The Branded Mother and her Throwaway Child
The Branded Mother and her Throwaway Child The Scarlet Letter is a story of hypocrisy and punishment. The strict Puritan laws made adultery a sin punishable by death or a life of misery. Although being an unwed mother or an illegitimate child is no longer a crime leading to capitol punishment, the treatment of welfare mothers and their children is similar to the treatment Hester an Pearl received in Hawthorne's novel. Hester and Pearl are prime examples of the negative attitude society, both Puritan and current, has toward single mothers and their "bastard" children. Hester and Pearl are the atypical example of illegitimate child and unwed mother. The consequence of the relationship between Hester and Dimmesdale is a child out of wedlock. Hester is forced to stand with her child on a scaffold which according to Hawthorne is "invested with almost as stern a dignity as the punishment of death itself." Pearl is forced to grow up without a father and Hester is left to make a life for herself and her child with no social succor. The puritans favored laws that would force society to hear their preaching (2.Gatis, 5). To the Puritan community Hester's "A" is a mark of just punishment. Acco
Crime and Punishment in American History. " Our society today is supposed to have a separation between church and state. She can not have a normal childhood, for she does not fit into society. In the article Just the Facts, Katha Pollitt writes, "As a mythological figure, the welfare mother is virtually the opposite of Joseph Campbell's Hero With a Thousand Faces- she's the villain with only one: the greedy, lazy Welfare Queen. According to Physiology Today 25% of fathers are believed to pay no child support (3. Hester and Pearl are truly representative of the views of society towards unwed mothers and illegitimate children. Family life was very important and all members of the society were expected to be part of a family. He is able to hide his participation in the evil act, and escape a punishment of death. Although there are talks of hunting down the dead beat dads of America, the concentration of importance is still attacking welfare mothers.
Common topics in this essay:
Family Puritan,
Hester Pearl,
American History,
Children Pearl,
Hester Dimmesdale,
Scarlet Letter,
Charles Murray,
According Physiology,
Hawthorne Puritans,
Puritans Welfare,
unwed mothers,
hester pearl,
welfare mothers,
single mothers,
hester forced,
unwed mother,
crime punishment american,
illegitimate child,
dead beat,
forced grow,
pearl forced,
pearl forced grow,
7 oct 1998,
punishment american history,
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Acceptance Essays
