The Scarlet Letter: The Hypocrisy Of The Puritan Society

The Scarlet Letter, portrays the hypocrisy of the Puritan society of the seventeenth century, with the fall and rise of Hester Pryne. The harsh hypocritical society of the Puritans persecuted, embarrassed and shunned Hester Pryne for committing adultery. However Hester Pryne, did not see what she was doing was a sin, because she was acting out of love. Furthermore, through the tale of Hester Pryne, the moral is that the sin of adultery, was no different from the sin of persecution by the society. Puritans were a Christian religious group whose values formed the foundation of American culture. Their strict moralistic views toward marriage and adultery were important in maintaining order in their society. Puritanical ideals
regarding sexuality and marriage can still be seen today. Hester Prynes punishment for adultery, being forced to wear a Scarlet Letter upon her chest for the rest of her life on earth, may seem harsh and unusual, but actually at the time was pretty lenient than what was some of the biblical and legal punishments that were available at the time.