Free Essay - The Scarlet Letter and the Christian Utopia :: Scarlet Letter essays

The Scarlet Letter and the Christian Utopia       Throughout the novel The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne develops the Christian Utopia to bear witness to the reader the ideals and way of life the Puritans sayingd. The main character, Hester Prynne, commits a crime so unfathomable by the society yet she was able to live her life self-supporting from the norms and values. Judgments of societys moral transgressions have altered since the Puritan era in such a way that we argon no longer severely condemned for our principles. People are forgiven for their sins, still nonetheless they are forever persecuted to live with the daunt such as Hester did in the novel.   The Puritans believed that the Christian Utopia could be achieved by obeying a certain rule. spiritism played a key component in dictating their lives. Hester for example, did not go against her community on purpose, but acted independently and followed the path of human nature. She still have religious morals. Yet this is disregarded by her act of adultery. In society during that time period, no matter how much good one does, the latter is what takes hold. and then Hester is labeled to wearing the scarlet letter A, in addition to having to take care of her fatherless child. Today, people do turn to religion for guidance, but not to the point where religion commands every action a person makes. People have drifted away from the black and white customs and adapted wring and emotion to the path of life. People are given the opportunity to give up a child born out of wedlock to an adoption agency. unity mothers can attend schools with daycares. This is far from what Hester could ever imagine. Hawthorne develops Hesters character in an exaggeration through the usage of symbolism, to further emphasis the level of severity of her crime. She clutched the child so fiercely to her breast, that it sent forth a cry she turned her eyes downward at the scarlet let ter, and even touched it with her finger, to assure herself that the infant and the shame were real (Hawthorne 41). The Puritans viewed man as an animal, as if people needed to be controlled. Hawthorne shows that the balance between Man and Morality is not equal in the face of the Puritans.