Nathaniel Hawthorne's Use Of Punishment In Scarlet Letter
Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter was one of the first mass-produced novels in the United States. Hawthorne was born July 4, 1804 in Salem Massachusetts. An early ancestor of Hawthorne, William Hathorne, emigrated to Salem, Massachusetts in 1630 and took on the reputation of being a harsh judge during the Salem Witch Trials in the 1690s. Hawthorne, wanting to distance himself from the puritan legacy on his father’s side, added a “w” to his last name. Wanting to further remove his family from Salem’s Puritan trappings, Hawthorne moved his family to Lenox, Massachusetts after composing The Scarlet Letter. (Editors) Hawthorne wrote The Scarlet Letter to protest the Puritan’s harsh customs and laws despite the critics that may arise.
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The Puritans in the 17th century followed stick customs that give them their unpleasant reputation. Puritans refused to compromise their religious convictions and emigrated from England to America to worship God however they wanted. The New England colonies were made up of a Puritan society in the 17th century. The Puritans built their entire political and social system on their Puritan religion. “The Puritans saw their mission as fulfilling God's plan, and hardships along the way were tests from God.” (MacLean) Since Puritans believed that theirs was the only true religion, they had closed minds to any alternatives; and those who used their own alternatives were punished. They used civil authorities to impose their religion, sometimes forcibly, on their citizens in order to save their souls. Nonconformists should expect no mercy, and should even expect execution. Their Puritan customs were not suggested, but rather meant to be followed. (MacLean)
Puritan customs were very strict and traditional. All of the Puritans lived in villages consisting of city blocks, where relatives were placed together. The husband had authority of the household and took on the responsibilities of providing for and protecting the family, and also teaching the children how to read the bible. The majority of men were ministers, others were farmers and provided other “mediocre” services. Women were not allowed to take part in public authority roles, but were involved in more domestic roles such as weaving cloth, making candles and soap, and tending to the garden. All puritans prayed daily; before going to sleep, upon waking in the morning, on Saturdays, and at church services. Since God was the center of their lives, they incorporated him into their everyday life. Puritans also followed several laws daily. (MacLean)
Puritans had many strict laws to abide by.
Since puritans believed they were doing God’s work, harsh punishments were inflicted on those who seemed to stray from that work. Laws dictated every aspect of a Puritan’s life, including how they dressed. Puritan women were expected to have their sleeve’s width a certain length, and their dress hem dragging on the ground. The men who made the laws also enforced them and ran the colony. (MacLean) Church attendance was mandatory and those who missed church regularly were subject to fines. Being fined was an easy punishment for Puritans, punishments ranged from a scolding to execution. Similar to Hester Prynne’s punishment in Hawthorne’s The Scarlet letter, “The unhappy culprit sustained herself as best a woman might, under the heavy weight of a thousand unrelenting eyes, all fastened upon her, and concentrated at her bosom.” (Hawthorne 40), lucky adulterers were forced to wear a scarlet “A”; others were executed. Public whippings and stockades located in the public town square were other humiliating punishments for those who did not follow God’s law. In The Scarlet Letter, the scaffolding on which Hester Prynne stands is described as: “the platform of the pillory; and above it rose the framework of the instrument of discipline, so fashioned as to confine the human head in its tight grasp, and thus hold it up to the public gaze.” (Hawthorne 39), similar to a stockade. However, Hester’s punishment on the scaffolding was different: “she should stand a certain time upon the platform, but without undergoing the gripe about the neck and confinement of the head” (Hawthorne 39). “Puritans felt no remorse about administering punishment… Surely God's correction would be far worse to the individual than any earthly penalty.” (Association) Puritans viewed as though they knew everything about God that they needed
to.
The Puritan’s views were harsh, and Hawthorne depicts his thoughts on the Puritans views in The Scarlet Letter. Although The Scarlet Letter may not have been very popular amongst the Puritans, it was favorable among others. Hester Prynne, the heroine of The Scarlet Letter, shows Hawthorne’s admiration of and sympathy towards Puritan women. Others say Hawthorne’s treatment of Hester reflects the respect he had for women in his personal life. “It combines the strength and substance of an oak with the subtle organization of a rose, and is great, not of malice aforethought, but inevitably.” (Hawthorne) Another critic says Hawthorn’s representation of the Puritan’s in The Scarlet Letter “was not just a mere observation but rather a criticism of their beliefs.” (Richardson)
Hawthorne wrote The Scarlet Letter to protest strong Puritan laws and customs. The Scarlet Letter, being one of the first major novels printed in the United States, was a controversial topic for Hawthorne to address. Hawthorne’s views on the Puritan religion may have been slightly unpopular at the time, but his novel has turned into a timeless classic. The Scarlet Letter may have been intended to express Hawthorne’s views on the Puritan religion, but it turned into being so much more. Hawthorne is an example to other authors to write their beliefs; hell, it might become a classic.
The Puritans in the 17th century followed stick customs that give them their unpleasant reputation. Puritans refused to compromise their religious convictions and emigrated from England to America to worship God however they wanted. The New England colonies were made up of a Puritan society in the 17th century. The Puritans built their entire political and social system on their Puritan religion. “The Puritans saw their mission as fulfilling God's plan, and hardships along the way were tests from God.” (MacLean) Since Puritans believed that theirs was the only true religion, they had closed minds to any alternatives; and those who used their own alternatives were punished. They used civil authorities to impose their religion, sometimes forcibly, on their citizens in order to save their souls. Nonconformists should expect no mercy, and should even expect execution. Their Puritan customs were not suggested, but rather meant to be followed. (MacLean)
Puritan customs were very strict and traditional. All of the Puritans lived in villages consisting of city blocks, where relatives were placed together. The husband had authority of the household and took on the responsibilities of providing for and protecting the family, and also teaching the children how to read the bible. The majority of men were ministers, others were farmers and provided other “mediocre” services. Women were not allowed to take part in public authority roles, but were involved in more domestic roles such as weaving cloth, making candles and soap, and tending to the garden. All puritans prayed daily; before going to sleep, upon waking in the morning, on Saturdays, and at church services. Since God was the center of their lives, they incorporated him into their everyday life. Puritans also followed several laws daily. (MacLean)
Puritans had many strict laws to abide by.
Since puritans believed they were doing God’s work, harsh punishments were inflicted on those who seemed to stray from that work. Laws dictated every aspect of a Puritan’s life, including how they dressed. Puritan women were expected to have their sleeve’s width a certain length, and their dress hem dragging on the ground. The men who made the laws also enforced them and ran the colony. (MacLean) Church attendance was mandatory and those who missed church regularly were subject to fines. Being fined was an easy punishment for Puritans, punishments ranged from a scolding to execution. Similar to Hester Prynne’s punishment in Hawthorne’s The Scarlet letter, “The unhappy culprit sustained herself as best a woman might, under the heavy weight of a thousand unrelenting eyes, all fastened upon her, and concentrated at her bosom.” (Hawthorne 40), lucky adulterers were forced to wear a scarlet “A”; others were executed. Public whippings and stockades located in the public town square were other humiliating punishments for those who did not follow God’s law. In The Scarlet Letter, the scaffolding on which Hester Prynne stands is described as: “the platform of the pillory; and above it rose the framework of the instrument of discipline, so fashioned as to confine the human head in its tight grasp, and thus hold it up to the public gaze.” (Hawthorne 39), similar to a stockade. However, Hester’s punishment on the scaffolding was different: “she should stand a certain time upon the platform, but without undergoing the gripe about the neck and confinement of the head” (Hawthorne 39). “Puritans felt no remorse about administering punishment… Surely God's correction would be far worse to the individual than any earthly penalty.” (Association) Puritans viewed as though they knew everything about God that they needed
to.
The Puritan’s views were harsh, and Hawthorne depicts his thoughts on the Puritans views in The Scarlet Letter. Although The Scarlet Letter may not have been very popular amongst the Puritans, it was favorable among others. Hester Prynne, the heroine of The Scarlet Letter, shows Hawthorne’s admiration of and sympathy towards Puritan women. Others say Hawthorne’s treatment of Hester reflects the respect he had for women in his personal life. “It combines the strength and substance of an oak with the subtle organization of a rose, and is great, not of malice aforethought, but inevitably.” (Hawthorne) Another critic says Hawthorn’s representation of the Puritan’s in The Scarlet Letter “was not just a mere observation but rather a criticism of their beliefs.” (Richardson)
Hawthorne wrote The Scarlet Letter to protest strong Puritan laws and customs. The Scarlet Letter, being one of the first major novels printed in the United States, was a controversial topic for Hawthorne to address. Hawthorne’s views on the Puritan religion may have been slightly unpopular at the time, but his novel has turned into a timeless classic. The Scarlet Letter may have been intended to express Hawthorne’s views on the Puritan religion, but it turned into being so much more. Hawthorne is an example to other authors to write their beliefs; hell, it might become a classic.