Scarlet Letter Townspeople

A detailed Summary of Scarlet Letter Townspeople

The Scarlet Letter, written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, contains many profound characters. The townspeople intrigue the reader because they gradually evolve throughout the book, as would any solitary character. In the beginning of the novel, they are generally rigid and judgmental towards Hester, because she has committed adultery. Throughout the novel, they slowly allow Hester and her daughter into their community, but still look at them with suspicion and doubt. Finally, in the end of The Scarlet Letter, the town forgives her of her sin, and she cautiously finds her place in society. Hawthorne uses the strict Puritan townspeople as a criterion by which all societies can be measured. The townspeople, as with any individual character, possess a certain depth that develops with knowledge.

Readers generally characterize the Puritan Townspeople in The Scarlet Letter by their attitudes in the beginning of the novel. When Hester first walks into the scene, most of the townspeople are very harsh and strict in their religions. They believe that adultery is one of the worst sins possible. One unyielding woman says, "This woman has brought shame u

In the end of the novel, the townspeople finally come to accept the idea that Hester and Pearl have just as equal parts in the society as the townspeople have. They hold respect for her because of her strength in times of anguish and despair. "Here had been her sin; here, her sorrow; and here was yet to be her penitence... the scarlet letter ceased to be a stigma which attracted the world's scorn and bitterness, and became a type of something to be sorrowed over, and looked upon with awe, yet with reverence, too." Her scarlet letter became a legacy, and people remembered the woman associated with the letter rather than the act.

Nathaniel Hawthorne uses the townspeople in his novel The Scarlet Letter as a criterion against which other societies can be weighed. The Puritan townspeople bring forth and inspire forgiveness. Readers can hypothesize that because such a harsh society is capable of such a simple act, all people are competent to forgive. The Puritan society, by evolving throughout the novel, shows a human nature to forgive.

Throughout the novel, the harsh Puritan townspeople begin to realize the abilities of Hester despite her

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Approximate Word count = 775
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English

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Scarlet Letter Townspeople

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