Critically Examine Hawthorne’s Puritanic Attitude in the Novel “The Scarlet Letter.”
The Scarlet Letter is a notable literary work by Nathaniel Hawthorne. A complete discussion of this literary work is given, which will help you enhance your literary skills and prepare for the exam. Read the Main texts, Key info, Summary, Themes, Characters, Literary devices, Quotations, Notes, and various study materials of The Scarlet Letter.
Answer
Critically examine Hawthorne’s Puritanic attitude in the novel “The Scarlet Letter.”
“The Scarlet Letter” (1850) is a criticism of Puritan society. In this novel, Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1864) criticizes the Puritanism of the seventeen centuries in America. In this novel, he mentions the strictness, stereotyping, and hypocritical attitude of Puritan society. He strongly criticized the doctrine of Puritan society towards sinners and the poor.
The sternness of the Puritans: Hester, The protagonist of the novel, becomes the victim of the Puritans’ sternness. The book “The Scarlet Letter” is strong evidence of the sternness of Puritan society. According to the society of Boston, the novel’s heroine, Hester, is a great sinner. So they can not show any sympathy towards Hester, even her only three-month-old infant, Pearl. Hester has to be compelled to wear the scarlet letter “A” as a symbol of her adultery. According to the law of the Puritan church, she should be imprisoned for seven years. Yet her imprisonment had not filled up after seven years. So, she has been ostracized by Puritan society. So, it is clear that the Puritan society has shown their harshness towards Hester.
Hold thy peace, dear little Pearl!” whispered her mother. “We must not always talk in the market-place of what happens to us in the forest.
Conservative view of the Puritan: The novel “The Scarlet Letter” focuses on the narrow mentality of the Puritan society. The Puritan society was formed based on the Bible’s law, which states that forgiveness is humanity’s fundamental law. But Hester has become the victim of the harsh cruelty of the Puritan society. Rather, she has been an outcast from society. But by the grace of God, she has been able to overcome all her shortcomings. The novel “The Scarlet Letter” has criticised such a notion of Puritan society.
Mother,” said little Pearl, “the sunshine does not love you. It runs away and hides itself because it is afraid of something on your bosom. . . .
TheUnlock this study guide now