The scaffold where Hester was put on display was a physical example to the people of what could happen to them. The Puritan beliefs were strongly against what Hester did. The community displayed Hester and made an example of her to reassure themselves that they were doing the right thing. The Puritan society uses the faults of other people to reassure itself that it is abiding by God's system and will clear their path to heaven. The purpose of the Puritan society was to have one religion that united all the people through a system of rigorous beliefs. In The Scarlet Letter the scaffold is a place where the public goes to have its beliefs and its unity affirmed by watching power be acted out on an individual.
             The Puritans had strict guidelines which one had to follow. They believed that overall God determined whether one went to heaven or hell. The way to safeguard one's trip to heaven, one would have to live a pure and sin-less life. When one fails to live such a life, prosecution is the punishment. Committing adultery is an example of committing a sin against God. This obstruction is a punishment worthy of being sentenced to stand at the scaffold. When two people are married, in the Puritan society, they make a vow to God stating that they will never be with anyone except their husband or wife. When this vow is broken it is an act against God. Hester committed adultery and was put on the scaffold.
             When members of the Puritan community have acted against God, the other members of that community take the right to publicly shame them. They shame them for both spiritual and political purposes because church and state are the same thing. The scaffold is located in the center of town, the church, town hall and other buildings surround it. It acts as a reminder to the people to show them what could happen to them. The scaffold almost created a sense of security for the people. It lets the peop
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