Moral Values In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter

Moral values are the fundamental core of the human being, affecting nearly every aspect of life. Too often, parents of students attempt to shelter their children from being exposed to morals that contradict those of their family. Although the content of the book raised questions and concerns regarding ethical principles, The Scarlet Letter should not be banned from high school curricula as it promotes critical thinking and thoughtful classroom discussion on current societal views of moral values. The book was banned for several reasons, including conflicts with religious and community values, sexual content, and emphasis on sin. However, the novel has reappeared in many high schools, backed with the argument of supplementing education. Morality
Making a connection between the novel and real-life situations, this moral concern could be talked over in the classroom through reading the novel. Psychologist Steven Minton addresses bullying in stating, "I have come to see school bullying as just one of the many aspects of the aggressive marginalization of 'minority' populations, so it seems to me that the large-scale anti-bullying programmers provide an opportunity to challenge 'us and them' thinking and interactions, amongst large groups of people, at formative ages" (43). The us vs. them analogy that Minton utilizes parallels society vs. Hester in The Scarlet Letter. Teachers could see this as an opportunity to increase awareness about bullying and its effects, perhaps helping students to incorporate the novel when reflecting on his or her own moral choices regarding how they treat others who are different from them. Additionally, the impact of bullying in current society is deep, and "children's involvement in school bullying --whether it be as a bully, victim, bully/victim, or bystander -- has the potential to influence negatively their physical, social, and emotional well-being. Engaging in efforts aimed at preventing bullying and victimization would create an opportunity for schools to address issues that undermine learning and healthy development" (Polanin and Vera 304). Anyone involved in bullying, which is continually present in high schools, is impacted negatively and teachers have a unique opportunity to address that in their classrooms, especially alongside The Scarlet