The Scarlet Letter

The Scarlet Letter is a confusing book. It is long-winded.

What was interested was the fanciness of the scarlet letter. At first I thought that she made the letter like that to defy the people's will trying to press shame on her. However, she obviously has guilt and shame for the sin. Although I get that she wanted everyone to notice the A, I do not understand why she would make something beautiful to represent something so ugly.

The setting had a big impact on the story. The puritan era is none for its harsh, religious-base crimes and punishments. It also gave Puritans a more rounded view. It told a story that was based on the well-known society without the commonly used angle of witchcraft. The first thing you think of with puritan towns is witches. That period is known for its false witch trials. Because of this hunt that killed many innocent women, it pushes aside the extreme punishments given for crimes which a lot of times were religious sins. You could be put to death for the slightest misbehavior. In the book, some of the women resented that Hester was not executed.

Although she is considered a sinful person, Hester is the best person in the book. She made one mistake and paid for it the rest of her life. She accepted ridicule and banishing yet still had good in her heart. No matter how she was treated she always helped others and did not complain. Others hid their sins, like Dimsdale, or commited and ordered sins in the name of law, like flogging and executions. Most were spiteful or cruel, like the women who thought Hester deserved death. Hester kept values and other's secrets even when they did not deserve her trust or it hurt her. Dimsdale and Chillingworth only hurt her and led sinful lives, she did not betray them. Although in time, people saw her goodness and treated her more kindly, they never forgave her sin, even though they sinned too.