Famously, the Bible used by the Puritans states, "Thou shalt not commit adultery" Exodus Furthermore, Leviticus states, "If a man commits adultery with the wife of his neighbor, both the adulterer and the adulteress shall be put to death. Thus, regardless of Chillingworth's desires, Hester and Dimmesdale deserve to be killed in accordance with community vengeance.
In Puritan society, adultery was not seen merely as a matter between the two parties but as a breach of contract between those individuals and the community. Even if a husband wanted his adulterous wife to be saved, she could be sentenced to die as a result of the community's obligations to its moral and legal statutes. A Boston law provided for death as punishment the scaffold then was used only for executions, not the pillory , and in , Mary Latham and James Britton were reported in John Winthrop's journal to have been put to death for adultery.
But corporal punishment, or whipping, was the usual punishment in Puritan Massachusetts for adultery, signaling that the ultimate possible punishment offered by the Bible and the law was too harsh. Hawthorne's ancestor, Major John Hathorne, was magistrate in Salem in , and he ordered a woman named Hester Craford to be severely whipped in public after she gave birth to an illegitimate child. Later, even these punishments subsided.
A Plymouth law of called for the display of an A on the dress. Hawthorne recorded this case in his journal, and it became the subject of his story, "Endicott and the Red Cross," in which a Salem woman, required to wear the red letter A , added wonderful embroidery to it.
Now, however, it seemed that the Puritan communities had found themselves in the difficult place of punishing adultery too leniently, because many found the embroidery of the A too light a sentence, but whipping and execution too harsh.
She has nothing but her strength of spirit to sustain her. This inner calm is recognized in the changing attitude of the community when they acknowledge that the A is for "Able," "so strong was Hester Prynne, with a woman's strength. A second quality of Hester is that she is, above all, honest: She openly acknowledges her sin.
In Chapter 17, she explains to Dimmesdale that she has been honest in all things except in disclosing his part in her pregnancy. I felt no love, nor feigned any. This life of public repentance, although bitter and difficult, helps her retain her sanity while Dimmesdale seems to be losing his. Finally, Hester becomes an angel of mercy who eventually lives out her life as a figure of compassion in the community. Hester becomes known for her charitable deeds. She offers comfort to the poor, the sick, and the downtrodden.
When the governor is dying, she is at his side. Hawthorne attributes this transformation to her lonely position in the world and her suffering. No friend, no companion, no foot crossed the threshold of her cottage. In her solitude, she had a great deal of time to think. Also, Hester has Pearl to raise, and she must do so amid a great number of difficulties. Her shame in the face of public opinion, her loneliness and suffering, and her quiet acceptance of her position make her respond to the calamities of others.
In the end, Hester's strength, honesty, and compassion carry her through a life she had not imagined. While Dimmesdale dies after his public confession and Chillingworth dies consumed by his own hatred and revenge, Hester lives on, quietly, and becomes something of a legend in the colony of Boston. The scarlet letter made her what she became, and, in the end, she grew stronger and more at peace through her suffering. Previous Chapter Next Arthur Dimmesdale. Removing book from your Reading List will also remove any bookmarked pages associated with this title.
Are you sure you want to remove bookConfirmation and any corresponding bookmarks? My Preferences My Reading List. In fact, public humiliation was sometimes considered a light punishment. Most of the women in this scene agreed that simply wearing a scarlet letter for life was not a harsh enough sentence. This is a perfect example of how common it was to be punished for committing a sin In the Puritan society; Hester punishment did not surprise the women even slightly.
Because of the society in which Hester lived, she deserved to be punished for her sin. However, under her circumstances, Hester deserved a lesser punishment. When Hester became Involved with Reverend Timescale, she had not seen her husband for 2 years. Most believed Hester husband was dead at sea and would never return. This fact alone lessens the severity of Hester adulterous act.
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