The Alienation Of Hester Prynne In The Scarlett Letter By Nathaniel Hawthorne

Imagine being part of a community where everyone strives to be perfect and people who struggle publicly are shunned. This is what many puritan societies that were established in the new world looked like. Personal struggles were seen as weakness, and were to be kept to oneself. In his novel, The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne uses the alienation of his character, Hester Prynne, to reveal that the strict moral values of her Puritan community are not followed for God’s glory but for personal gain, and how they hypocritically judge others while hiding and ignoring their own sin. The most important thing to the Puritans is adherence to the rules laid out in God’s word and leading a life of piety as a good example to your fellow brethren.
Different from the rest of them and therefore not fit to be part of society. They even took their alienation of her a step further, wanting not only to separate her from society but also from her child. On this matter the governor Bellingham explains to Hester, “The point hath been weightily discussed, whether we, that are of authority and influence, do well discharge our consciences by trusting an immortal soul, such as there is in yonder child, to the guidance of one who hath stumbled and fallen among the pitfalls of this world. Speak thou, the child’s own mother! Were it not, thinkest thou, for thy little one’s temporal and eternal welfare, that she be taken out of thy charge, and clad soberly, and disciplined strictly, and instructed in the truths of heaven and earth?”(p.104). The matter of a child being properly raised in the teachings of God’s word is such an
The townspeople start seeing Hester as benevolent and reformed thanks to her years of servitude, but the author remarks, “It is remarkable that persons who speculate the most boldly often conform with the most perfect quietude to the external regulations of society”(153). Since their society’s idea of righteousness is all surface level, Hester’s perfect appearance is all that the people need, to think she has changed. She has not repented aloud for her sins or confessed her faith in Christ yet they view her as pious. The author reveals her thoughts are rebellious and sometimes evil. The governor's sister practices witchcraft and yet remains living with the governor who is a spiritual and political leader (p.110). The people are willing to ignore this obviously heretical behavior for the sake of not smearing their governor’s reputation. They believe whatever is convenient for appearances rather than what the Bible tells them. When Reverend Dimmesdale’s health is declining and he admits to being a vile sinner, they see it as a virtue that he would speak of himself that way (p.241). The puritans ignore the signs pointing out that sin is troubling their pastor. They are quick to condemn Hester for her sin but will not let any signs of weakness lead them to doubt their spiritual leader.