Was Hester Prynne's punishment just?

Thou shalt not commit adultery. It is one of the simplest rules of the Ten Commandments. Love and be loved by only one man or one woman. If one breaks this commandment, they are condemned a sinner. Hester Prynne in “The Scarlet Letter” commits such a sin, and in her doing, is punished harshly by the community. But when taking into account the situation, is her punishment just? Could Hester’s punishment be considered too severe, or are the perceptions of society on adultery too flexible? The 1600’s was a time in the Roman Catholic Church where followers were breaking away to start their own church. These Protestants who sought out to find a purer version of the church were called appropriately The Puritans. The Puritans stood on a base of strong religious beliefs and contained very strict regulations for their people to follow. The communities they set up were structured, and the ministers of the towns ruled with iron fists. Their belief in Satan however, was some of the most notable in history, such as the Salem Witch trials. In the story of “The Scarlet Letter,” it shows how far the Puritans would take a single punishment for a now common sin. For their time and beliefs, Hester was a sinner, and her child Pearl was the work of the devil. After finding her guilty of adultery, their punishment was to humiliate, to show that she had done wrong. That was accomplished with the scaffold of shame, embarrassing Hester Prynne and her new born child. The second half of the punishment was for her to adorn a scarlet letter on her bosom for the rest of her days. This might have been taking it a little too far. “…to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do us part.”
Until death do us part. Such a short, yet powerful line in the words of a wedding vow. When a couple takes that oath, they are tied to eachother for the rest of their lives. When a partner dies however, does that oath still hold? Hester believed her husband Roger to be dead for nearly two years. Being alone and having nowhere to turn in the new world, an opportunity presented itself, to be with another man. To have a chance to love again. So in a “spur” of the moment, she took the chance to be loved. This is all keeping in mind the thought her husband had passed. So when she is found quilty of her crime, yes, humiliation and recognization seemed fair, it was even considered a light punishment. Yet, to wear a symbol of her sin on her clothing for the rest of her life seemed cruel. The letter shows that the church was not willing to forgive her, even if she repented. In the Bible, it is a strong philosophy for one to forgive another. The Puritans should have shown some form of forgiveness, instead of blindly accusing her for the actions she took in a time of confusion and need. “The Scarlet Letter” is a book describing a woman who goes through life with the awful reminder of a sin that was even questionably commited. It cannot be considered Hester’s fault though, because she had been left alone for years, not imagining her husband would ever return. When looking at it today, her punishment was absolutely cruel and very uncalled for. The community should have had the compassion to forgive her, instead of upholding her to the title of a sinner with a devil child. Her punishment was more so based on the opinions of the people, rather than the common practices of the bible the Puritans had strived to follow. To embarrass a woman, and have her dwell on the one thing she had done wrong in life with no sight of a better chance, was harsh and unjust. So for Hester to live out her life as a strong, beautiful woman was an appropriate way to stand against her humiliation, even if it was for the rest of her days.