uences? Had I not learned all my life in sermons that one of the Ten Commandments addresses adultery directly? How could this man, Hawthorne, come into my living room and ask me to feel sorry for a woman who cheats on her husband, with a minister no less? That is the beauty of literature. Hawthorne's implied author, through careful manipulation of the characters' words and actions, subtly calls attention to tendencies of people, especially Christians, to judge quickly rather than taking time to understand underlying issues behind one's sins. Because of Hawthorne's obvious ability to alter one's thought patter, we can agree with critic David Van Leer who says, "The Scarlet Letter is . . . a masterpiece, the work of a mature artist fully in control of his craft" (57). Instead of compelling us to judge an adulteress for her sin, the implied author causes his readers to feel sympathy for her, which alters the moral sensibilities of Christian readers and their traditional beliefs regarding judgment and forgiveness.
             In my opinion, the implied author's most obvious goal is for his implied readers to accept and to sympathize with Hester. Interestingly, as critic William Manierre points out, the word sympathy, excluding "The Custom House" introduction, is mentioned in The Scarlet Letter more than thirty-five times, which says something about the specific goal Hawthorne has in mind (498). His repeated use of the word provides Hawthorne's implied author – a middle-aged, educated man from Salem – a convenient "means of commenting on the significance of an action or on the psychological condition of a character without direct authorial intrusion" (Manierre 497). Hawthorne's first method for achieving sympathy deals with his allowing readers a chance to see directly into the heart of Hester. Because of Hester's reactions to the community's treatment of he...