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Explanation:
ne as a Rebel to Puritan Society in Hawthorne’s
Romance the Scarlet Letter
Zaheer Ahmad
The University of Lahore Chenab Campus, Pakistan
Abstract
’The Scarlet Letter’ by Nathaniel Hawthrone is a classical novel in the 19th century American literature.
Although it was written in the 18th century yet the setting is in the 17th century in Boston, America. The novel
shows Puritanism’s great impact on people's life and thought. It’s a story of a woman named, Hester Prynne,
who is punished for her adulteries with a young priest Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale. She also has a daughter but
denies disclosing her father’s name. She fights against society system set by the Puritan Regime. She wears the
scarlet letter ‘A’ which is a stigma showing her an ‘adulteress’. This paper will give a picture of Hester as a rebel
to a rigid Puritan society. It will show how the Puritans were strict in the matters of divinity and did not accept
any rule violated. The paper will present the boldness and rebellion of the protagonist against so called
established laws which were in fact a kind of ignominy of human beings who committed sins.
Keywords: Puritan Society, Strict Laws, Adulteries, Sin, Church, Punishment, Scarlet Letter,Violation, Bold ,
Rebel, Ignominy.
Introduction :
The Scarlet Letter is a mirror to the society which existed in the 17th century Puritan America, which has been
considered as a reflection of implementation of Puritan laws. That society did not give equality to men and
women even though women were strong, brave, industrious, kindhearted, and with a lofty devoting spirit, their
whole life was very tragic in the end. It deeply reveals not only the Puritan’s bitterness and the women’s
hardship, but also the strength of the Puritan consciousness and the lowness of the women’s status. This heroin
of the novel, Hester Prynne, has such a noble character that she is undoubtedly recognized as having been
determined to break the manacles of set traditions.Although Hester suffers enormously from the shame of her
public disgrace and form the isolation of her punishment, in her inner heart she can never accept the Puritan
interpretation of her act as she believes that her desire for love of freedom is not evil, but with dignity and grace.
Hester retains her self-respect and survives her punishment with ever-growing strength of character.
The Puritans and their dogmas :
Puritans were the more extreme Protestants within the Church of England in 16th century. These Protestants
thought the English Reformation had not gone far enough in reforming the doctrines and structure of the church.
They wanted to purify their church. In the 17th century many Puritans immigrated to America , where they set
up a holy Commonwealth in New England. The Puritans did not allow holding different religious belief. They
insisted that high position and achievements were signs of ‘eternal grace’, that is, favour of God. The Puritan era
during which the action of Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter takes place embodied a society in which the
individual and his or her actions were often pitted against a social order determined to stamp out behaviours it
considered immoral. The Puritans believed that devil was behind every evil deed. Constant watch needed to be
kept in order to stay away from his clutches.Words of hell fire and brimstone flowed from mouths of eloquent
ministers as they warned of the persuasiveness of the devil's power. Puritan law was extremely strict; men and
women were severely punished for a variety of crimes. Those who committed crimes against the government
were not only criminals but also sinners, and they were punished severely. Women did not participate in town
meetings and were excluded from decision making in the church.
