The writer, Nathaniel Hawthorne, portrays the Puritan
society in his novel, the "The Scarlet Letter". Through out
this novel, Hawthorne shows the reader certain aspects of
his opinion of the Puritan society. Hawthorne is constantly
judging the Puritans and it's standards of morality. A
number of Puritans do not agree with Hawthorne's novel, such
as how he portrays the society's methods of punishment and
it's hypocrisy. Hawthorne depicts his opinion through the
four, major characters of his novel, Hester Prynne, Arthur
Dimmesdale, Roger Chillingworth, and Pearl.
Hawthorne does not condone Hester's adultery, but he
does find it less serious a sin than the sins of Dimmesdale
and Chillingworth. He portrays the puritan women, who
believe in harsh punishments towards Hester, as
"hard-featured dames". " This woman has brought shame upon
The Scarlet Letter (1860) by T. H. Matteson. Oil o...
English: Hester Prynne & Pearl before the stocks
This is the title page for the first edition of Th...
Nathaniel Hawthorne, with blue pen
Nathaniel Hawthorne in 1841, a "prudent and effici...
English: Engraving of American author Nathaniel Ha...