to the world by displaying her letter of adultery! How unattractive to Dimmesdale the confessing be! He can work himself into an emotional state in which he feels that at any moment he may confess such as his humiliation in the pulpit, or his scream for attention on the scaffold in the middle of the night. But,after having relieved his conscience to some extent by those long preparations, he then retreats from actually telling his sin. His hidden sin burns inside his breast, this remorse is intensified by the goading of Chillingworth, who has no real wish to reveal Dimmesdale as a sinner of hiding congregation. His wish is to torture him with thoughts of public shame if distrust in decisions reached only by the head; the Puritans feel the necessity of understanding as a result of spontaneous decision coming from the heart. Notice that Dimmesdale’s great popularity as a speaker stems from his wonderful ability to excite the imagination, no fire but the enthusiasm of his hearers. Dimmesdale’s greatness does not appeal solely to the mind—his greatest sermons speak to the heart.
Finally, the fidelity in marriage and the sacredness of the family are both stressed by the Puritan “fathers”. So Hester is regarded as a crime for she is not loyal to her husband. Although it is believed that her husband has been dead, Hester is still not allowed to have love affairs with other men. When Hester is talking to Dimmesdale in the forest he is very surprised, for she is not quite sure that a human being is talking to her. It is the first time that Hester Prynne and Arthur Dimmesdale have been together since the midnight watch on the scaffold. Before that time Pearl and Chillingworth had observed them. Now they are alone, for Pearl is playing at some distance in the forest. The two lovers address each other wonderingly—almost as if each doubted that the other lived. Seven years have gone since they met each other last time. How cruel it is for two lovers. Hester’s husband has been disappeared for such a long time that Hester has her own right to accept a new love affair, or even marriage. But under the doctrine of the Puritanism, it is impossible because Hester is strongly requested to be faithful to her husband whether he is alive or dead. But the irony of the novel lies in the fact that the most respected member of this Puritanical society, the Reverend Dimmesdale, is Hester's partner in sin. Hester, Chillingworth, and Dimmesdale struggle throughout the novel to find happiness while staying within their belief. Hester ultimately finds happiness by venturing beyond the confines of pure Puritanism though it is her Puritan faith that causes her life to stay in Boston and wear the scarlet letter. Chillingworth is unable to stray from his strict adherence to logic and reason. He is doomed by needing to know who has committed the sinful act of adultery with his wife. His logic and reason guide him to his answer but his drive to know eventually weakens and kills him. Reverend Dimmesdale strayed from his Puritan beliefs when he committed adultery. His struggle is not with reason but with his stead adherence to the Puritan belief. Dimmesdale does not find reason within himself for his relationship with Hester nor does he reveal the truth about his sinful relationship until he realizes he is dying. So in this Puritanism society, everyone no matter who has done something wrong will get punished.
F.The features of the punishment in Puritan society
Many laws were enacted in Boston, and a lot of Puritans were similarly punished. The custom of labeling a criminal with words or initials expositive of his political or religious offense is so ancient in the Puritan communities.
It was the characteristics of the times—every little Puritan community sought to know by every fireside, to hate in every heart, offence, great or small, which could hinder the growth and prosperity of the new abiding-place, which was to all a true home, and which they loved with a fervor that would be incomprehensible. As we know that their spiritual exaltation is their new found freedom to worship God. Since they were human, they sinned. But the sinners were never spared, either in publicity or punishment. Keen justice made the magistrate rigid and exact in the exposition and publication of crime, hence the labeling of an offender. However, the most severe punishment for those sinners is the isolation from the society or the community he or she lives in.
The harsh, Puritanical point of view is noted in the unfriendly attitude of the townspeople toward Hester. They also feel that her sentence is much too lenient. They punish her further by making both Hester and Pearl social outcasts. They avoid interaction with either of them and often cast suspicious looks and insulting comments in their direction. Hester's sin, shame, and guilt are clearly heighten
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