I turned this in with a letter of apology, explaining my severe sleep deprivation and the fact that i have almost no recollection of writing this.

Sean Draper

6^th Period Tunick

“Sinners” Can be Winners

Which factors in life determine the human perceptions of right and wrong and why are we discouraged from questioning them? In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s early-American dramatic novel The Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne is torn between her own personal judgments and the commonly held societal interpretation of sin. She knowingly participates in an act of adultery, defying the commandments and shocking her Puritan community. Hester also raises her child Pearl in a manner that subtly reveals her own true nature. Through her actions, she also expresses a desire to flee her society.

Even though she has been raised on Christian values and Puritan ideals, Hester Prynne goes against the standard morals and makes love to a man outside of her marriage. Hester’s infidelity brings punishments of public humiliation and shame, such as her sermon on the scaffold and the attachment of the scarlet letter “A” to her clothing. Such actions in response to Hester’s sin expose the staunch guidelines of her Puritan community and how black and white its viewpoint on morals is, leaving no room for gray area or ambiguity.

Pearl’s upbringing is a direct result of Hester’s innate desire to break from the law. The priest feels present in the condemnation of the nuns, for they are present in the beginning of the message-bringing, but perhaps not in the holy christening of Jesus Christ. Hester gets a point for revealing true nature of self through the raising of Pearl. She realizes that she wants her instruction to be learned from the mistakes of the clergymen. Hester’s personal beliefs and opinions are manifesting themselves into human form with the intellectual development of Pearl. Hester’s solution to rising fear is the solution of burying ourselves in ignorance on the other side, but despite the sin, we are able to live through it all.

Hester wishes to take all of this newfound freedom with Dimmesdale and flee to Europe in an attempt to learn more and enjoy life a bit more. It does not seem like such a terrible idea to the family, but in the eyes of a judgmental townsperson or a concerned man of the cloth, such a trip would be in direct defiance of “God’s plan.” Pearl understands that it is more than simply love that drives his mother and new father, and begins to comprehend a small new section of the human heart. Such differences in morals are what define the human character. Pearl learns from her family the ability to break from convention, rather than seeing it displayed as a crime by the town.

One’s character can be defined by one’s morals, but it is shown that such things are not the sole qualifications. Allowing room to question morals and standard practices is part of what separates humans from machines. People frown upon new and original ideas because it is a break from the norm and can be understandably frightening to some. Moral ambiguity can be necessary in helping to create societies and provide examples to model ourselves after. Hester’s thought process throughout the story, during her tryst, the raising of her daughter, and her compulsion to escape, constantly scratches at the conventional sense of morals. Hester Prynne challenges the contemporary beliefs of her society through questioning faith and following her own path. If humans lost the ability to question what is told to them, social evolution would remain completely stagnant.