Essay on the Scarlet Letter

Ever since the beginning of time, society has liked to label people based on some of their actions or their social standing. This is not prudent, since singular actions and social standing do not define individuals completely. In the novel The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Hester Prynne is cast out by the 17th century Puritan society of Boston because she has committed the crime of adultery, even though Arthur Dimmesdale, who is Hester's secret lover and is just as guilty, is revered in the community since he is an eloquent minister. In truth however, Hester is a strong woman who dutifully raises her child Pearl and manages to live life to the best of her ability as a seamstress on the outskirts of Boston whereas Dimmesdale is a weak character who cannot cope with the tremendous internal guilt he is feeling from keeping his association with Hester a secret. In today's world, there are several examples of society unreasonably judging people as a result of their social status or their singular actions, including the caste system in India and the John Edwards extramarital affair. While there has been progress in some cases, the tendency of society in general to label people based on individual actions and their social reputation has persevered through the years all the way into contemporary society.

The society in The Scarlet Letter can best be characterized as a drab Puritan culture that had stringent rules and moral standards for its citizens, and any violation of these standards would lead to ostracism. Using the color motif, the Puritans' strict restrictions on ethics lead to Hester's temporary confinement in the "black flower of civilized society, a prison" (Hawthorne 35) for her sinful actions. In this instance, black is viewed as constraint. It represents oppression against the individual's will, as the Puritans were eager to repress anything that they viewed as immoral, obviously including adultery. As for the society itself, Hawthorne remarks, "The founders of a new colony, whatever Utopia of human virtue and happiness they might originally project, have invariably recognized it among their earliest practical necessities to allot a portion of the virgin soil as a cemetery, and another portion as the site of a prison" (35). The author is using tempered sarcasm to show that the Puritans felt that the two most important things to include first in their new town should be a cemetery and a prison. This shows that they were a grim people in general, who preferred to focus on the darker aspects of human life. People did not give much thought to fun or recreation in this society; instead their strict religious views and morals dominated their lives.

Society judges Hester Prynne as a bad person simply based on her adulterous actions, whereas she actually has many positive qualities. While she is away from her husband, Hester commits adultery with Arthur Dimmesdale, and she bears a child which leads to her being publicly humiliated and branded with a scarlet letter A on her bosom. The letter A is initially seen to symbolize Adultery, although it eventually represents much more. The townspeople "averred, that the symbol was not mere scarlet cloth... but was red hot with internal fire, and could be seen flowing all alight, whenever Hester Prynne walked in the abroad in the night-time" (66). This shows that after Hester is branded, the townspeople can see and identify the truth in the letter, as it stands out and makes people aware of her sinful actions. However, Hester displays many strong and positive personality traits over the next seven years, as she dutifully raises her daughter Pearl all by herself, cares for the poor, and is able to make a living as a seamstress. The letter A comes to be seen to symbolize Able, as Hester is able to make the most out of her unenviable situation. Therefore, society was being unfair when it labeled Hester as nothing but a sinner, since an individual is made up of many parts, and she has many positive attributes.

In the case of Arthur Dimmesdale, the citizens view him as benevolent since he is a religious man and they do not know the trouble that is secretly plaguing him. Because he is a minister who gives eloquent and passionate speeches, Dimmesdale has a high standing in a society that gives much regard to religion. For example, after one notable speech, "Souls, it is said more souls than one, were brought to the truth by the efficacy of that sermon, and vowed within themselves to cherish a holy gratitude towards Mr. Dimmesdale throughout the long hereafter" (121). This shows that the citizens revere Dimmesdale and his talent for preaching religious sermons. However, in keeping his association with Hester a secret, Dimmesdale is hurting himself with a terrible burden, and this affects his health. However, he is viewed as a good man until the end of the novel, when he decides to at last come forward with the truth that he is the father of Hester's daughter Pearl. This decision he makes to reveal the truth is viewed as appalling by the citizens of Boston, yet it is the one truly honest thing he does in the novel. Therefore, society was not really correct when it labeled Dimmesdale as a good man just because of his high religious status, as he not only commits the same sin as Hester, but he also keeps it a secret until the very end.

In the year 2008, an instance in which society has unfairly turned against a person who has made a moral mistake despite having done many great things in his career is the John Edwards affair. Throughout the early part of the year, Edwards was thought to be a front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination for the 2008 election. However, Edwards lost to Barack Obama, and matters got worse for him when allegations surfaced over the summer that he had engaged in an extramarital affair with a former campaign worker. After denying the reports for a while, Edwards finally admitted to the affair in August, and many people believed that this was a factor that kept Obama from declaring Edwards to be his vice-presidential candidate. Media outlets speculate that Edwards's future political career is in ruins due to this affair, and this is a parallel to Hester since her social life (and the way she was viewed by others) was ruined by her adultery. There are also parallels between Edwards and Dimmesdale, since both men waited a long time before admitting to their affairs, meaning that they kept a burdensome secret that hurt them. Now, a lot of people are disgusted by Edwards's actions, especially since his wife had been diagnosed with breast cancer and she is getting a lot of sympathy. It is unfair that society has turned against Edwards since he did many great things as a politician, which is why he was picked in 2004 to be John Kerry's running mate in the presidential election. Edwards is also a good father to his three children whom he has worked very hard to raise properly. A moral mistake such as having an extramarital affair is not acceptable, but it should not define John Edwards, nor should it leave an everlasting stain on his legacy, because he has many positive qualities. Progress from 17th century Puritan society is shown when Edwards will not be prosecuted for these actions he took in his personal life. Unfortunately, since society in general still today labels people based on singular actions they make, there probably will be a lasting blemish on John Edwards's record due to this affair.

Even in our advanced day and age, there are still instances throughout the world in which society judges people based on their status, such as in India with its caste system. Although the Indian government claims that the caste system has been eradicated (if this is indeed true, it will have been great progress), there is still obvious prejudice between the social classes. The people at the bottom are known as "Untouchables", since it is dirty even to touch them. This is extremely unfair, since these people are human beings just like everybody else and they should be viewed and treated equally. On the other hand, the top class is the Brahmins, who are considered to be pure and just. Dimmesdale is a minister; therefore in his society he is the equivalent of a Brahmin, yet he keeps a secret that causes both him and Hester suffering. The flaws in the caste system are shown whenever there are Brahmins who commit crimes, or when Untouchables go on to do great things in life, such as beating all odds to get a political job or become a star athlete. This shows that it is unwise to judge people purely based on their social status, since that does not reveal much at all about an individual's personality and character. Unfortunately, there are still cases around the world today in which society does label people as good or bad based on their status, such as the caste system in India.

Society has not changed much from the 17th century to the 21st century when it comes to labeling people based on singular actions and social standing. Although the Puritans were a lot more fanatical in their prosecution of adulteresses like Hester, American society today is not ready to forgive John Edwards for having an extramarital affair while his wife was ill with cancer. Nonetheless, Hester was a good woman who raised her daughter devotedly and John Edwards was a great politician who does not deserve to have his reputation destroyed by this one bad incident. On the other hand, Dimmesdale was given high regard since he was a minister, even though he was keeping a secret that he feared would destroy his reputation. The caste system in India, which is still there today in some villages, automatically labels people based on their social standing, and this is wrong since status has very little to do with character. In the end, it should not matter how society judges people; credit should be given to women like Hester who hold their heads high and go about their business without worrying about what others think of them. Unfortunately, society will always label people; it is part of human nature to attempt to simplify every little facet of life so that the world can more easily be understood. The best way to shed negative labels is to ignore them and to do what one believes is right moving forward.

Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Scarlet Letter. Needham, Massachusetts: Prentice Hall, 1850.