I agree in that the actions of the church may be contradictory or corrupt to what they SHOULD be teaching. I believe this is due to the Puritan belief of the few ruling many. Obviously, the few being the religious leaders, and many, being the rest of the community. The fear of the church causes the people to keep secrets, follow biblical law, and not become outsiders or sinners in the community. Nobody stands up for what they think is right from fear for their own well being.
Reverends are supposed to be the model of a “perfect” puritan, and a teacher of what it is to be of the puritan faith. But Reverend Dimmesdale in The Scarlet Letter represents Nathaniel Hawthorne’s belief that the leaders of Puritan society are hypocritical of the moral values they stand for. The Reverend supposedly “takes it very grievously to heart that such a scandal” as the adultery Hester Prynne has committed has happened in “his congregation” (Hawthorne 48-49). Reverend Dimmesdale is the person who Hester slept with, however, and his supposed disappointment of her choices is completely hypocritical of his personal code of moral. His “brief and reluctant part in … Hester Prynne’s disgrace” only adds to his hypocrisy because the guilt for not owning up to his actions and allowing for the community to isolate Hester is eating away at him, yet he still chooses to let her suffer for something he played a major role in (Hawthorne 99). The guilt he feels is only a result of the corruption that his position of power has, which allows him to commit these unfaithful actions, but put all the blame of it on others without any real repercussions. Hawthorne purposely puts the reverend in this situation to overly emphasize the corruption that puritan leaders possess. Puritan society needs to reevaluate the power that they allow their leaders to have because if they don’t limit it, their leaders will continue to do whatever they want without punishment of the codes by which they stand for.
Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Scarlet Letter. New York: Bantam Dell, 1850.
I do agree that the Reverend is seen to be a hypocrite to what his role is in the puritan community. The puritans’ ideologies do seem to me to have a corrupt ruling and it needs to be changed. However, how do you know that the Reverend is the one she committed the sin with, I know that if in fact he was who Hester slept with it would justify and support the idea of his hypocrisy in the society, but where find you that the Reverend was the man Hester slept with? And if there is no concrete detail to him being involved what made you imply his part in this act.
I completely agree. Dimmesdale is going against everything he is supposed to preach to his people by not only sleeping with Hester, but not admitting his sin to the community. The proof of his adultery is at the end of chapter 10 when Roger Chillingworth rips open Dimmesdale's jacket and sees something within him that reveals his guilt, like an invisible scarlet letter. (pg 126)
I completely agree. Reverend Dimmesdale is supposed to be a model for the rest of Puritan society but he is actually very wicked at heart. Hawthorne was raised in what he believed was a corrupt society and uses Dimmesdale to demonstrate that. He uses the quotation “If a man wears one mask in public, and another in private, he will soon forget which one is real” (p. 138) to demonstrate that Reverend Dimmesdale is really the more wicked one. Instead of acknowledging his sin like Hester did, he decides to keep his secret. This haunts him inside because after all, you are only as sick as your secrets.
Your analysis is very precise and rejoinders the task flawlessly. Now my question to you is, Do you think that what the task is asking still happens today with leaders of perhaps our country or religion? Nathaniel Hawthorn was a man who interrogated his religion and who lead his readers to question theirs, could this be another challenge for his religion or our current beliefs (Religiously? Politically? Socially?). I’m essentially extending the assignment out from just this story to reality. We could argue that we still see similar leaders today, for example school board administrators in the San Marcos Unified School District, they say we don’t have enough funding for schools but the higher ranked positions earn a salary of over $200,000 a year. I hope they feel guilty.
Noah, this is very interesting. You would think that a leader in society of strict moral values would be an effective role model for all citizens, but in fact many times these are the individuals that break laws and make the greatest mistakes. Take politicians for example-you here a lot about affairs and unjust behavior because they're in the public eye. Do you think that having pressure from society to act morally perfect is a reason why these figures have a tendency to make these mistakes? The community in the novel is built off of Puritan values, and that connects back to church in every aspect of life. Therefore the Reverend's position must be difficult to maintain under the scrutiny of the people.
I agree with your arguement that Dimmesdale is being hypocritical by preaching Puritan beliefs while going against them and comitting sin. His role as a leader of a very devout Puritan society has also placed immense pressure on him to make pure and ethical choices. This pressure has provent to be the leading cause of his guilt for comitting audultry, something that he would obviously preach against. I agree with you that the Reverend takes this guilt “very grievously", and although he wants to set a good example for the community, he also has to face the internal guilt of his sin.
I agree with your analysis of Hawthorne presenting the leadership of the Puritan government as corrupt. Reverend Dimmesdale serves as a prime example of the corruptness of the Puritans as in Puritan communities “religion and law were almost identical” (Hawthorne 47). Even before Chillingworth discovers Dimmesdale’s guilt, evidence of his guilty conscience is easily seen in his exclamation “[w]onderous strength and generosity of a woman’s heart! She will not speak!” when Hester refuses to reveal the father of her child (Hawthorne 64). Therefore, even though the reverend is regarded as a devout leader of the Puritan church, he doesn't follow the cliché “practice what you preach” which leads him to his internal struggle with his guilt, contributing to his mysterious illness.
A reverend of a puritan society is suppose to symbolize the purity of religion and all its emphasis on how one should live their life the way God intended. In, "The Scarlett Letter," however, Nathaniel Hawthorne portrays Reverend Dimmesdale as hypocritical and guilty toward his unfaithful actions toward God. This establishes the representation that Hawthorne makes, about Puritan society being contradicting of itself.
Puritan ideologies such as adultery is a very serious and punishable crime. Hester Prynne becomes the community example of an unfaithful women; not only to her religion, but her husband as well. What the book does not clearly state but does however imply, is that “Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale, whom...having taken a brief and reluctant part in the scene of Hester Prynne’s disgrace” (p.99). This shows how the father of Hester Prynne’s baby girl, Pearl, is Reverend Dimmesdale, but how he publicly humiliates Hester for a sin that he too was involved in. People of the Puritan community begin to talk about how the Reverend Dimmesdale took it “very grievously to heart that such a scandal should have come upon his congregation” (p.48-49). He is allowing Hester to become a scapegoat for their sin because he knows that if people were to find out that he was the man that impregnated her, he would be exiled and possibly stripped of his reverend title. Hawthorne creates the idea that the Puritan community is contradicting of itself by showing the hypocrisy of those in power.
Reverend Dimmesdale’s guilt makes him a hypocrite because he is suppose to represent all that is holy and right but chooses to sin and then act like it never happened while publicly humiliating the mother of his child. Hawthorne’s depiction of a Puritan community is backwards is the way that the Reverend’s secret actions go against what he preaches to his community.
I agree. Reverend Dimmesdale is a great example of how hypocritical the society is. If he were to stand up with her and support her in the beginning instead of abandoning her to suffer the consequences alone, would the people react any differently? Would they possibly rethink their social exile of Hester and Pearl, or would they still react just as harshly?
I agree and i like your points here Niki. But I disagree in that Reverend Dimmesdale tries to publicly humiliate Hester because at the beginning when she is on the scaffold, he asks her to reveal her partner in the adultery so he can bear the consequences with her instead of leaving her and Pearl alone to be unaccepted by society. Also in this part he wants Hester to confess that he is her lover so he can endure the same pains she will have to go through and so he doesn't have to live with himself and his guilt. Ultimately I think Dimmesdale is not the bad guy because he isn't the one who necessarily wants Hester and Pearl to suffer.
I agree with Sophia. I don't feel Dimmesdale's intensions were to humiliate Hester, I feel that he is just too weak to fix the problem while Hester is portrayed as strong since she bores the punishment in isolation. This is a highly feminist depiction of Hester's character in contrast to Dimmesdale's stereotypically feminine characteristics.
Nathaniel Hawthorne talks about a Puritan community in his novel, The Scarlet Letter as a perfect community that devotes their lives to praising God. The first few chapters reveal how Hester Prynne is being condemned of adultery and has sinned against God and will be forever labeled a bad example. The Puritan community strives for a sin free life and trying to be the best people in the eyes of God. They stick to a strict behavior and devote their life to being on top to reach heaven. Hawthorne represents the Puritan community in a negatively because they are displayed as hypocrites of those in power.
Reverend Dimmesdale is supposed to lead the community to be accepted by God because he interprets the word of God, setting the guideline for society. Nevertheless, Dimmesdale is a hypocrite by preaching the word of God and labeling Hester Prynne as an unforgivable sinner for committing adultery, when it’s his child too. Reverend tries to act like nothing happened to keep up his reputation, so he “takes it very grievously to the heart that such a scandal should have come upon his congregation.”(pg .48-49 ln 31) Reverend Dimmesdale denies his prior interactions with Hester Prynne to only “have taken a brief and reluctant part in the scene of Hester Prynne’s disgrace” because he wants to maintain his perfect reputation.
Hawthorne speaks of Puritanism as backward and corrupt because hypocrites in power rule it. He shows how it contradicts itself with Reverend Dimmesdale’s character.
Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Scarlet Letter. New York: Bantam Dell, 1850.
Good job JT! I really like your analysis on the hypocrisy that occurs within the Puritan community with Reverend Dimmesdale. It is important to note his motives in the beginning when he questions Hester Prynne about the father of Pearl. While at the moment this seems as if he is following Puritan morals, Dimmesdale’s persistence in asking for the “fellow sinner and fellow-sufferer” (63) reveals the irony in his statement: he is the father. His actions, therefore, express his guilt in committing the crime and his desperate attempts to stop any suspicion. He must stoop to these measures in order to preserve his religious title and prestige in the Puritan community.
You're right, the puritan community is very hard on Hester, which is understandable because she has gone against what their common ideology and rules are. However, you point out that Reverend Dimmesdale is a hypocrite because he wants it to be apparent that he has nothing to do with Hester, even though he’s actually the father of Pearl. I interpreted the text to describe Hester trying her hardest not to expose him because she feels she can't bring him down too, and Dimmesdale feels "at a loss in the pathway of human resistance" because he has so much regret that he tries very hard to tell Hester to "charge thee to speak out the name of thy fellow sufferer" (62, 63). He realizes that what he’s doing is hypocritical and doesn’t want to keep it going because he feels so bad that Hester is being ostracized.
Hawthorne describes the Puritan community as one filled with harsh punishments and major hypocrisy within The Scarlet Letter. He shows readers how Hester is punished very heartlessly by the community for her mistake, and how even though she tries to repent and make up for her sin, her people still shun her and refuse to accept her change of heart. He demonstrates the strict beliefs in total depravity and unconditional election by examining the community's view that Hester and Pearl, like the rest of the village, were born with sin, and that no matter what they do they might no be saved on judgement day (according to most of the town, they won't be saved because of their evil acts). (Reuben) Hawthorne criticizes the harsh treatment of Hester and Pearl by the Puritan community through their views of Hester and their original beliefs as Puritans.
Reuben, Paul P. "Chapter 1: Early American Literature - A Brief Introduction." PAL: Perspectives in American Literature- A Research and Reference Guide. Web. 6 Nov 2012. http://www.csustan.edu/english/reuben/pal/chap1/1intro.html
I agree. Hawthorne does talk about the Puritan community as one filled with harsh punishments in the 2nd chapter some of the ladies of the town are talking about Hester and her punishment and one says, "This women has brought shame upon us all, and ought to die."(p.49) The women believe public shame and having to wear a symbol on your breast are not harsh enough punishments for Hester and the crime she has committed. I also like how you mentioned not being saved, if they will be saved until judgment day because that comes up several times throughout the novel when talking about both Reverend Dimmesdale and Pearl.
I agree Kelly. The puritain society was one filled with strict rules and regulations. However I find it very ironic that the leader of the society is the one who slipped up, yet he is only punished by the guilt he carries.
The puritan society has beliefs that people’s lives must be lived by, or else they will be looked down upon and shunned. In The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne the puritan ideologies control the way society view people and how one should live their life. The first few chapters show how a woman named Hester Prynne threw her life down the drain by committing a sin that could not be forgiven by the puritan society. The strict code of living by puritan beliefs consists of patriarchy and predestination being the main guidelines to living a pure life.
Reverend Dimmesdale is a person that should be a role model for puritans, but is revealed as a hypocrite for he portrays Hester Prynne as an unforgivable sinner for committing adultery, when he is the father of the child. The shame that Hester has to live with is exemplified by society as they shun her and treat her as an infidel. Hawthorne also states, “Pearl was a born outcast of the infantile world.” Pearl, being a casualty in the plot is also not looked at with equality as she is a demon child of an unforgivable sinner. The Reverend does not come forward with the truth, as he wants to be viewed as a perfect individual and an inspiration for society. In the first 10 chapters puritanism can be viewed as corrupt as many people only care about how they are viewed in society’s eyes, and not God’s which is the exact opposite of what is preached.
I agree. This is a great interpretation of how Hawthorne truly viewed Puritan society. It is illustrated within the text that within this society, its members are taught to act in a fixed set of "moral" values rather than in God's actual teachings. An example of this is shown as society looks down on Pearl as an outcast and as they portray her as an evil in the eyes of God because she was born from a wicked mother. Therefore, through this, Hawthorn portrays Puritan society as corrupt and unforgiving towards individualism. In order to cover up his guilt in putting Hester in her current place as a disgrace to society, Reverend Dimmesdale attempts to appeal to the public and serve as their "role model" by adhering to Puritan laws and values. Hawthorn uses this to illustrate how Puritan society has also corrupted its members into abandoning individualism for the favor of society.
i agree. Dimmesdale, as a reverend, is supposed to be a symbol of morality in the community and should exemplify Puritan values; however, instead of confessing right away and sharing the consequences of his wrongdoings with Hester, he leaves her to face the harsh criticism and judgment by the rest of the society alone, which, as Joshua said, shows how corrupt the members of the Puritan society have become.
In Nathaniel Hawthorne's, The Scarlett Letter, a Puritan community in Boston undergoes a trial of Hester Prynne, who has been condemned to jail for her crime of adultery with a man whom she will not reveal. Her Puritan community puts her to trail upon a stage of sorts, in which she is ridiculed and exiled from her community. From this her community uses her as the scapegoat of what not to be, and for families of the community children's eyes are shielded and looks of disgust and hatred are throw Hester's way everywhere she goes. Her Puritan community is described by Hawthorne as a community of perfection and devotion to god, however Hawthorne reveals that no one is perfect and each one of them has their own secrets that they keep locked in the hearts only to be revealed to god himself, in order to keep their status in the society without falling into exile like Hester.
The common idea of sin in Puritanism is feared by all members of the community, because sin is what brings all Puritans out of heaven and into hell. Reverend Dimmesdale is glorified in his community and is often told that," [he is] destined, should he live and labor for the ordinary term of life, to do as great deeds for the now feeble New England Church"(pg.109). However through the interrogation conducted by Roger Chillingworth, reverend Dimmesdale is exposed, in which a secret is hinted at by his sudden outburst,"[n]o!- not to thee!- not to an earthly physician", to Chillingworth's question on what is really causing his heart's pain(pg124). Here it is assumed that the reverend's heart is not actually in physical pain, however it is his guilt and sin from a past experience, possibly an affair with Hester, that is causing his heart the troubles.
Reverend Dimmesdale is undoubtedly holding back a secret that will alter his reputation in the community. He is the communities leader, and Hawthorne exemplifies that everyone, even the presumed best of them can be led into sin. From this he demonstrates how the Puritan society is unjust and hypocritical, in which its people's quest for perfection only leads to greater and greater loss of the human aspect of life, in that no one is truly perfect.
works cited: Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Scarlet Letter. New York: Bantam Dell, 1850.
I completely agree. Having a system of harsh punishments for sins in place fails to prevent sins from being committed, because we are all flawed human beings, and no matter how hard we try to resist, we will inevitably succumb to sin. This is the inherent flaw in Puritan society. It is based on the idea that punishing people to discourage sin will somehow make everyone flawless. This contradicts the Christian idea that humans are naturally inclined to sin and are easily tempted (such as how easily the serpent convinces Eve to eat the apple in Genesis). It also contradicts the Christian virtue of forgiveness, as Puritan punishments are very unforgiving in their severity.
In "The Scarlett Letter" Nathaniel Hawthorne portrays Reverend Dimmesdale as guilty towards his hidden secrets from God. This creates the representation that Hawthorne makes, about Puritan society being a bunch of private affairs and adultery being severely punishable. Pearl was rejected from society, never could have friends, and was a social outcast. Nathaniel Hawthornes personal assessment is that he is against puritan beliefs because he sees people beyond what puritans believe in judgment. An example is that in puritan society, they view Pearl as a demon while Nathaniel Hawthorne shows pearl as a flower and shows her innocence and childlike personality. Hester Prynne also becomes a social outcast and everyone will always know she sinned because of the scarlet letter. Reverend tries to hide the fact that he never did anything wrong, so he “takes it very grievously to the heart that such a scandal should have come upon his congregation.”(pg .48-49 ln 31) This shows that things would have been happy if the puritan belief was more equal in society to both males and females, and rich and poor. And it also represents the fact that the puritan society tends to contradict itself.
You have some really interesting points Ann. The fact that Pearl has done nothing wrong and is still shunned by society effectively demonstrates the harsh reality of Puritan social structure. Her association with Hester's adultery has apparently made her a demonic child. I also thought it was great how you compared the narrator's description of pearl with the Puritan community's opinion of her because the speaker describes Pearl without a strong bias whereas the townspeople see her as only a product of sin. The way you touched on Reverend's secrets really exemplifies the secrecy that must be kept to maintain one's reputation in Puritan society. Good post!
I agree because Dimmensdale is the town's minister, who is committing a sinful crime (adultery), by going against the Puritan belief, that we all expect him to follow. I like how you compared Hawthorne's belief vs. the society's belief on Pearl because that shows how different and strict the Puritan ideologies were. Moreover, society out casts Pearl too, because she is a "product of a sinner” and they think she will follow her mother’s steps. As a result, the townspeople don’t want people, like Hester (and her child), to be a part of their society because they believe “evil” will cast their town and God won’t appreciate them.
Question 1 Nathaniel Hawthorne refers to the Puritan community throughout the text by referencing ideals of adultery and total depravity. As Puritans believe in the will of God, valuing moral and reform of original sin, Puritans greatly disagreed with the act of adultery and believed that individuals are inclined to sin, falling to total depravity due to the commission of evil acts. In the Scarlett Letter, the setting's community basically excommunicates Hester Prynne, a woman who fornicates with a reverend and produces a love child, named Pearl. The three, Hester, Pearl and the reverend, Reverend Dimmesdale, are impacted through the stereotypes they are now deemed to because of this "crime", and how it effects their future. Hester, labelled as an ultimate sinner and an unfaithful woman, has become an unacceptable individual in all sanctions, "[bringing] shame upon us all, and ought to die." (pg. 49) Although characterized by her people as an evil individual, Hawthorne makes the effort to imply her want to change and reform this identity, following the principles of total depravity with the desire to love God and become pure. Watching the townspeople ridicule her, Hester "turned her eyes downward at the scarlet letter, [even touching] it with her finger, to assure herself that the infant and the shame were real." (pg. 56) Surprised by the actuality of the punishment, Hawthorne demonstrates how Hester is torn between accepting what she did, and wishing it never happened, leaning towards the want to change her actions and become that pure individual. Through her new accessory, an "A" for adulterer that is seamed on the bodice of her dress, "she is able to draw back from her former community and reflect upon their values, [gaining] perspective through her banishment and realizes that the true sin does not lie within her but exists within others because of their pride." (Kann) Hester is determined to fix her new destiny, due to her new profound guilt and lapse, dwelling on the fact that her sin is the reason for demise and that cure of the crime will return her to the salvation of God. Characterizing Hester's remorse and depression over her new title clearly defines the Puritan belief of how adultery can lead to total depravity.
Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Scarlet Letter. New York: Bantam Dell, 1994. Print. Kann, David. "Mid Term Exams." cla.calpoly.edu. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Nov. 2012.
Puritans do value morality and reforms of original sin, which you accomplish explaining how Hester's crime of adultery went against Puritan values. It is true that Hester assures "herself that the infant and shame were real", and she tries to reform this identity of a sinner to become a pure individual once again (Hawthorne 56). The ridicule of the townspeople allows the increase of pride and freedom within Hester, allowing her to return to the salvation of god(which you explained). I totally agree with you on how you believe that acts against the Puritan code can push an individual into depravity, and in this case Hester feels remorseful and depressed because she is now placed lowly within society from her crime of adultery.
I agree with this completely. The puritan beliefs of following good morals and looking down on sins, was the opposite of what Hester did. Because she conceived pearl, the society views her and pearl as a disgrace to their puritan beliefs. I like how you explained that “the infant and shame was real,” because she was ashamed of her crime and had a hard time accepting it. When she comes to the time of thinking about her actions, she wishes that she could forget it all and become a pure puritan. All in all, her bad choices made the strong puritan beliefs more apparent in society.
One of the strongest points that Nathaniel Hawthorne makes within the text is that of Original sin in Puritan ideology. In Puritanism, Original Sin states that "Because Adam and Eve sinned, every human is born sinful."(Woodlief) For example, he strongly comments on this when Pearl is seen as the Scarlet Letter herself, because she was born of an affair. Hawthorne states that "Day after day, [Hester] looked fearfully into the child’s expanding nature; ever dreading to detect some dark arid wild peculiarity, that should correspond with the guiltiness to which she owed her being."(pg. 82)Because Pearl was born from a sin, she is expected to grow into sin. She is not given a chance to escape that expectation as her own person. The ideology of Original Sin doesn't exclude anyone, such as in the poem "The Day of Doom" by Michael Wigglesworth, that states that even babies who died at birth that were predestined for hell would still be sent to hell.
Woodlief, Ann. "Background on Puritan Theology." Background on Puritan Theology. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Nov. 2012. .
Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Scarlet Letter. New York: Bantam Dell, 1850.
Wigglesworth, Michael. "The Day of Doom" N.p.: n.p., n.d. Print.
You bring up a key point with your statement on the "Original Sin." This idea characterizes the Puritans as a pessimistic society that oppress rather than support. Pearl is hit the hardest because as you said " She is not given a chance to escape that expectation as her own person." The society in this story dictates the characteristics of a person rather than people dictating characteristics of society. This also places the society as the clear antagonist to Pearl because the society sees Pearl as a demon that represents the exact opposite of what the Puritans want to become. They tag her, an innocent child who has done nothing, making society and not Hester seem like the antagonist of this story.
I like what you’re saying about Pearl and how she is connected to the Puritan ideology of Original Sin. But I also think that because she is Hester's child and since Hester has sinned, Pearl then, in a way, inherits her sin and is therefore born even more into the sin than the other Puritans. She will have no chance to be accepted among society because of her mother's mistakes even though she should have as much chance to cleanse herself as anyone else does. I don’t think Pearl is the heathen child the Puritans believe her to be because she likes to "run about, and amuse herself by gathering handfuls of wild flowers." (89) I don’t think it’s fair that she should be treated this way and I don’t think that the Puritans should be so cynical towards her.
Nathaniel Hawthorne has a very distinct view on Puritan Communities which is shown through his representation of them in his novel The Scarlet Letter. In the novel he focuses on some traditional aspects of Puritan society like: original sin which is the idea that everyone is born with sin and has to practice faithfulness to God and follow his will in order to be cleansed of it, women accused of adultering wearing the letter A on there clothes to show that they have sinned and to somewhat exile them from contact in society because all the Puritans look down upon sinners, and also how all sins are made public affairs to ashame the sinner and to make them live with their sin forever making life miserable and devestating for the accused. All of these make private affairs public and do not reinforce closeness amongst people in society it only causes social conflict as well as individual despair. Hawthorne proves this by showing how these aspects affect the characters Hester Prynn, Pearl, and Reverend Dimmsdale in their Puritan Community. Hester Prynn has to deal with public shame for her life by wearing the scarlet letter A on her chest after being caught adultering. She is constantly outcasted by people and feels no support shown when a puritan women says, "Let her cover her mark as she will, the pang of it will always be in her heart." (49) Because Puritans are so harsh against sin Hester will never have support amongst the people. She is also publicly shamed when she has to satnd in front of the town showing her letter for hours on end with everyones eyes fixed upon her. Pearl on the other hand is Hester's child born from original sin. she will have no chance to be accepted among society because of her mother's mistakes even though she is a sweet child at heart. Pearl isnt the demon child the Puritan Community perseves her as becase she does things like "run about, and amuse herself by gathering handfuls of wild flowers." (89) She is an innocent girl but it doesnt matter to the Puritans because she already has uncurable sin inside her according to their faith. Lastly, Dimmsdale has to face the guilt of his affair with Hester because if it comes out he would have to stand besides Hester "on the pedestal of shame," (63) and lose everything he has worked for and face social outcast to. Nathaniel Hawthorne shows grief in all of these characters' predicaments which all derived from the rules of Puritanism. All of these characters have to live with everlasting guilt and shame which Nathaniel Hawthorne wishes to stand out against because even though these people are suffering in society they still have goodness left inside them like Pearl who is just a joyful, kind little girl with innocence, Hester who is willing to take care of a child that reminds her of her sin, and Dimmsdale who wants to protect hester from society's unwillingness to accept Hester.
I agree with you, the book does have a strong Puritan emphasis on due to Hester’s sin she suffers from the punishment of going against the order. She now has to live a life of exile which makes her feel lonely and remorseful. Also its true that even though her child, Pearl, hasn’t done anything wrong, she is still looked down upon due to her mother’s actions. In the quote, "Be not silent from any mistaken pity and tenderness for him; for, believe me, Hester, though he were to step down from a high place, and stand there beside thee, on thy pedestal of shame, yet better were it so, than to hide a guilty heart through life. What can thy silence do for him, except it tempt him--yea, compel him, as it were--to add hypocrisy to sin?" (26) it shows how her sinned has caused her pain from the Puritan society but also her daughter has to suffer along with her, even though she is innocent.
In Nathanial Hawthornes Scarlet letter, the puritan community is portrayed as a community that rejects sin and any individuals that have committed a serious sin. In the text, many private affairs are displayed to the public as a way to demonstrate the severity of sinning and to possibly stop any others from committing that sin from fear of the reactions from society. When society does this they affect not only the individual who has committed the sin but it affects the whole society. Prynnes daughter experiences the effects of this harsh treatment from society when she is treated like an outcast because she is the product of sin. In the community, she is described as a demon, “what a happiness would it have been could hester prynne have heard- her own darling’s tones,amid all the entangled outcry of a cry of supportive children!- pearl was a social outcast”.Pearl is rejected by society because she is the daughter of Hester Prynne who is also rejected by society because of her sinful nature. Both mother and daughter are social outcast in a judgmental society. Reverand Dimmsedale is also affected by this judgemental society because he has to hide secrets and has to live with guilt in his life because if his private affairs or sins were to be revealed publically he would have to be judged and abandoned by society as well. Nathaniel Hawthorne’s personal assessment of puritan life is that it is too judgmental and cannot see past a humans mistakes. He does this by showing the light in characters that society has rejected. For example, Pearl is described as a demon or a child of sin by the puritan community, “an imp of evil, emblem and product of sin”. While Hawthorne shows the beauty and innocence Pearl has, “a lovely and immortal flower”, showing that Hawthorne an see past the judgment of the puritan society.
These are really good points. In period 4, we talked a lot about the meaning behind Hester naming her child Pearl and Mr. Wilson calling her “Ruby, rather…or Red Rose, at the very least” (Hawthorne 100). The Puritan belief in original sin is reflected in society’s perception of Pearl. The fact that she is the product of sin strengthens that belief and leads people to believe she is that “an imp of evil, emblem and product of sin” like you said. So, the name Pearl was meant to be her blank slate, meaning Hester didn’t want her child to be judged by her affair. Overall, Puritans are very critical and Hawthorne’s disapproving tone of such harshness shines a negative light on them.
The Puritan community is described as an unforgiving, very uptight community whose laws and ideologies have the potential to gravely impact the lives of its members. Puritans do not tolerate adultery and believe in the idea of “original sin” in which man is predestined to sin and must curb this desire. Hester has committed adultery with Reverend Dimmesdale and “she is compelled to wear the scarlet A as a symbol of her adultery”, emphasizing how much Puritan society is committed to humiliating and punishing adulterers (Buckner). Hester “[is] banished, and as much alone as if she inhabited another sphere, or communicated with the common nature by other organs and senses than the rest of human kind” implying that her mannerisms have changed and are not associated with humans (Hawthorne, 78). In an attempt at redemption and curbing this sin for good, she “inwardly [reconciles] to God and self; she ministers to the needy among her townspeople, reconciling herself with others” by performing charity work (Buckner). Dimmesdale, “her secret lover”, can “move much more freely in society than she can and even enjoy prestige” as a pastor(Buckner). Even though this may seem like a good thing, it is in fact a curse in disguise. Dimmesdale’s “secret guilt gnaws so deeply inside him that he is unable to make his peace with God or to feel at ease with his fellow citizens” and this ends up making him less willing to discuss topics such as hidden sins with Chillingworth(Buckner). The guilt that both Puritan values have caused has made him socially awkward in situations where the topics of conversation delve into his past hidden sins. As for Pearl, she “[lacks] reference and adaptation to the world into which she was born” suggesting that not only have Hester’s contradictory actions to Puritan values caused her to not be associated with humans, but the product of her sin, Pearl, is in the same situation (Hawthorne, 83).
I agree with you Suraj, the puritan community is harsh and unforgiving, and they see good reason to be this strict. By seeing themselves as a ‘city on the hill’ that is supposed to be the role model for the rest of civilization, and like a brotherly relationship is supposed to be, in order to allow future generations to prosper, there has to be some role model. Their conservative society can also be related to our class discussions about society’s traditions and how they keep order. The puritan morals against adultery represent the tradition that all people follow mindlessly, even though this tradition is morally acceptable by most. When Hester was discovered to have broken this tradition the government began to worry because one of their core principles was being tarnished so, in order to stop the impending fear of chaos from a society without order, Hester “[is] banished and as much alone as if she inhabited another sphere, or communicated with the common nature by other organs and senses than the rest of human kind” (Hawthorne 78). By encouraging all other people to shun Hester by “[treating] the mildest ad the severest acts of public discipline were alike made venerable and awful” (Hawthorne 47), people like the governor believe that they are making an example of her to the others and, thus, enforcing the tradition.
I totally agree with you, for the puritan community is tightly constructed in their pursuit of creating a purified and perfect utopian community. Although they do intend to construct a perfect community they are hypocritical as well. For even from the start they “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.” Despite trying to be an utopian community they are already prepared for human failure showing the idea that humans are tended to fail no matter how hard they try to be pure and “sinless.”
Nathaniel Hawthorn's view on Puritan Communties is a more modernized view because he show through his character's that nobody can live without the act of sin,which can be argued is the view of most people today. The main character that should be pointed out is Reverend Dimmsdale. A Reverend in this Puritan community is viewed as a very pure and sin free soul yet he impregnates a women, calls her out even though he is the reason she is pregnant, and in a way lies to everyone by not telling them that he is the father of this child to save his reputation as this pure soul. All of these would be considered sins according to the basis of Puritan ideologies. "Be not silent from any mistaken pity and tenderness for him; for, believe me, Hester, though he were to step down from a high place, and stand there beside thee, on thy pedestal of shame, yet better were it so, than to hide a guilty heart through life. What can thy silence do for him, except it tempt him--yea, compel him, as it were--to add hypocrisy to sin?",according to Dimmesdale, grace and forgiveness are earned only through the fire of public repentance and shame, and not through private penitence before God(Hawthorn 3). This corrupted view of Dimmsdale shows Hawthorns viewpoint on Puritan Communities. This corrupt leader shows that even the "best" of us aren't perfect. The system by which the Puritans are run by are easily infiltrated by corrupted leaders, signing the corrupt bargain causing the inevitable end of this type of society and way of living.
I really agree with you Dylan and I see the point you are making. On the outside Reverend Dimmsdale seems as if she is the perfect Puritan in this society. Dimmsdale should defiantly feel guilty for becoming this type of person. I also see your point of explaining how "this corrupt leader shows that even the best of us aren't perfect". Nobody's perfect right? Even the people in societies that seem to be able to follow all the morals a society follows either have things from their past that they regret or have things that they are doing that others aren't aware of that lead them to develop a guilty conscious.
Angela Cao Marlaire Ap lit 06 November 12 In Nathaniel Hawthorn’s The Scarlet Letter, Puritan society is criticized for its narrow-minded attributes. Since Puritan ideology heavily emphasizes the importance of moral purity, Hester Prynne is ostracized by society for her label as an adulterer. The members of the Puritan society view Hester’s soul as contaminated by sin and actively shun her. Set apart from the rest of the “pure” members of society, Hester is forced to wear the symbol “A” to represent her crime, a symbol which defines her as immoral and subjects her to isolation. Members of the Puritan community don’t consider the events that influenced Hester’s course of actions and fail to sympathize with her guilt. They fail to recognize imperfections and moments of weakness as crucial aspects of humanity, instead seeking to brand members as distinctly pure or sinful. By failing to acknowledge the gray areas of human behavior, Puritans are portrayed as uncompromising and narrow-minded. Hawthorne reinforces this concept through the character of Reverend Dimmesdale, who is beloved and placed on such a high pedestal by the Puritan community that members don’t doubt his morality and purity when he is in fact an adulterer like Hester.
I agree, Hawthorne portrays the Puritan community as ignorant and hypocritical by revealing the flaws that they don't realize they possess. Also, by portraying Hester as a victim, Hawthorne's perspective implies a negative authority upon Puritanism, rather than the utopian characteristics they aim for.
I completely agree with the way the Puritan society is made out to be in The Scarlet Letter, and I like how you used Reverend Dimmesdale as a character that helps describe all of these things. I do, however, think that the Puritans did sympathize a little bit with Hester when it came to her punishment for committing adultery, because (as the first paragraph of page 71 explains) the original punishment for adultery is death, but because the community believes that “her husband may be at the bottom of the sea” (71) her sentence is made less severe, all due to the fact that they are not sure about the location or life of her husband whom none of them have met.
I agree, Hawthorne tries to depict Puritan society as close-minded , and also as very judgmental. I think the judgmental part can be found in chapter 2, when the women watching Hester on the platform are painting her crime as a sin, and something that justified "the brand of a hot iron on [her] forehead," with one woman even going as far as to say that Hester "has brought shame upon us all, and ought to die" (Hawthorne 49). These reveal Hawthorne's very harsh portrait of the Puritan community as well. Also, I agree that Dimmesdale's character reinforces Puritan's narrow-mindness, but I also think that his character reinforces the patriarchal system of Puritanism, because he is the one Chillingworth goes after, not Hester for the adultery. This shows how while Hester was weak and may not have known any better, Dimmesdale, acording to the patriarchal system, should have known better than have a child with Chillingworth's wife.
Giselle Bazan Marlaire AP Lit Per. 4 6 November 2012
In the Puritan religion , the reverend is seen as a person of God who is divine and sacred. The reverend is the symbol of a ‘perfect’ teacher that practices the Puritan faith as it should be practiced in holiness according to God’s will. In the novel The Scarlet Letter , Nathaniel Hawthorne portrays Reverend Dimmesdale as a hypocrite who is seen as a “wolf in sheep’s clothing” due to his deceitful actions within the Puritan community in which it contradicts the ideologies of the Puritan community . In the Puritan community, Reverend Dimmesdale is as a pure and unblemished person on earth. This follows the community ideologies of purifying the soul and if necessary through punishment for any crime done that is considered sinful . In the” Scarlet Letter,”Hester Prynne commits adultery and ends up having a baby girl named Pearl. The love affair that Hester Prynne carried contradicted with the Puritan beliefs of staying purely, the who community and the Reverend punish Hester Prynne for her sinful acts in which she is made to wear the letter “A” for adultery. Hester’s actions change her life she becomes an outsider within the community since she didn’t want to confess who the father of her baby is. Throughout chapters 1-10 , we find out indirectly who Pearl’s father is , which is Reverend Dimmesdale . In chapter 10 , Roger Chillingworth says to the Reverend “How may this be, unless you first lay open to him the wound or trouble in your soul?” and the Reverend replies with “No!-not to thee!”( 124). The fact that the reverend decides not to confess his immoral actions of adultery and that he is Pearl’s father , it makes him the hypocritical minister because he doesn’t want to stand up and take punishment of his actions ,instead he prefers that Hester Prynne take all the blame in order to keep his angelic image and not be seen as a weak leader who was tempted by sin within the Puritan community. Hawthorne,Nathaniel.The Scarlet Letter.New York:Bantam Dell,1850.
Nice points Giselle. But, while I do agree that Reverend Dimmesdale is very much a hypocrite, I do not believe it is something he is able to fully control. I view Dimmesdale as too much of a coward to come forth, which can be seen the by the fact that he, "was apt to be tremulous, expressing both nervous sensibility and a vast power of self-restraint" (Hawthorne 62), a description used to initially characterize him. Additionally, he feels he cannot come forward and confess his sin as he has become a symbol of sanctity within the Puritan society and this sin goes against,"the very constitution of [his] nature" (Hawthorne 120). He then goes on to defend himself from Chillingsworth within a hypothetical situation. Lastly, his constant pleading for Hester to reveal the father of her child is partially due to his own inability to do so and his desire to be liberated from this sin that is weighing down on his heart.
I think you were right on with how reverend is a hypocritical minister because he doesn’t confess his immoral actions of adultery and that he is Pearl’s father, it makes him the, but I think he did it because as a leader of the community and one who has power through influence he fears loosing his ability to do that, and that’s a great way Nathaniel Hawthorne reveals some insight on the nature of those in puritanism
Nice job! I agree with you that Nathaniel Hawthorne portrays Reverend Dimmesdale as a hypocrite. I find it ironic how he is represented as a "saint on earth" even though he's pretty much the opposite by being Pearl's father and not confessing his sinful actions thus being "too much of a coward"(Perez). I think the author uses this contradiction, along with the puritan beliefs of “staying purely,”(Bazan) within the text to represent the hypocrisy of the Puritan community. In my opinion, this could be an example as to why some people choose to be atheist rather than being involved in a “hypocrite” religion in today's world, I totally see why people would feel this way.
Nathaniel Hawthorne represents his views on puritan society through Reverend Dimmesdale because he is within the highest social class of puritan society, yet he shows corruption,guilt, and he committed adultery, the most forbidden sin. By belittling the most symbolic person in puritan society, Hawthorne criticizes the strict beliefs and structure of puritan life. When Dimmesdale rejects to stand with Hester and Pearl upon the scaffold it turns Dimmesdale into this lost soul that any other society would look down upon. Hawthorne's intentions in doing this was to inform people of the horrifying truths of puritanism. Chillingsworth shows up in the beginning from the forest and the puritan people think that he is impure and don't want to associate with him or his Indian companion. Hawthorne, being an American Romanticist believes that nature represents freedom and purity. By showing that the puritan society opposes nature he expresses his anti-puritan feelings by eventually bring Hester and Dimmesdale into the forest to give them freedom from being ostracized by the puritan public. Hawthorne represents the puritan religion as one that is flawed within society and is far to strict on its followers by establishing the idea that people are inherently evil, while American Romanticism views the exact opposite.
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ReplyDeleteI agree in that the actions of the church may be contradictory or corrupt to what they SHOULD be teaching. I believe this is due to the Puritan belief of the few ruling many. Obviously, the few being the religious leaders, and many, being the rest of the community. The fear of the church causes the people to keep secrets, follow biblical law, and not become outsiders or sinners in the community. Nobody stands up for what they think is right from fear for their own well being.
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ReplyDeleteNoah Blumenfeld
ReplyDeleteMarlaire
AP Lit
06 November 2012
Reverends are supposed to be the model of a “perfect” puritan, and a teacher of what it is to be of the puritan faith. But Reverend Dimmesdale in The Scarlet Letter represents Nathaniel Hawthorne’s belief that the leaders of Puritan society are hypocritical of the moral values they stand for.
The Reverend supposedly “takes it very grievously to heart that such a scandal” as the adultery Hester Prynne has committed has happened in “his congregation” (Hawthorne 48-49). Reverend Dimmesdale is the person who Hester slept with, however, and his supposed disappointment of her choices is completely hypocritical of his personal code of moral. His “brief and reluctant part in … Hester Prynne’s disgrace” only adds to his hypocrisy because the guilt for not owning up to his actions and allowing for the community to isolate Hester is eating away at him, yet he still chooses to let her suffer for something he played a major role in (Hawthorne 99). The guilt he feels is only a result of the corruption that his position of power has, which allows him to commit these unfaithful actions, but put all the blame of it on others without any real repercussions.
Hawthorne purposely puts the reverend in this situation to overly emphasize the corruption that puritan leaders possess. Puritan society needs to reevaluate the power that they allow their leaders to have because if they don’t limit it, their leaders will continue to do whatever they want without punishment of the codes by which they stand for.
Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Scarlet Letter. New York: Bantam Dell, 1850.
I do agree that the Reverend is seen to be a hypocrite to what his role is in the puritan community. The puritans’ ideologies do seem to me to have a corrupt ruling and it needs to be changed. However, how do you know that the Reverend is the one she committed the sin with, I know that if in fact he was who Hester slept with it would justify and support the idea of his hypocrisy in the society, but where find you that the Reverend was the man Hester slept with? And if there is no concrete detail to him being involved what made you imply his part in this act.
DeleteI completely agree. Dimmesdale is going against everything he is supposed to preach to his people by not only sleeping with Hester, but not admitting his sin to the community.
DeleteThe proof of his adultery is at the end of chapter 10 when Roger Chillingworth rips open Dimmesdale's jacket and sees something within him that reveals his guilt, like an invisible scarlet letter. (pg 126)
I completely agree. Reverend Dimmesdale is supposed to be a model for the rest of Puritan society but he is actually very wicked at heart. Hawthorne was raised in what he believed was a corrupt society and uses Dimmesdale to demonstrate that. He uses the quotation “If a man wears one mask in public, and another in private, he will soon forget which one is real” (p. 138) to demonstrate that Reverend Dimmesdale is really the more wicked one. Instead of acknowledging his sin like Hester did, he decides to keep his secret. This haunts him inside because after all, you are only as sick as your secrets.
DeleteYour analysis is very precise and rejoinders the task flawlessly. Now my question to you is, Do you think that what the task is asking still happens today with leaders of perhaps our country or religion? Nathaniel Hawthorn was a man who interrogated his religion and who lead his readers to question theirs, could this be another challenge for his religion or our current beliefs (Religiously? Politically? Socially?). I’m essentially extending the assignment out from just this story to reality. We could argue that we still see similar leaders today, for example school board administrators in the San Marcos Unified School District, they say we don’t have enough funding for schools but the higher ranked positions earn a salary of over $200,000 a year. I hope they feel guilty.
DeleteNoah, this is very interesting. You would think that a leader in society of strict moral values would be an effective role model for all citizens, but in fact many times these are the individuals that break laws and make the greatest mistakes. Take politicians for example-you here a lot about affairs and unjust behavior because they're in the public eye. Do you think that having pressure from society to act morally perfect is a reason why these figures have a tendency to make these mistakes? The community in the novel is built off of Puritan values, and that connects back to church in every aspect of life. Therefore the Reverend's position must be difficult to maintain under the scrutiny of the people.
DeleteI agree with your arguement that Dimmesdale is being hypocritical by preaching Puritan beliefs while going against them and comitting sin. His role as a leader of a very devout Puritan society has also placed immense pressure on him to make pure and ethical choices. This pressure has provent to be the leading cause of his guilt for comitting audultry, something that he would obviously preach against. I agree with you that the Reverend takes this guilt “very grievously", and although he wants to set a good example for the community, he also has to face the internal guilt of his sin.
DeleteI agree with your analysis of Hawthorne presenting the leadership of the Puritan government as corrupt. Reverend Dimmesdale serves as a prime example of the corruptness of the Puritans as in Puritan communities “religion and law were almost identical” (Hawthorne 47). Even before Chillingworth discovers Dimmesdale’s guilt, evidence of his guilty conscience is easily seen in his exclamation “[w]onderous strength and generosity of a woman’s heart! She will not speak!” when Hester refuses to reveal the father of her child (Hawthorne 64). Therefore, even though the reverend is regarded as a devout leader of the Puritan church, he doesn't follow the cliché “practice what you preach” which leads him to his internal struggle with his guilt, contributing to his mysterious illness.
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ReplyDeleteA reverend of a puritan society is suppose to symbolize the purity of religion and all its emphasis on how one should live their life the way God intended. In, "The Scarlett Letter," however, Nathaniel Hawthorne portrays Reverend Dimmesdale as hypocritical and guilty toward his unfaithful actions toward God. This establishes the representation that Hawthorne makes, about Puritan society being contradicting of itself.
ReplyDeletePuritan ideologies such as adultery is a very serious and punishable crime. Hester Prynne becomes the community example of an unfaithful women; not only to her religion, but her husband as well. What the book does not clearly state but does however imply, is that “Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale, whom...having taken a brief and reluctant part in the scene of Hester Prynne’s disgrace” (p.99). This shows how the father of Hester Prynne’s baby girl, Pearl, is Reverend Dimmesdale, but how he publicly humiliates Hester for a sin that he too was involved in. People of the Puritan community begin to talk about how the Reverend Dimmesdale took it “very grievously to heart that such a scandal should have come upon his congregation” (p.48-49). He is allowing Hester to become a scapegoat for their sin because he knows that if people were to find out that he was the man that impregnated her, he would be exiled and possibly stripped of his reverend title. Hawthorne creates the idea that the Puritan community is contradicting of itself by showing the hypocrisy of those in power.
Reverend Dimmesdale’s guilt makes him a hypocrite because he is suppose to represent all that is holy and right but chooses to sin and then act like it never happened while publicly humiliating the mother of his child. Hawthorne’s depiction of a Puritan community is backwards is the way that the Reverend’s secret actions go against what he preaches to his community.
I agree. Reverend Dimmesdale is a great example of how hypocritical the society is. If he were to stand up with her and support her in the beginning instead of abandoning her to suffer the consequences alone, would the people react any differently? Would they possibly rethink their social exile of Hester and Pearl, or would they still react just as harshly?
DeleteI agree and i like your points here Niki. But I disagree in that Reverend Dimmesdale tries to publicly humiliate Hester because at the beginning when she is on the scaffold, he asks her to reveal her partner in the adultery so he can bear the consequences with her instead of leaving her and Pearl alone to be unaccepted by society. Also in this part he wants Hester to confess that he is her lover so he can endure the same pains she will have to go through and so he doesn't have to live with himself and his guilt. Ultimately I think Dimmesdale is not the bad guy because he isn't the one who necessarily wants Hester and Pearl to suffer.
DeleteI agree with Sophia. I don't feel Dimmesdale's intensions were to humiliate Hester, I feel that he is just too weak to fix the problem while Hester is portrayed as strong since she bores the punishment in isolation. This is a highly feminist depiction of Hester's character in contrast to Dimmesdale's stereotypically feminine characteristics.
DeleteJT Dunham
ReplyDeleteMarlaire
AP Literature
Period 6
06 November 2012
Question 1
Nathaniel Hawthorne talks about a Puritan community in his novel, The Scarlet Letter as a perfect community that devotes their lives to praising God. The first few chapters reveal how Hester Prynne is being condemned of adultery and has sinned against God and will be forever labeled a bad example. The Puritan community strives for a sin free life and trying to be the best people in the eyes of God. They stick to a strict behavior and devote their life to being on top to reach heaven. Hawthorne represents the Puritan community in a negatively because they are displayed as hypocrites of those in power.
Reverend Dimmesdale is supposed to lead the community to be accepted by God because he interprets the word of God, setting the guideline for society. Nevertheless, Dimmesdale is a hypocrite by preaching the word of God and labeling Hester Prynne as an unforgivable sinner for committing adultery, when it’s his child too. Reverend tries to act like nothing happened to keep up his reputation, so he “takes it very grievously to the heart that such a scandal should have come upon his congregation.”(pg .48-49 ln 31) Reverend Dimmesdale denies his prior interactions with Hester Prynne to only “have taken a brief and reluctant part in the scene of Hester Prynne’s disgrace” because he wants to maintain his perfect reputation.
Hawthorne speaks of Puritanism as backward and corrupt because hypocrites in power rule it. He shows how it contradicts itself with Reverend Dimmesdale’s character.
Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Scarlet Letter. New York: Bantam Dell, 1850.
Good job JT! I really like your analysis on the hypocrisy that occurs within the Puritan community with Reverend Dimmesdale. It is important to note his motives in the beginning when he questions Hester Prynne about the father of Pearl. While at the moment this seems as if he is following Puritan morals, Dimmesdale’s persistence in asking for the “fellow sinner and fellow-sufferer” (63) reveals the irony in his statement: he is the father. His actions, therefore, express his guilt in committing the crime and his desperate attempts to stop any suspicion. He must stoop to these measures in order to preserve his religious title and prestige in the Puritan community.
DeleteYou're right, the puritan community is very hard on Hester, which is understandable because she has gone against what their common ideology and rules are. However, you point out that Reverend Dimmesdale is a hypocrite because he wants it to be apparent that he has nothing to do with Hester, even though he’s actually the father of Pearl. I interpreted the text to describe Hester trying her hardest not to expose him because she feels she can't bring him down too, and Dimmesdale feels "at a loss in the pathway of human resistance" because he has so much regret that he tries very hard to tell Hester to "charge thee to speak out the name of thy fellow sufferer" (62, 63). He realizes that what he’s doing is hypocritical and doesn’t want to keep it going because he feels so bad that Hester is being ostracized.
DeleteKelly Barnes
ReplyDeleteMarlaire
AP Lit P.4
6 Nov 2012
Hawthorne describes the Puritan community as one filled with harsh punishments and major hypocrisy within The Scarlet Letter. He shows readers how Hester is punished very heartlessly by the community for her mistake, and how even though she tries to repent and make up for her sin, her people still shun her and refuse to accept her change of heart. He demonstrates the strict beliefs in total depravity and unconditional election by examining the community's view that Hester and Pearl, like the rest of the village, were born with sin, and that no matter what they do they might no be saved on judgement day (according to most of the town, they won't be saved because of their evil acts). (Reuben) Hawthorne criticizes the harsh treatment of Hester and Pearl by the Puritan community through their views of Hester and their original beliefs as Puritans.
Reuben, Paul P. "Chapter 1: Early American Literature - A Brief Introduction." PAL: Perspectives in American Literature- A Research and Reference Guide. Web. 6 Nov 2012. http://www.csustan.edu/english/reuben/pal/chap1/1intro.html
I agree. Hawthorne does talk about the Puritan community as one filled with harsh punishments in the 2nd chapter some of the ladies of the town are talking about Hester and her punishment and one says, "This women has brought shame upon us all, and ought to die."(p.49) The women believe public shame and having to wear a symbol on your breast are not harsh enough punishments for Hester and the crime she has committed. I also like how you mentioned not being saved, if they will be saved until judgment day because that comes up several times throughout the novel when talking about both Reverend Dimmesdale and Pearl.
DeleteI agree Kelly. The puritain society was one filled with strict rules and regulations. However I find it very ironic that the leader of the society is the one who slipped up, yet he is only punished by the guilt he carries.
DeleteTrace Dimeff
ReplyDeleteMarlaire
AP Lit
06 November 2012
The puritan society has beliefs that people’s lives must be lived by, or else they will be looked down upon and shunned. In The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne the puritan ideologies control the way society view people and how one should live their life. The first few chapters show how a woman named Hester Prynne threw her life down the drain by committing a sin that could not be forgiven by the puritan society. The strict code of living by puritan beliefs consists of patriarchy and predestination being the main guidelines to living a pure life.
Reverend Dimmesdale is a person that should be a role model for puritans, but is revealed as a hypocrite for he portrays Hester Prynne as an unforgivable sinner for committing adultery, when he is the father of the child. The shame that Hester has to live with is exemplified by society as they shun her and treat her as an infidel. Hawthorne also states, “Pearl was a born outcast of the infantile world.” Pearl, being a casualty in the plot is also not looked at with equality as she is a demon child of an unforgivable sinner. The Reverend does not come forward with the truth, as he wants to be viewed as a perfect individual and an inspiration for society. In the first 10 chapters puritanism can be viewed as corrupt as many people only care about how they are viewed in society’s eyes, and not God’s which is the exact opposite of what is preached.
I agree. This is a great interpretation of how Hawthorne truly viewed Puritan society. It is illustrated within the text that within this society, its members are taught to act in a fixed set of "moral" values rather than in God's actual teachings. An example of this is shown as society looks down on Pearl as an outcast and as they portray her as an evil in the eyes of God because she was born from a wicked mother. Therefore, through this, Hawthorn portrays Puritan society as corrupt and unforgiving towards individualism. In order to cover up his guilt in putting Hester in her current place as a disgrace to society, Reverend Dimmesdale attempts to appeal to the public and serve as their "role model" by adhering to Puritan laws and values. Hawthorn uses this to illustrate how Puritan society has also corrupted its members into abandoning individualism for the favor of society.
Deletei agree. Dimmesdale, as a reverend, is supposed to be a symbol of morality in the community and should exemplify Puritan values; however, instead of confessing right away and sharing the consequences of his wrongdoings with Hester, he leaves her to face the harsh criticism and judgment by the rest of the society alone, which, as Joshua said, shows how corrupt the members of the Puritan society have become.
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ReplyDeleteIn Nathaniel Hawthorne's, The Scarlett Letter, a Puritan community in Boston undergoes a trial of Hester Prynne, who has been condemned to jail for her crime of adultery with a man whom she will not reveal. Her Puritan community puts her to trail upon a stage of sorts, in which she is ridiculed and exiled from her community. From this her community uses her as the scapegoat of what not to be, and for families of the community children's eyes are shielded and looks of disgust and hatred are throw Hester's way everywhere she goes. Her Puritan community is described by Hawthorne as a community of perfection and devotion to god, however Hawthorne reveals that no one is perfect and each one of them has their own secrets that they keep locked in the hearts only to be revealed to god himself, in order to keep their status in the society without falling into exile like Hester.
ReplyDeleteThe common idea of sin in Puritanism is feared by all members of the community, because sin is what brings all Puritans out of heaven and into hell. Reverend Dimmesdale is glorified in his community and is often told that," [he is] destined, should he live and labor for the ordinary term of life, to do as great deeds for the now feeble New England Church"(pg.109). However through the interrogation conducted by Roger Chillingworth, reverend Dimmesdale is exposed, in which a secret is hinted at by his sudden outburst,"[n]o!- not to thee!- not to an earthly physician", to Chillingworth's question on what is really causing his heart's pain(pg124). Here it is assumed that the reverend's heart is not actually in physical pain, however it is his guilt and sin from a past experience, possibly an affair with Hester, that is causing his heart the troubles.
Reverend Dimmesdale is undoubtedly holding back a secret that will alter his reputation in the community. He is the communities leader, and Hawthorne exemplifies that everyone, even the presumed best of them can be led into sin. From this he demonstrates how the Puritan society is unjust and hypocritical, in which its people's quest for perfection only leads to greater and greater loss of the human aspect of life, in that no one is truly perfect.
works cited: Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Scarlet Letter. New York: Bantam Dell, 1850.
I completely agree. Having a system of harsh punishments for sins in place fails to prevent sins from being committed, because we are all flawed human beings, and no matter how hard we try to resist, we will inevitably succumb to sin. This is the inherent flaw in Puritan society. It is based on the idea that punishing people to discourage sin will somehow make everyone flawless. This contradicts the Christian idea that humans are naturally inclined to sin and are easily tempted (such as how easily the serpent convinces Eve to eat the apple in Genesis). It also contradicts the Christian virtue of forgiveness, as Puritan punishments are very unforgiving in their severity.
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ReplyDeleteIn "The Scarlett Letter" Nathaniel Hawthorne portrays Reverend Dimmesdale as guilty towards his hidden secrets from God. This creates the representation that Hawthorne makes, about Puritan society being a bunch of private affairs and adultery being severely punishable.
ReplyDeletePearl was rejected from society, never could have friends, and was a social outcast. Nathaniel Hawthornes personal assessment is that he is against puritan beliefs because he sees people beyond what puritans believe in judgment. An example is that in puritan society, they view Pearl as a demon while Nathaniel Hawthorne shows pearl as a flower and shows her innocence and childlike personality. Hester Prynne also becomes a social outcast and everyone will always know she sinned because of the scarlet letter. Reverend tries to hide the fact that he never did anything wrong, so he “takes it very grievously to the heart that such a scandal should have come upon his congregation.”(pg .48-49 ln 31) This shows that things would have been happy if the puritan belief was more equal in society to both males and females, and rich and poor. And it also represents the fact that the puritan society tends to contradict itself.
You have some really interesting points Ann. The fact that Pearl has done nothing wrong and is still shunned by society effectively demonstrates the harsh reality of Puritan social structure. Her association with Hester's adultery has apparently made her a demonic child. I also thought it was great how you compared the narrator's description of pearl with the Puritan community's opinion of her because the speaker describes Pearl without a strong bias whereas the townspeople see her as only a product of sin. The way you touched on Reverend's secrets really exemplifies the secrecy that must be kept to maintain one's reputation in Puritan society. Good post!
DeleteI agree because Dimmensdale is the town's minister, who is committing a sinful crime (adultery), by going against the Puritan belief, that we all expect him to follow. I like how you compared Hawthorne's belief vs. the society's belief on Pearl because that shows how different and strict the Puritan ideologies were. Moreover, society out casts Pearl too, because she is a "product of a sinner” and they think she will follow her mother’s steps. As a result, the townspeople don’t want people, like Hester (and her child), to be a part of their society because they believe “evil” will cast their town and God won’t appreciate them.
DeleteRachel Clevers
ReplyDeleteMarlaire
AP Literature - P.6
6 Nov. 2012
Question 1
Nathaniel Hawthorne refers to the Puritan community throughout the text by referencing ideals of adultery and total depravity. As Puritans believe in the will of God, valuing moral and reform of original sin, Puritans greatly disagreed with the act of adultery and believed that individuals are inclined to sin, falling to total depravity due to the commission of evil acts.
In the Scarlett Letter, the setting's community basically excommunicates Hester Prynne, a woman who fornicates with a reverend and produces a love child, named Pearl. The three, Hester, Pearl and the reverend, Reverend Dimmesdale, are impacted through the stereotypes they are now deemed to because of this "crime", and how it effects their future. Hester, labelled as an ultimate sinner and an unfaithful woman, has become an unacceptable individual in all sanctions, "[bringing] shame upon us all, and ought to die." (pg. 49) Although characterized by her people as an evil individual, Hawthorne makes the effort to imply her want to change and reform this identity, following the principles of total depravity with the desire to love God and become pure. Watching the townspeople ridicule her, Hester "turned her eyes downward at the scarlet letter, [even touching] it with her finger, to assure herself that the infant and the shame were real." (pg. 56) Surprised by the actuality of the punishment, Hawthorne demonstrates how Hester is torn between accepting what she did, and wishing it never happened, leaning towards the want to change her actions and become that pure individual. Through her new accessory, an "A" for adulterer that is seamed on the bodice of her dress, "she is able to draw back from her former community and reflect upon their values, [gaining] perspective through her banishment and realizes that the true sin does not lie within her but exists within others because of their pride." (Kann) Hester is determined to fix her new destiny, due to her new profound guilt and lapse, dwelling on the fact that her sin is the reason for demise and that cure of the crime will return her to the salvation of God. Characterizing Hester's remorse and depression over her new title clearly defines the Puritan belief of how adultery can lead to total depravity.
Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Scarlet Letter. New York: Bantam Dell, 1994. Print.
Kann, David. "Mid Term Exams." cla.calpoly.edu. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Nov. 2012.
Puritans do value morality and reforms of original sin, which you accomplish explaining how Hester's crime of adultery went against Puritan values. It is true that Hester assures "herself that the infant and shame were real", and she tries to reform this identity of a sinner to become a pure individual once again (Hawthorne 56). The ridicule of the townspeople allows the increase of pride and freedom within Hester, allowing her to return to the salvation of god(which you explained). I totally agree with you on how you believe that acts against the Puritan code can push an individual into depravity, and in this case Hester feels remorseful and depressed because she is now placed lowly within society from her crime of adultery.
DeleteI agree with this completely. The puritan beliefs of following good morals and looking down on sins, was the opposite of what Hester did. Because she conceived pearl, the society views her and pearl as a disgrace to their puritan beliefs. I like how you explained that “the infant and shame was real,” because she was ashamed of her crime and had a hard time accepting it. When she comes to the time of thinking about her actions, she wishes that she could forget it all and become a pure puritan. All in all, her bad choices made the strong puritan beliefs more apparent in society.
DeleteOne of the strongest points that Nathaniel Hawthorne makes within the text is that of Original sin in Puritan ideology. In Puritanism, Original Sin states that "Because Adam and Eve sinned, every human is born sinful."(Woodlief) For example, he strongly comments on this when Pearl is seen as the Scarlet Letter herself, because she was born of an affair. Hawthorne states that "Day after day, [Hester] looked fearfully into the child’s expanding nature; ever dreading to detect some dark arid wild peculiarity, that should correspond with the guiltiness to which she owed her being."(pg. 82)Because Pearl was born from a sin, she is expected to grow into sin. She is not given a chance to escape that expectation as her own person. The ideology of Original Sin doesn't exclude anyone, such as in the poem "The Day of Doom" by Michael Wigglesworth, that states that even babies who died at birth that were predestined for hell would still be sent to hell.
ReplyDeleteWoodlief, Ann. "Background on Puritan Theology." Background on Puritan Theology. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Nov. 2012. .
Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Scarlet Letter. New York: Bantam Dell, 1850.
Wigglesworth, Michael. "The Day of Doom" N.p.: n.p., n.d. Print.
You bring up a key point with your statement on the "Original Sin." This idea characterizes the Puritans as a pessimistic society that oppress rather than support. Pearl is hit the hardest because as you said " She is not given a chance to escape that expectation as her own person." The society in this story dictates the characteristics of a person rather than people dictating characteristics of society. This also places the society as the clear antagonist to Pearl because the society sees Pearl as a demon that represents the exact opposite of what the Puritans want to become. They tag her, an innocent child who has done nothing, making society and not Hester seem like the antagonist of this story.
DeleteI like what you’re saying about Pearl and how she is connected to the Puritan ideology of Original Sin. But I also think that because she is Hester's child and since Hester has sinned, Pearl then, in a way, inherits her sin and is therefore born even more into the sin than the other Puritans. She will have no chance to be accepted among society because of her mother's mistakes even though she should have as much chance to cleanse herself as anyone else does. I don’t think Pearl is the heathen child the Puritans believe her to be because she likes to "run about, and amuse herself by gathering handfuls of wild flowers." (89) I don’t think it’s fair that she should be treated this way and I don’t think that the Puritans should be so cynical towards her.
DeleteNathaniel Hawthorne has a very distinct view on Puritan Communities which is shown through his representation of them in his novel The Scarlet Letter. In the novel he focuses on some traditional aspects of Puritan society like: original sin which is the idea that everyone is born with sin and has to practice faithfulness to God and follow his will in order to be cleansed of it, women accused of adultering wearing the letter A on there clothes to show that they have sinned and to somewhat exile them from contact in society because all the Puritans look down upon sinners, and also how all sins are made public affairs to ashame the sinner and to make them live with their sin forever making life miserable and devestating for the accused. All of these make private affairs public and do not reinforce closeness amongst people in society it only causes social conflict as well as individual despair. Hawthorne proves this by showing how these aspects affect the characters Hester Prynn, Pearl, and Reverend Dimmsdale in their Puritan Community. Hester Prynn has to deal with public shame for her life by wearing the scarlet letter A on her chest after being caught adultering. She is constantly outcasted by people and feels no support shown when a puritan women says, "Let her cover her mark as she will, the pang of it will always be in her heart." (49) Because Puritans are so harsh against sin Hester will never have support amongst the people. She is also publicly shamed when she has to satnd in front of the town showing her letter for hours on end with everyones eyes fixed upon her. Pearl on the other hand is Hester's child born from original sin. she will have no chance to be accepted among society because of her mother's mistakes even though she is a sweet child at heart. Pearl isnt the demon child the Puritan Community perseves her as becase she does things like "run about, and amuse herself by gathering handfuls of wild flowers." (89) She is an innocent girl but it doesnt matter to the Puritans because she already has uncurable sin inside her according to their faith. Lastly, Dimmsdale has to face the guilt of his affair with Hester because if it comes out he would have to stand besides Hester "on the pedestal of shame," (63) and lose everything he has worked for and face social outcast to. Nathaniel Hawthorne shows grief in all of these characters' predicaments which all derived from the rules of Puritanism. All of these characters have to live with everlasting guilt and shame which Nathaniel Hawthorne wishes to stand out against because even though these people are suffering in society they still have goodness left inside them like Pearl who is just a joyful, kind little girl with innocence, Hester who is willing to take care of a child that reminds her of her sin, and Dimmsdale who wants to protect hester from society's unwillingness to accept Hester.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you, the book does have a strong Puritan emphasis on due to Hester’s sin she suffers from the punishment of going against the order. She now has to live a life of exile which makes her feel lonely and remorseful. Also its true that even though her child, Pearl, hasn’t done anything wrong, she is still looked down upon due to her mother’s actions. In the quote, "Be not silent from any mistaken pity and tenderness for him; for, believe me, Hester, though he were to step down from a high place, and stand there beside thee, on thy pedestal of shame, yet better were it so, than to hide a guilty heart through life. What can thy silence do for him, except it tempt him--yea, compel him, as it were--to add hypocrisy to sin?" (26) it shows how her sinned has caused her pain from the Puritan society but also her daughter has to suffer along with her, even though she is innocent.
DeleteIn Nathanial Hawthornes Scarlet letter, the puritan community is portrayed as a community that rejects sin and any individuals that have committed a serious sin. In the text, many private affairs are displayed to the public as a way to demonstrate the severity of sinning and to possibly stop any others from committing that sin from fear of the reactions from society. When society does this they affect not only the individual who has committed the sin but it affects the whole society. Prynnes daughter experiences the effects of this harsh treatment from society when she is treated like an outcast because she is the product of sin. In the community, she is described as a demon, “what a happiness would it have been could hester prynne have heard- her own darling’s tones,amid all the entangled outcry of a cry of supportive children!- pearl was a social outcast”.Pearl is rejected by society because she is the daughter of Hester Prynne who is also rejected by society because of her sinful nature. Both mother and daughter are social outcast in a judgmental society. Reverand Dimmsedale is also affected by this judgemental society because he has to hide secrets and has to live with guilt in his life because if his private affairs or sins were to be revealed publically he would have to be judged and abandoned by society as well. Nathaniel Hawthorne’s personal assessment of puritan life is that it is too judgmental and cannot see past a humans mistakes. He does this by showing the light in characters that society has rejected. For example, Pearl is described as a demon or a child of sin by the puritan community, “an imp of evil, emblem and product of sin”. While Hawthorne shows the beauty and innocence Pearl has, “a lovely and immortal flower”, showing that Hawthorne an see past the judgment of the puritan society.
ReplyDeleteThese are really good points. In period 4, we talked a lot about the meaning behind Hester naming her child Pearl and Mr. Wilson calling her “Ruby, rather…or Red Rose, at the very least” (Hawthorne 100). The Puritan belief in original sin is reflected in society’s perception of Pearl. The fact that she is the product of sin strengthens that belief and leads people to believe she is that “an imp of evil, emblem and product of sin” like you said. So, the name Pearl was meant to be her blank slate, meaning Hester didn’t want her child to be judged by her affair. Overall, Puritans are very critical and Hawthorne’s disapproving tone of such harshness shines a negative light on them.
DeleteSuraj Dhanjani
ReplyDeleteMarlaire
AP Lit
06 November 2012
The Puritan community is described as an unforgiving, very uptight community whose laws and ideologies have the potential to gravely impact the lives of its members. Puritans do not tolerate adultery and believe in the idea of “original sin” in which man is predestined to sin and must curb this desire. Hester has committed adultery with Reverend Dimmesdale and “she is compelled to wear the scarlet A as a symbol of her adultery”, emphasizing how much Puritan society is committed to humiliating and punishing adulterers (Buckner). Hester “[is] banished, and as much alone as if she inhabited another sphere, or communicated with the common nature by other organs and senses than the rest of human kind” implying that her mannerisms have changed and are not associated with humans (Hawthorne, 78). In an attempt at redemption and curbing this sin for good, she “inwardly [reconciles] to God and self; she ministers to the needy among her townspeople, reconciling herself with others” by performing charity work (Buckner). Dimmesdale, “her secret lover”, can “move much more freely in society than she can and even enjoy prestige” as a pastor(Buckner). Even though this may seem like a good thing, it is in fact a curse in disguise. Dimmesdale’s “secret guilt gnaws so deeply inside him that he is unable to make his peace with God or to feel at ease with his fellow citizens” and this ends up making him less willing to discuss topics such as hidden sins with Chillingworth(Buckner). The guilt that both Puritan values have caused has made him socially awkward in situations where the topics of conversation delve into his past hidden sins. As for Pearl, she “[lacks] reference and adaptation to the world into which she was born” suggesting that not only have Hester’s contradictory actions to Puritan values caused her to not be associated with humans, but the product of her sin, Pearl, is in the same situation (Hawthorne, 83).
Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Scarlet Letter. Pleasantville, NY: Reader's Digest Association, 1984. Print.
Buckner, Sally. "The Scarlet Letter." Literary Reference Center. EBSCOhost, Nov. 2010. Web. 6 Nov. 2012.
I agree with you Suraj, the puritan community is harsh and unforgiving, and they see good reason to be this strict. By seeing themselves as a ‘city on the hill’ that is supposed to be the role model for the rest of civilization, and like a brotherly relationship is supposed to be, in order to allow future generations to prosper, there has to be some role model. Their conservative society can also be related to our class discussions about society’s traditions and how they keep order. The puritan morals against adultery represent the tradition that all people follow mindlessly, even though this tradition is morally acceptable by most. When Hester was discovered to have broken this tradition the government began to worry because one of their core principles was being tarnished so, in order to stop the impending fear of chaos from a society without order, Hester “[is] banished and as much alone as if she inhabited another sphere, or communicated with the common nature by other organs and senses than the rest of human kind” (Hawthorne 78). By encouraging all other people to shun Hester by “[treating] the mildest ad the severest acts of public discipline were alike made venerable and awful” (Hawthorne 47), people like the governor believe that they are making an example of her to the others and, thus, enforcing the tradition.
DeleteI totally agree with you, for the puritan community is tightly constructed in their pursuit of creating a purified and perfect utopian community. Although they do intend to construct a perfect community they are hypocritical as well. For even from the start they “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.” Despite trying to be an utopian community they are already prepared for human failure showing the idea that humans are tended to fail no matter how hard they try to be pure and “sinless.”
DeleteNathaniel Hawthorn's view on Puritan Communties is a more modernized view because he show through his character's that nobody can live without the act of sin,which can be argued is the view of most people today. The main character that should be pointed out is Reverend Dimmsdale. A Reverend in this Puritan community is viewed as a very pure and sin free soul yet he impregnates a women, calls her out even though he is the reason she is pregnant, and in a way lies to everyone by not telling them that he is the father of this child to save his reputation as this pure soul. All of these would be considered sins according to the basis of Puritan ideologies. "Be not silent from any mistaken pity and tenderness for him; for, believe me, Hester, though he were to step down from a high place, and stand there beside thee, on thy pedestal of shame, yet better were it so, than to hide a guilty heart through life. What can thy silence do for him, except it tempt him--yea, compel him, as it were--to add hypocrisy to sin?",according to Dimmesdale, grace and forgiveness are earned only through the fire of public repentance and shame, and not through private penitence before God(Hawthorn 3). This corrupted view of Dimmsdale shows Hawthorns viewpoint on Puritan Communities. This corrupt leader shows that even the "best" of us aren't perfect. The system by which the Puritans are run by are easily infiltrated by corrupted leaders, signing the corrupt bargain causing the inevitable end of this type of society and way of living.
ReplyDeleteI really agree with you Dylan and I see the point you are making. On the outside Reverend Dimmsdale seems as if she is the perfect Puritan in this society. Dimmsdale should defiantly feel guilty for becoming this type of person. I also see your point of explaining how "this corrupt leader shows that even the best of us aren't perfect". Nobody's perfect right? Even the people in societies that seem to be able to follow all the morals a society follows either have things from their past that they regret or have things that they are doing that others aren't aware of that lead them to develop a guilty conscious.
DeleteNathaniel Hawthorn's view on Puritan Communties is a more modernized view because he SHOWS*** :P
ReplyDeleteAngela Cao
ReplyDeleteMarlaire
Ap lit
06 November 12
In Nathaniel Hawthorn’s The Scarlet Letter, Puritan society is criticized for its narrow-minded attributes. Since Puritan ideology heavily emphasizes the importance of moral purity, Hester Prynne is ostracized by society for her label as an adulterer. The members of the Puritan society view Hester’s soul as contaminated by sin and actively shun her. Set apart from the rest of the “pure” members of society, Hester is forced to wear the symbol “A” to represent her crime, a symbol which defines her as immoral and subjects her to isolation. Members of the Puritan community don’t consider the events that influenced Hester’s course of actions and fail to sympathize with her guilt. They fail to recognize imperfections and moments of weakness as crucial aspects of humanity, instead seeking to brand members as distinctly pure or sinful. By failing to acknowledge the gray areas of human behavior, Puritans are portrayed as uncompromising and narrow-minded. Hawthorne reinforces this concept through the character of Reverend Dimmesdale, who is beloved and placed on such a high pedestal by the Puritan community that members don’t doubt his morality and purity when he is in fact an adulterer like Hester.
I agree, Hawthorne portrays the Puritan community as ignorant and hypocritical by revealing the flaws that they don't realize they possess. Also, by portraying Hester as a victim, Hawthorne's perspective implies a negative authority upon Puritanism, rather than the utopian characteristics they aim for.
DeleteI completely agree with the way the Puritan society is made out to be in The Scarlet Letter, and I like how you used Reverend Dimmesdale as a character that helps describe all of these things. I do, however, think that the Puritans did sympathize a little bit with Hester when it came to her punishment for committing adultery, because (as the first paragraph of page 71 explains) the original punishment for adultery is death, but because the community believes that “her husband may be at the bottom of the sea” (71) her sentence is made less severe, all due to the fact that they are not sure about the location or life of her husband whom none of them have met.
DeleteI agree, Hawthorne tries to depict Puritan society as close-minded , and also as very judgmental. I think the judgmental part can be found in chapter 2, when the women watching Hester on the platform are painting her crime as a sin, and something that justified "the brand of a hot iron on [her] forehead," with one woman even going as far as to say that Hester "has brought shame upon us all, and ought to die" (Hawthorne 49). These reveal Hawthorne's very harsh portrait of the Puritan community as well. Also, I agree that Dimmesdale's character reinforces Puritan's narrow-mindness, but I also think that his character reinforces the patriarchal system of Puritanism, because he is the one Chillingworth goes after, not Hester for the adultery. This shows how while Hester was weak and may not have known any better, Dimmesdale, acording to the patriarchal system, should have known better than have a child with Chillingworth's wife.
DeleteGiselle Bazan
ReplyDeleteMarlaire
AP Lit
Per. 4
6 November 2012
In the Puritan religion , the reverend is seen as a person of God who is divine and sacred. The reverend is the symbol of a ‘perfect’ teacher that practices the Puritan faith as it should be practiced in holiness according to God’s will. In the novel The Scarlet Letter , Nathaniel Hawthorne portrays Reverend Dimmesdale as a hypocrite who is seen as a “wolf in sheep’s clothing” due to his deceitful actions within the Puritan community in which it contradicts the ideologies of the Puritan community .
In the Puritan community, Reverend Dimmesdale is as a pure and unblemished person on earth. This follows the community ideologies of purifying the soul and if necessary through punishment for any crime done that is considered sinful . In the” Scarlet Letter,”Hester Prynne commits adultery and ends up having a baby girl named Pearl. The love affair that Hester Prynne carried contradicted with the Puritan beliefs of staying purely, the who community and the Reverend punish Hester Prynne for her sinful acts in which she is made to wear the letter “A” for adultery. Hester’s actions change her life she becomes an outsider within the community since she didn’t want to confess who the father of her baby is. Throughout chapters 1-10 , we find out indirectly who Pearl’s father is , which is Reverend Dimmesdale . In chapter 10 , Roger Chillingworth says to the Reverend “How may this be, unless you first lay open to him the wound or trouble in your soul?” and the Reverend replies with “No!-not to thee!”( 124). The fact that the reverend decides not to confess his immoral actions of adultery and that he is Pearl’s father , it makes him the hypocritical minister because he doesn’t want to stand up and take punishment of his actions ,instead he prefers that Hester Prynne take all the blame in order to keep his angelic image and not be seen as a weak leader who was tempted by sin within the Puritan community.
Hawthorne,Nathaniel.The Scarlet Letter.New York:Bantam Dell,1850.
Nice points Giselle. But, while I do agree that Reverend Dimmesdale is very much a hypocrite, I do not believe it is something he is able to fully control. I view Dimmesdale as too much of a coward to come forth, which can be seen the by the fact that he, "was apt to be tremulous, expressing both nervous sensibility and a vast power of self-restraint" (Hawthorne 62), a description used to initially characterize him. Additionally, he feels he cannot come forward and confess his sin as he has become a symbol of sanctity within the Puritan society and this sin goes against,"the very constitution of [his] nature" (Hawthorne 120). He then goes on to defend himself from Chillingsworth within a hypothetical situation. Lastly, his constant pleading for Hester to reveal the father of her child is partially due to his own inability to do so and his desire to be liberated from this sin that is weighing down on his heart.
DeleteI think you were right on with how reverend is a hypocritical minister because he doesn’t confess his immoral actions of adultery and that he is Pearl’s father, it makes him the, but I think he did it because as a leader of the community and one who has power through influence he fears loosing his ability to do that, and that’s a great way Nathaniel Hawthorne reveals some insight on the nature of those in puritanism
DeleteNice job! I agree with you that Nathaniel Hawthorne portrays Reverend Dimmesdale as a hypocrite. I find it ironic how he is represented as a "saint on earth" even though he's pretty much the opposite by being Pearl's father and not confessing his sinful actions thus being "too much of a coward"(Perez). I think the author uses this contradiction, along with the puritan beliefs of “staying purely,”(Bazan) within the text to represent the hypocrisy of the Puritan community. In my opinion, this could be an example as to why some people choose to be atheist rather than being involved in a “hypocrite” religion in today's world, I totally see why people would feel this way.
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ReplyDeleteNathaniel Hawthorne represents his views on puritan society through Reverend Dimmesdale because he is within the highest social class of puritan society, yet he shows corruption,guilt, and he committed adultery, the most forbidden sin.
ReplyDeleteBy belittling the most symbolic person in puritan society, Hawthorne criticizes the strict beliefs and structure of puritan life. When Dimmesdale rejects to stand with Hester and Pearl upon the scaffold it turns Dimmesdale into this lost soul that any other society would look down upon. Hawthorne's intentions in doing this was to inform people of the horrifying truths of puritanism. Chillingsworth shows up in the beginning from the forest and the puritan people think that he is impure and don't want to associate with him or his Indian companion. Hawthorne, being an American Romanticist believes that nature represents freedom and purity. By showing that the puritan society opposes nature he expresses his anti-puritan feelings by eventually bring Hester and Dimmesdale into the forest to give them freedom from being ostracized by the puritan public.
Hawthorne represents the puritan religion as one that is flawed within society and is far to strict on its followers by establishing the idea that people are inherently evil, while American Romanticism views the exact opposite.