The Sketch of the Puritan in Hawthorne's the Scarlet Letter

The Sketch of the Puritan in Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter
Cherry Wang
The Scarlet Letter, written by Nathaniel Hawthorne expresses the aspects of relationships, religion, community, discipline and punishment in the puritan community of 17th century Boston. A young woman, Hester Prynne is led from the town prison with her infant daughter. She was being punished for adultery. While waiting for her husband Hester had an affair with the priest, Dimmesdale and gave birth to a baby. The missing husband called himself Chillingworth settled in Boston at that time and decided to take revenge. Later, Chillingworth found out that Dimmesdale was the secret lover of her wife. Driven by hatred, Chillingworth became Dimmedale friend to torture him. Dimmedale himself also suffered from the censure in his heart. Years later, Hester and Dimmedale decided to flee to Europe and live as a family. But Chillingworth also booked the ticket, claiming to go with them. On the day before they could left, Dimmedale finally confessed to the public and died. One year’s later Chillingworth also died. Hester and Pearl left Boston.
Through the novel, Hawthorne describes a different image of Puritan. The first time the reader is confronted with the Puritan community is at the prison door in the market place. “Iron-clamped oaken door”, this description shows rigorous enforcement of the laws and the inability to break free of them. Puritan sets a serious of strict law to purify their religion but what they really do separate themselves from humanity. Since religion played an important part in their lives, anyone who disobeyed the dogma would be looked down upon. Dimmesdale was respected by the citizens as a religionist but as a human he also desire for love. Trapped in the moral dilemma, Dimmesdale lived in affliction. The puritan don’t tolerate any behavior that against their principles and laws. “This woman has brought shame on us all and ought to die.” Hester, a victim of puritanism, was thought to betray her husband and went against the principle of honesty of puritan. Not hearing a word from her husband for two years, Hester had enough reason to start her own life. What’s more, she never received her husband’s love. It was Dimmesdale, the priest, who brought happiness to her. But the puritan community neglect all these factors and show no pity on her, but take her punishment as an amusement.
These cruelties also show the discrepancy between the way puritans behave and the original idea of Christianity. For example, the “morally coarse” women who cry at Hester are not capable of forgiving, mercy or neighborly love. In the novel, Hawthorne reveals the hypocrisy of the puritan. They claim to be pure Christians, but what they actually practice is perversion of what Christianity really is. It is ironic that people cursed Hester for her sin but highly respected another sinner, Dimmesdale. Those who are at the top of the hierarchy are highly respected by the citizens and are seen as “mortals in fellowship with angels”. But they longed for the pleasure gained from material objects and well decorated house. Wilson, one of the elder clergymen, surrounded himself in luxuries which are entirely forbidden to the normal citizen, shown their hypocritical side.
However, on the other hand, the writer did speak highly of the puritan’s idea of redemption. He believed that people are born with sin so we should believe in God and take action to relieve it. In the novel, Hester and Dimmesdale both get redemption by receiving punishment. As for Chillingworh, leaving his legacy to Hester and pearl to promise them a better life gives himself a chance of salvation.
All in all, Hawthorn draws a complex picture of Puritan. He reveal their merciless, at the same time he also sees some good characters in them.