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The story of The Scarlet Letter tells about an issue, which at first seems to be clear: a woman committed adultery and was punished for her sin, and any attempt to deny her guilt would seem a demonstration of moral relativism. Clear at first glance, the story begs several questions which touch on the issues of morality and humanity.
The cornerstone of this discussion is the global question of all times about whether the punishment by law is a tool for reform or revenge. It is interesting to analyze The Scarlet Letter from this point of view.
Hester was obviously punished for her crime. But her guilt can be hardly compared to this punishment. First of all, the key point in this discussion is the following: does the adultery affect the whole society? If not, the law has no authority to punish for it. If yes, this also begs several questions. Firstly, it is necessary to define what Hester’s sin consists of. Is their couple full of passion and respect? It can be hardly seen from the first moments describing relations of Hester and her husband. It is not difficult to guess that her feeling toward Dimmesdale was the first real passion in her life. Thus, her sin consists even not exactly of committing adultery, but of having been not able to predict the further crash of the family which is not built on the real feelings.
However, the punishment seems to be too strict for the juvenile carelessness. In fact, in a society where the moral principles and the Biblical postulate have a prevailing position, self-condemnation is already a strong punishment. As the principle of philosophy claims, only the inner contradiction can be a source of development and growth. That is why the punishment did not reach its aim of reform: Hester managed to deal with her status and turned the scarlet letter of her sin into a bright accessory, a symbol of her passion and strength.
The story of The Scarlet Letter reminds me of the Biblical story of the Original Sin. This begs the question, whether a human or the whole society has a right to take the function of God and to punish the sin.
Puritan tradition implies keeping the devout way of thinking and behavior. However, the people who formed the protagonist’s environment forgot about one of the main postulates of their religion, which says not to judge other people. The ability to understand and forgive is a much stronger weapon than deaf emphatic piety. The benefactor of forgiving and giving the second chance is the basis of and humane society.
In the second scene, author summarizes, “Yes these were her realities—all else had vanished” (Hawthorne 114). This small hyphen seems to be a huge insuperable precipice between the past, full of love and sensuality, and the future misery and despair.
However, this story tells about one more destiny affected by society: Hester’s daughter Pearl. The shadow of the scarlet letter does not promise any possibility for the future prosperity and future of a small girl. This unmerited punishment contradicts the concept of humanity, which gives priority to the rights of every person. In fact, causing the suffering of an innocent human is a sin, which seems much stronger than the protagonist’s adultery.
The strong and bright metaphoric image of a rosebush and a prison building, which runs through the whole narration, contrasts the blossom of sensuality with the cold shade of pitiless authoritarian restraint. The heavy wooden door of the prison embodies not only the severe inhumane law but as well strict and merciless spirit prevailing in the society. Trying to punish for the crime, the society committed the biggest crime of inhumanity.
Bibliography
Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Scarlet Letter. London; New York: Everyman’ Library, 1969. Print.
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