you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites. They neglect their appearance, so that they may appear to others to be fasting. Amen I say to you, they have received their reward (New American Bible Matthew 6:16).” The Puritans that settled into Massachusetts in the seventeenth century were some of the most religious people to be seen throughout History. Prior to landing in America they had already abandoned two countries in order to “purify,” their Puritan religion and find a place where they could be guided by faith alone. The basis of Puritanism was predestination, the belief that one was already predestined to go to heaven or hell. The Bible clearly states that hypocrites have already received

Opposing Puritan Society Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter is a novel depicting a theocratic Puritan society and a woman buried in secrets and sin. The Puritan society described in The Scarlet Letter believes that religion is law. Hester Prynne, the novel’s protagonist, is accused of adultery and is forced to wear the letter A over her breast as a warning for all Puritans to abstain from sin. Hester Prynne’s adultery resulted in the birth of Pearl, who is often described as beautiful but demon-like.

Claire Butler Ms. Aldana American Literature Period F 21 November 24, 2014 Hypocrisy in the Scarlet Letter The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne takes place in the seventeenth century in Puritan Boston. It is a story about Hester Prynne, and how she deals with committing adultery. Hester was originally married to man she did not love, and was forced to prepare her life with him in Massachusetts.

In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s book the Scarlet Letter he gives the readers a view into the life of the Puritans in the Massachusetts Bay colony. Though the reader would most likely see this story of two adulterers, Hawthorne gives the audience the underlying tone that he is exposing the hypocrisy of the Puritans. He shows the hypocrisy of character in Reverend Dimmsdale and how he was perceived to be holy to the community, and he also displays a community and how they are supposed to live holy lives devoted to God but they blatantly ignore some of their own teachings. Hypocrisy is the practice of virtues one does not believe in. Hawthorne makes examples of hypocrisy in Hester Prynne and her sin, Reverend Dimmesdale and his denial of what he did, and the townspeople how they gossiped about and condemned Hester which are some of the antitheses of their beliefs.

In a society filled with minimalistic opportunities for women, oppression and a feeling of inferiority, what would it take to be considered a heroine? Before asking yourself that question you would first have to delve deeper and truly ask yourself what society was truly like at this time. The puritan world portrayed in The Scarlet Letter is one of sure damnation where sinning will leave you not only looked down upon but also exiled from others. Women are not respected and seen as the weaker gender with less mental capacity and worse decision making, along with less physical prowess. Along with being domesticated into quite stay at home wives with no voice, they were also punished unfairly and usually received the sharp end of the sword.

How does the Puritan laws in the book The Scarlet Letter pertain to societies “Laws” today? Society today is still very judgemental over people who don’t meet the exact criteria or don’t follow the set rules. There are both similarities and differences in the views society has on conformement both today and in Puritan times. Look back at The Scarlet Letter and notice how our views on how people behave in public are similar or different. Lastly, What happens to people who don’t meet the requirements of society both today and in Puritan times?

The Scarlet Letter, a novel written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, is set in the 17th century— the time of the Puritans. In the excerpt provided, the narrator — presumably Hawthorne — uses well-placed descriptors, juxtaposition, and the overall tone of the paragraphs in order to impress onto his readers that the Puritans were a people who appear very odd because their culture — specifically the part concerning rules and punishment — is different from the culture now. After reading the excerpt, one might want to argue that its role is just as a vivid description of the way the Puritans behave in this given situation. While many seemingly meaningless details in this excerpt may lend themselves to this idea, if one were to argue this claim,

Through out the course of history, those who were considered sinners were often out casted from the society. This is much the case with Hester Prynne in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter. After a public trial, Hester is considered a sinner due to her birthing of a so called “devil child”. Hester is convicted to the life long bearing of a scarlet letter on her chest. The Scarlet Letter that Hester Prynne wears symbolizes the change in perception of sin through out the novel. Due to the revelations of the governor Winthrop and the reverend Dimmesdale, the way sin is perceived changes from one of shame to the idea that every one is a sinner in their own right.

In the novel The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, supernatural instances and references symbolize the frail logic of Puritans at the time and the effects that supernatural suspicions have had on Pearl’s mental state. Even before Pearl is born, she is been a symbol for sin. Sin is directly linked to the Devil, leaving Pearl highly susceptible to accusations of being associated with such beings. She is often named an “imp of evil, [an] emblem and product of sin, [of which have] no right among christened infants” (Hawthorne 100). The rumors spread about Pearl makes for her to it difficult establish relationships, eventually isolating her from society like her mother. Hester also questions Pearl’s behavior, believing “an evil spirit [has

   "...pain is in itself an evil; and indeed, without exception, the only evil; or else the words good and evil have no meaning." (Chase 127) In the novel The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne presents a very clear view of his stand on morality, which he carefully cultivates through the course of the story. The moral, which is "Be true!" applies equally well to all of the characters in the novel. Though his view does seem to stand as true through the length of the story, it does not, unfortunately, transfer as smoothly to our lives today. In essence it is a hedonistic view to take, which requires a slight stretch as to his interpretation as to how evil, and important, an individual's pain is unto

Puritanism is the strictness and austerity especially in matters of religion or conduct. The setting for the novel is set in In The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne depicts Puritan society as a drab, confining, very judgmental, and unforgiving. The Scarlet Letter was a way for Hawthorne to show how unforgiving and judgement Puritans really are when it comes to religion and how they are to be scorn of if to break those rules. This novel is based on a young woman Hester Prynne who is led to the town prison with her infant daughter Pearl where Hester will therefore where the scarlet letter “A” for adultery for her sin and secrecy. The Scarlet Letter, is not only based on Hester’s sin but also the unfair, strict, and harsh nature of the Puritan

Although Puritanism, Romanticism and Transcendentalism do not coexist peacefully, these almost worldview kind of people groups are deeply embedded into three fictional characters from the book, The Scarlet Letter written by Nathaniel Hawthorne. This enthralling and rich classic which takes place in Boston Massachusetts during the time of Puritanism gives the reader not only a taste of the Puritans and their staunch attitude, but also of a less common way of thinking and behaving which is expressed through a certain character in the book. The three main characters in this book are all diversely different but are bound tightly together by a long kept secret and discovering their methods of thinking and acting upon