Adultery is a sin never to be taken lightly. However, while it remains a serious crime, determining the requisite punishment for adultery proves difficult. In Nanthaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, Hester, the main character, is forced to wear the letter A' on her chest symbolizing her act of adultery with an unknown person. Through his novel Hawthorne sought to demonstrate how, under certain circumstances, the personal consequences of a crime may serve as sufficient punishment.
In early Puritan America, adulterer's generally suffered execution. Yet, in Hester's case, she was only required to wear the scarlet letter as her husband and her lover remained unknown. Wearing the letter A' seems reasonable at first, preserving the adulterers' life while still subjecting him or her to public humiliation and criticism. Nevertheless, were one to consider all the underlying consequences such a punishment produces, the "letters" harshness and cruelty quickly becomes apparent.......
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Approximate Word Count: 551
Approximate Pages: 3 (260 words per double-spaced page) |