The Scarlet Letter is a story of hypocrisy and punishment. The strict Puritan laws made adultery a sin punishable by death or a life of misery. Although being an unwed mother or an illegitimate child is no longer a crime leading to capitol punishment, the treatment of welfare mothers and their children is similar to the treatment Hester an Pearl received in Hawthorne's novel. Hester and Pearl are prime examples of the negative attitude society, both Puritan and current, has toward single mothers and their "bastard" children.

Hester and Pearl are the atypical example of illegitimate child and unwed mother. The consequence of the relationship between Hester and Dimmesdale is a child out of wedlock. Hester is forced to stand with her child on a scaffold which according to Hawthorne is "invested with almost as stern a dignity as the punishment of death itself." Pearl is forced to grow up without a father and Hester is left to make a life for herself and her child with no social succor.

The puritans favored laws that would force society to hear their preaching (2.Gatis, 5). To the Puritan community Hester's "A" is a mark of just punishment. Acco

Today, as in Puritan days, stigmas remain on unwed mothers and their illigitimate children. Children like Pearl are no longer linked to the devil, but instead to crime and drug use. Illegitimacy is seen as a hereditary problem and single parent households are blamed for the rise in teenage pregnancies.

4. Pollitt, Katha. "Just the Facts." The Nation. June 1996: 9.

Although having a child out of wedlock is no longer punishable by death, and women are no longer forced to wear scarlet letters, unwed mothers are still the ones held solely responsible for their illegitimate children. Unwed mothers are branded as immoral welfare recipients who are too lazy to work. AFDC is known as a wasteful program that encourages unwed mothers to continue to have children.

Even Dimmsedale's character has a place in the modern version of Hawthorne's tale. Welfare reform continues to attack unwed mothers, but the fathers are able to conceal their part. Just as Dimmesdale, they face no consequences if they are not found out. Although there are talks of hunting down the dead beat dads of America, the concentration of importance is still attacking welfare mothers. According to Physiology Today 25% of fathers are believed to pay no child support (3. P.K.). Even if the fathers were found and forced to pay, financial support is only part of what makes a father. Like Dimmesdale, many fathers today feel they are unable to spiritually or physically be with their children.

Some common words found in the essay are:
Family Puritan, Hester Pearl, American History, Children Pearl, Hester Dimmesdale, Scarlet Letter, Charles Murray, According Physiology, Hawthorne Puritans, Puritans Welfare, unwed mothers, hester pearl, welfare mothers, single mothers, hester forced, unwed mother, crime punishment american, illegitimate child, dead beat, forced grow, pearl forced, pearl forced grow, 7 oct 1998, punishment american history,
Approximate Word count = 1312
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)