Nicole Endara
Mr. Heller
English 11 Honors
10-2-14
Essay 2
Characters in the books The Crucible and The Scarlet Letter are very similar but written decades apart. In The Crucible the main character is John Proctor and in The Scarlet Letter the main character is Hester Prynne. John Proctor and Hester Prynne share similarities in adultery, punishment for actions and ties to the church.
John Proctor commits adultery with his servant and did not tell anyone about it. When Proctor can no longer lie he tells Elizabeth his wife, "No More, I should have roared you down when you told me your suspicion. But I wilted, and, like a Christian, I confessed, confessed! (Miller pg. 55)" Proctor cheats on his wife Elizabeth with his servant Abigail. Likewise, Hester Prynne commits adultery and has relations with a man that was not her husband. When Prynne sees Roger, her estranged husband, she says, " I have greatly wronged theeâ¦" Roger says, " But, Hester, the man lives who has wronged us both! Who is he? (Hawthorne pg.66)"
This shows that if your spouse wasn't around a lot, people usually cheated and kept it a secret, identical to what Proctor and Hester did.
When having committed their sins, Proctor and Hester were both punished. Proctor's punishment was just a punishment to his name, and also to his life. Proctor says, " Because it is my name! Because I cannot have another in my life! Because I lie and sign myself to lies! Because I am not worth the dust on the feet of them that hang!" Proctor gave his life to prevent his name from being spoken badly because he was once respected. Proctor chose death by hanging rather than a life of untrue insult. Hester Prynne was also punished for having...