The Everlasting Themes Of The Scarlet Letter

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The Everlasting Themes of The Scarlet Letter Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote his novel The Scarlet Letter based on the 16th century Puritan society. The Puritans were a group of people who worked towards religious, moral and societal improvements. Hawthorne focuses his novel on the Puritan outlook of committed sins and how they react. By focusing on the life of Hester Prynne, Hawthorne portrays the Puritan’s actions as unjust and hypocritical. In the novel, Hawthorne reveals the true actions of society, which became to be an everlasting theme of the world. Ever since Hawthorne wrote his novel, hypocrisy continues to be present in today’s society. The Puritan society was thought of to be based on religious aspects from the bible, which advocates forgiveness. Yet, the Puritans force Hester Prynne to wear a Scarlet Letter “A” for her committed sin. Nathaniel Hawthorne makes his view on hypocrisy clear when he states: “No man, for any considerable period, can wear one face to himself and another to the multitude, without finally getting bewildered as to which may be the true.” Hawthorne makes it clear that man have two views: one that he truly believes, and one that he shows to the rest of the world. It is apparent in all men, and there is no way around it. Hundreds of years later, and hypocrisy is still present today. Whether it is a politician promising something that he cannot fulfill, or a mother yelling at her child for something that she has committed herself, it is clear that it is a theme that will forever be present as long as the human race lives. In the Scarlet Letter, the effect of judgment in the society was portrayed; which parallels the judgment expressed today. Hester Prynne committed a sin and had to deal with the punishment of living with that sin. The Puritan’s made it clear how judgmental and harsh they were when one man said "At the very least, they
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