“This woman has brought shame upon us all, and ought to die. Is there not law for it? Truly, there is, both in the Scripture and the statute book. Then let the magistrates, who have made it of no effect, thank themselves if their own wives and daughters go astray!”

This particular woman was most likely speaking on behalf of how the Puritan majority felt about the subject matter. The Puritans were a hardcore religious society; everything was built around religion, and religion was built around everything, including both the government as well as the individual laws within the community. The woman speaking in this passage felt that a small letter to be worn on the breast

If we followed the Puritan beliefs today, everyone would walk around with every letter of the alphabet stitched onto their clothing. Ultimately it would defeat the purpose if everyone’s sins were to be exposed to the public. Furthermore, no one would gain any trust or respect and our society, as we know it, would crumble into pieces. But as you can see our society is still up and running and somehow nature will always outlast man.

Had a Catholic been there looking upon Hester and baby Pearl he would have interpreted the scene very differently than the Puritans had. A Papist would believe that the child that Hester was holding so closely to her bosom, was a gift sent from God. How is it possible a woman so beautiful and a child so small and innocent cause such an uprising in society? Every child is a gift from God and should not be disciplined for something that his or her mother has done. Hester and Pearl should not be condemned or tormented by the community for Hester’s sins, this is an inner conflict and must be solved by the individual, not the society. God is the only one who has the authority to do so. It is said that God loves all His children equally; He is the almighty ruler of mankind and He decides what is right and what is wrong, as well as how to punish someone for stepping over the lines. Hester, as well as everyone else, has been placed on this earth for a reason, and it is possible that He sent Hester as an example of what will occur to those who do not abide by His commandments; not only that you will be punished, but also that you can easily redeem yourself, like Hester did.

How do you think God reacted to this cruel punishment? Did he approve of the “A” that at one point stood for “adulterer?” The scarlet letter was meant t

Some topics in this essay:
Truly Scripture, , Dimsdale Somehow, Hester Pearl, Pearl Hester’s, Pearl Pearl, Divine Maternity, Hester Prynne’s, God Hester, Puritans Papist, scarlet letter, mother dimsdale, baby pearl, wives daughters, hester pearl, hester society, woman speaking,