The Scarlet Letter
Puritan society had a very distinctive view of privacy. Peoples privacy, in oursociety, is often exploited by the media and word of mouth. In Nathaniel Hawthorne'snovel, The Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynnes's private life was publicized by an entire town. Hester becomes an infamous sinner in a town where religion is enforced in yourevery-day life. Regardless of sex, any story of adultery that surfaces becomes thespotlight and the adulterers are ridiculed and stripped of their pride. The Scarlet Letterfocuses on the fact that a woman committed adultery. This goes to show you that a sinfulstory involving a woman always interests more than a story that involves a mans The entire town of Salem, Massachusetts overreacts to Hesters situation. Little dothe towns people know that Hester had not seen her husband in three years and believed
Everyone is interested in the privacy of others. Hester and Pearls chance at a happy life is shot when thestory of her committing adultery breaks. Despite Dimmesdale's constant,desperate suggestions for Hester to tell the truth, she still denies the townspeople of thetruth. Hester and Dimmesdale find solace in their secret meetings in the woods,so attention is not drawn to themselves. Hester Prynne is a victimof these circumstances and unfortunately so is the innocent Pearl. She is constantly inthe public eye. The secret of Hester and Dimmesdale'srelationship must remain a secret or else Dimmesdale's career and reputation as being awholesome reverend in Salem will be destroyed. Women in Puritan society are looked upon as inferior,so ofcourse when a woman commits a sin its a public affair. Hesters private life becomes the talk of the town in Salem. Hester is branded to wear the scarlet letter "A", a sign of sin and humiliation, on her chestfor as long as she lives. Hester trulyis in love with Dimmesdale and she will take their secret to the grave if she had to. Dimmesdale, on the other hand, did not want to see Hester go through all the humiliation. Humiliating herself, Hester stood at the scaffold andrefused to reveal who the father of Pearl is. It's never an easy situation when your husband andthe man you love are separate people.
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