Puritan society came down hard on lawbreakers and held to strict traditions set on the interpretations of the bible by the Magistrates. Some may argue that Hester was “let off the hook” because, in Puritanical law, anyone who committed adultery would have been put to death (The Book of the General Lawes and Libertyes Concerning the Inhabitants of the Massachusetts…pg.8). Either way, members of the society in The Scarlet Letter vehemently followed laws that may have impeded on their free will out of the fear of punishment, loss of status socially and spiritually, and in order to preserve tradition. Mainly, Puritans obeyed oppressive laws because, like most people, they wanted to avoid punishment, especially in Puritan society because most of those punishments consisted of death. People in Hester Prynne’s society were scared for their lives and some couldn’t even trust their families not to turn them in for an offence.
Seventeenth-century Salem was a puritan colony and theocracy, meaning laws are based on religion therefore the church tells people how to behave, but puritanism is so strict and single-minded that there is no room for diversity, leading intolerance to corrupt their society. Intolerance was an action that was a major part of puritan society, and is still encountered in our modern world. Usually, intolerance is often a result of religious expectations and differing opinions. Puritans related everything to God and the Devil, like black or white, so judges, just the same as reverends, ruled and judged with religion. Leaders such as Reverend Hale and Judge Danforth from Salem, led the intolerant accusations of individuals who differed and opposed the beliefs of their religion.
Her erratic behavior, manipulating, lack of remorse, and many more symptoms led me to this diagnosis. Lisa displayed many symptoms that would indicate she is a sociopath. She had a superficial charm to convince other girls in the ward that she was “friends” with them. She would greet other patients in a fake, condescending voice and have cruel nicknames for some. Lisa also showed poor behavioral control and impulsive behavior.
The Crucible: Mass Hysteria In 1692, a small town in Salem, Massachusetts experienced an outbreak of mass hysteria and pure chaos in fear of witchcraft. The incidents were started by a small group of teen girls who accused innocent people of being with the devil and witchcraft. It baffles me to see that such a religious town could be in such an uproar to these accusations. Arthur Miller uses great examples of mass hysteria within the girls and other people in the town. Many people go along with what the girls are doing, while some stick to their own belief in what is right.
The sins that the citizens in the community committed might not have been horrible but no one judged them like they judged and humiliated Hester. When someone is disliked by majority of the people their side of the situation doesn’t matter and justice is never served correctly. Hester Prynne’s adultery was wrong but the punishment wasn’t fair. She was forced to wear the red letter A that stood for adultery, which in the religious community was a sin and a crime. Hester slept with the preacher in the town, and became pregnant, and because no unmarried man came forward, they assumed that she slept with a married man.
This emotional repression stems from all her lies. She has spent so long lying to everyone else that she has believed these lie herself. She even told Mitch, “Never inside, I didn’t lie in my heart” (Scene Nine), speaking about the age and demeanor she had led Mitch to believe. She also wants to create fantasy for others, telling Mitch, “I don’t want realism, I want magic! […] Yes, yes, magic!
For example, Marge Piercy notes that if you are not skinny and beautiful you have no right to be yourself. This leads the reader to contemplate other issues in today’s society. Community condemns liars, but encourages women to lie about who and what they are. As a whole, the world teaches females from a young age that they have to look a certain way. Then, parents are upset when their daughters cannot accept themselves for who they truly are.
The people of the town were pressured, accused, and tested simple tests but the girls would scream with such pain whenever the accused spoke. The victims, the girls, and the judges all were consumed in the anarchy and lost all sanity. Were people convicted of not only being witches in Salem but across the country suspicion arose and people convicted women of being witches for the simplest causes. Two girls took a joke way too far and caused disorder across the country. Not all "witches" were from Salem, MA.
By refusing to give up his name, he redeemed himself for his earlier failure and died with Pride. Various characters based their actions on the desire to protect their name. Rebecca Nurse and Martha Corey also hanged because they did not confess. Pride caused important men in the community to hide information, and convince the convicted not
The quote reflects on the case as a whole to prove Charles’s neglects upon the situation he had been oppressed in up until now, when what is thought the only object he has some power upon had been lost. Worst of all, the thief was his arch nemesis, Edmund. This concept is proven with the last words of the information given, “because he knew that in truth he did not care much about her". “But he had been surprised at how much he minded, at his own angry