Free Essay: 17th century Life Exposed in Nathaniel Hawthornes The Scarlet Letter :: Scarlet Letter essays

seventeenth nose candy Life Exposed in The Scarlet earn   The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne expresses the aspects of relationships, religion, friendship, discipline and punishment in the puritan lodge of 17th degree Celsius Boston.   Relationships between men and women were very constrained and that is what made fornication such a bad sin in the eyes of everyone in the community. Religion seemed to govern over all, people would look up to reverends and the community believed that fate was their destiny. Public discipline and punishment were apply to dissuade everyone else from committing the kindred crime or sin as the offending criminal did. The community was to find out the beliefs of god and to do their duties the best they could, yet were at that place to pick apart and punish all who disobeyed the religion or laws. In 17th century Boston every thing was very strict and everyone was expected to follow the laws, which makes Hesters sin such an excellen t example of the beliefs of that time period. The first hold up scene is very important because the scene sums up the beliefs of the general exoteric at that time, and gives a prospective of what Hester Prynne must deal with. In the beginning of chapter two the scene is described as it could have betokened nothing goldbrick of the anticipated execution of some noted culprit,(47) showing that the whole township was there for a ruthless public punishment. The crowd was not there for an execution though, but there for a public punishment of Hester Prynne who had pull adultery. A townsman describes Hesters punishment to a stranger as, they have fate Mistress Prynne to stand only a space of three hours on the platform of the pillory, and then thereafter, for the remainder of her natural life, to wear a lay of shame upon her bosom.(58) This scene shows the weight of values and morals upon society in the 17th century and how public punishment was not only used as punishment but as a way to discourage others from committing the same crime. The community was key in this punishment because it helped alienate Hester and still her pain. The punishment brings forth Hesters underlying pain, Hester sent forth a phone call she turned her eyes downward at the scarlet letter, and even touched(p) it with her finger, to assure herself that the infant and the shame were real.