Public Shaming In Scarlet Letter

In the novel, “The Scarlet Letter,” Nathaniel Hawthorne depicts the scene of 17th century Puritan Boston. The novel was written in Salem and Concord Massachusetts during the late 1840s, but was not published until 1850. The narrator of the novel is an unknown Custom House surveyor that discovers the records and a manuscript written by a previous surveyor, detailing the events while working in and tidying up the attic one day. The fictional story depicts the life and struggles of Hester Prynne as she conceives a fierce and whimsical child, known as Pearl, after she has an affair with an unknown member of the community.
At a glance, “The Scarlet Letter,” is the story of a young woman, Hester Prynne, which is sent ahead of her husband to America,
However, Hawthorne strongly uses what is known as “Olde English” throughout the entire novel, which makes the novel slightly less comprehensible. The overall purpose of “The Scarlet Letter” was to demonstrate contrast between public shaming and allowing one to reap the consequences in private. Hawthorn demonstrates how private emotional torture, thoughts, and guilt is far more beneficial to the soul, when forgiving, than public shaming, which is a purpose that is easily recognized throughout the novel. Hawthorne organized the novel to depict, primarily, the events that occur between the years that Pearl is age two and seven; yet, he also provides some information on Hester and Pearl as Pearl was an infant and as they each grows older and Pearl moves away. As a whole, the novel is fairly easy to follow; however, there are few instances when the reader may feel a tad bit confused. “The Scarlet Letter” depicts the time period of Puritan Massachusetts just after the conclusion of the Salem Witch Trials. The time period is very accurately portrayed by Hawthorne; in fact, the entire novel is based on how the society of that particular time period affected one woman’s life. I personally believe that Hawthorne chose this specific time period and location to demonstrate how a society is able to condemn, yet, forgive and accept an
In my opinion, the novel was extremely entertaining and well put together, containing some hilarious moments, a few depressing moments, and several surprises. It taught me several new things about the strict, harsh, and cruel ways of the Puritan Society that I did not previously know. For example, I learned that it brought joy to the community to witness the public shaming and public executions by the guillotine, hanging, fire, and even being crushed to death. I would definitely recommend the novel to other readers because it contains an interesting storyline and plot, and the novel is slightly challenging, so it is also beneficial for the mind. I could relate several events and themes throughout the novel to events in society today. For instance, today young men and women make mistakes as they are younger, just as it’s been for centuries. These mistakes follow these young people throughout the course of their lives, causing individuals to judge them before getting to know them first. Another similarity between the novel and today’s society would be public shaming. For example, the younger generation specifically enjoys humiliating others for making mistakes by posting to social media, where the individual’s mistakes could be ridiculed