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Puritans aren’t anything like Americans today and there are many reasons as to why. Hester Prynne, a young Puritan unlike the rest, committed the sin of adultery. Throughout the book, “The Scarlet Letter” by Nathaniel Hawthorne, the story of Hester unfolds. The struggles Hester faces of heartless punishments and publicly being shamed by wearing a letter on her chest for the rest of her life is emphasized throughout the book. Nothing like this could ever happen in society today. American today features many contrasting aspects, such as the way people are shamed and views on religion. Modern American society differs from Puritan society in a multitude of ways.
In today’s world, shame is something that one feels when doing something that isn’t accepted in the social norm. It is something that is felt deep inside and no one else knows about it. In Puritan society, shame was something someone needed to feel and that others had to know. In chapter 2, Hester is publicly shamed by the Puritan people (Hawthorne). She and her baby are on a scaffold for the public to see along with the scarlet letter printed on Hester’s chest. Today there is no such system in which people are shamed publicly. Modern America doesn’t hold public shaming sessions for their criminals. In fact, today everything is confidential first, then let out to the public. On page 76 of chapter 5, it states, “Thus the young and pure would be taught to look at her, with the scarlet letter flaming on her breast”(Hawthorne). The young are taught to look at Hester’s letter and shame her for the so called “crime.” Adultery is not a crime in today’s world. It is looked down upon, but no one will be punished for it. In some ways, people are shamed for adultery, such as the media if it’s a celebrity. But, no one will be called down for a trial and it will be compulsory for them to wear the letter “A” everywhere they go. If anything, nowadays shame is something people will instinctively feel after doing something that defies common morals. On page 198 of chapter 18 it is stated, “So speaking, she undid the clasp that fastened the scarlet letter, and, taking it from her bosom, threw it to a distance among the withered leaves” (Hawthorne). Hester throws off her “A” and perceives a sense of freedom. The shame she felt when wearing it had been wiped away as if it was a heavy burden upon her. Americans could never achieve such a level of shaming that a simple letter signifies immense guilt, especially not in today’s times. There are no letters as a punishment in which people are obliged to wear solely for the purpose that people could gawk and judge someone.
Subsequently, modern society is different from Puritan society because of the views on religion now. The Puritans were compelled to follow one god and all the rules that come with. In society today, there is freedom of religion, which Puritans never achieved. On page 57 of chapter 3 it states, “From this intense consciousness of being the object of severe and universal observation, the wearer of the scarlet letter was at length relieved by discerning, on the outskirts of the crowd, a figure which irresistibly took possession of her thoughts”(Hawthorne). Hester is being held for public shaming and the tension of this is described. During this event, the people in the crowd are discussing Hester’s punishment and want an even more savage punishment than she has already received. Actions among the crowd describe how the Puritan religion was tarnishing humanity amongst Puritans. The crowd had no remorse and wanted more of a cruel punishment for Hester for their own self betterment of image. People today don’t want others punished so they could look more holy or divine. In chapter 6, the people treat Pearl as if she is the devil for a decision which she had no control over (Hawthorne). The Puritans had molded Pearl into an outcast which could never occur in today’s society either. Today, no one would know if anybody is the product of adultery or not. In addition, Puritan leaders were in charge of everything as well as who lives with who. In chapter 7, Pearl is being taken away from Hester due to Pearl being a “demon child” (Hawthorne). This shows the controlling mannerisms Puritans had, which today’s society could never achieve. Without an indisputable reason, Hester would never lose custody of her child in today’s world.
Overall, Puritan society does not touch the surface of what modern American society is today. It would be considered downgrading American society if it were compared to the Puritans. The fact that today there aren’t public shame sessions and children that have no clue as to what they did wrong aren’t treated horribly, shows a sizeable dissimilarity. Along with the fact that modern rules regarding religion and Puritans rules regarding religion are like night and day. These points are astronomical and exemplify the struggles that were intensifying Hester’s punishment throughout the book. Humans have unquestionably evolved for the betterment of mankind, and it should stay that way.
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