The Effectiveness of the Scarlet Letter as a Punishment of the novel. Some felt that his punishment was far too lenient and that a much harsher punishment was warranted. This leads the reader to question the effectiveness of the letter, as Nathaniel Hawthorne himself said: "The scarlet letter had not done its job." It was truly the letter itself and its ineffectiveness that allowed Hester to grow as an individual. Many people in the village believed that a harsher method of punishment should have been imposed on Hester, citing that it was undoubtedly her beauty. which influenced the magistrate's decision not to have her hanged or whipped because, at the time, adultery was considered a capital crime for which death was the proscribed punishment. Indeed, the Puritans of the Massachusetts Bay Colony passed a law in 1631 which stated: "It is ordained that if any man have carnal copulation with the wife of another man, they shall both be put to death." » (Shurtleff 21). There existed, however, even within the Puritan community itself, a great disparity in views on adultery and the degree of culpability of men versus women. Often there were double standards and the punishment given to women was much heavier than that given to men. It could indeed be argued that Hester was lucky in this isolation and that being forced to wear a “badge of shame” was the only punishment inflicted on her. Despite the intention of the scarlet letter itself to remind the bearer of her sin and the shame of the act she had committed, it seems to have had the opposite effect on Hester, she is almost in the middle of the paper. .....2004. Electronic book. “Nathaniel Hawthorne – Biography.” Nathaniel Hawthorne. Np, and Web. February 22, 2014. Finally, Suzan. "Hawthorne's Female Voices: Reading 'The Scarlet Letter' as a Woman." The Journal of Narrative Technique 27.3 (1997): 349-76. JSTOR. Internet. February 22, 2014.Mcnamara, Anne Marie. “The character of the flame: the function of the pearl in The Scarlet Letter.” American Literature 27.4 (1956): 537-53. JSTOR. Internet. February 22, 2014. “Puritan Life.” Ushistory.org. Independence Hall Association, nd Web. February 22, 2014. “The Scarlet Letter.” By Nathaniel Hawthorne. Search e-text, read online, study, discuss. Np, and Web. February 22, 2014. United States. The Governor and the Massachusetts Bay Company in New England.Records of the Governor and the Massachusetts Bay Company in New England: 1642-1649. By Nathaniel Shurtleff. Flight. II. Boston: William White, 1853. Print.

Essay / The Effectiveness of the Scarlet Letter as a Punishment of the novel. Some felt that his punishment was far too lenient and that a much harsher punishment was warranted. This leads the reader to question the effectiveness of the letter, as Nathaniel Hawthorne himself said: "The scarlet letter had not done its job." It was truly the letter itself and its ineffectiveness that allowed Hester to grow as an individual. Many people in the village believed that a harsher method of punishment should have been imposed on Hester, citing that it was undoubtedly her beauty. which influenced the magistrate's decision not to have her hanged or whipped because, at the time, adultery was considered a capital crime for which death was the proscribed punishment. Indeed, the Puritans of the Massachusetts Bay Colony passed a law in 1631 which stated: "It is ordained that if any man have carnal copulation with the wife of another man, they shall both be put to death." » (Shurtleff 21). There existed, however, even within the Puritan community itself, a great disparity in views on adultery and the degree of culpability of men versus women. Often there were double standards and the punishment given to women was much heavier than that given to men. It could indeed be argued that Hester was lucky in this isolation and that being forced to wear a “badge of shame” was the only punishment inflicted on her. Despite the intention of the scarlet letter itself to remind the bearer of her sin and the shame of the act she had committed, it seems to have had the opposite effect on Hester, she is almost in the middle of the paper. .....2004. Electronic book. “Nathaniel Hawthorne – Biography.” Nathaniel Hawthorne. Np, and Web. February 22, 2014. Finally, Suzan. "Hawthorne's Female Voices: Reading 'The Scarlet Letter' as a Woman." The Journal of Narrative Technique 27.3 (1997): 349-76. JSTOR. Internet. February 22, 2014.Mcnamara, Anne Marie. “The character of the flame: the function of the pearl in The Scarlet Letter.” American Literature 27.4 (1956): 537-53. JSTOR. Internet. February 22, 2014. “Puritan Life.” Ushistory.org. Independence Hall Association, nd Web. February 22, 2014. “The Scarlet Letter.” By Nathaniel Hawthorne. Search e-text, read online, study, discuss. Np, and Web. February 22, 2014. United States. The Governor and the Massachusetts Bay Company in New England.Records of the Governor and the Massachusetts Bay Company in New England: 1642-1649. By Nathaniel Shurtleff. Flight. II. Boston: William White, 1853. Print.

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