Prompt: “Setting includes more than
just time and place. It also concerns social conditions and customs of a given
location and time period. Discuss the setting of The Scarlet Letter and how it contributes to your understanding of
the book so far.”
Camille Mihalchik
AP Literature
July 2, 2014
The
Scarlet Letter is a 17th century novel, written by Nathaniel
Hawthorne, which reveals the crime of adultery and the consequences thereof. In
the novel, the reader is introduced to a woman named Hester Prynne. Hester
Prynne is the women who has committed the crime of adultery and gives birth to
a girl, who Hester names Pearl. Hester gets punished due to her crime and the
setting, which includes the social conditions and customs of Boston,
Massachusetts. Due to Hester’s crime, she continuously struggles to fit in with
society and society’s religious and moral values, which in return gives the
reader a thorough understanding as to why Hester feels guilty and becomes the
center of conversation in Boston. Ultimately, Nathaniel Hawthorne proves that
when someone goes against the society’s rules and religion, society tends to
ridicule and banish him or her from his or hers everyday life.
In The Scarlet Letter, the narrator does not directly state the time
period in which the book takes place, he rather hints towards the time period
through the religious and social beliefs that are mentioned. In the beginning
of Chapter 2, titled The Market-Place,
the narrator states, “It might be, too, that a witch, like old Mistress
Hibbins…" (Hawthorne 47).
Mistress Hibbins was accused of being a witch and was then hanged in
1656. Through this reference to Mistress Hibbins the witch, the reader is able
to figure out that this book takes place in the 17th century because
this reference would have been relevant to the time period in which the book
took place. The narrator also mentions “ The Puritan character” (47) and the
“whipping-post” (47), which are two other indications that the book takes place
in the 17th century due to the religious beliefs and the types of
punishments given.
Throughout the novel, the
townspeople are seen constantly voicing their opinions on the crime that Hester
has committed, yet the ones that are seen to the reader as the most important
and influential are the ones that are brought up during Hester’s public punishment.
Among the people who voice their opinions are the reverend, females, and
judges. In a conversation about the crime Hester has committed, one individual
states, “‘…that the Reverend Master Dimmesdale, her godly pastor, takes it very
grievously to heart that such a scandal should have come upon his
congregation’” (48). Through this statement and the constant references to
religion and God, the reader is able to notice that religion played a
significant role in the peoples lives during the 17th century and
that when something went wrong in their church, others felt ashamed and
embarrassed also. This shows that people were not in favor of this crime of
adultery and Hester’s Reverend spoke about his angry feelings towards the
situation. This also contributes to the idea of average townspeople who spoke
out and wanted to ruin Hester’s life even more than what was already done. In a crowd, one-woman states, “‘ This
woman has brought shame upon us all, and ought to die. Is there not law for it?
Truly there is, both in the Scripture and the statue-book. Then let the
magistrates, who have made it no effect, thank themselves if their own wives
and daughters go astray!’” (49).
Through this statement, the narrator shows that some people voiced their
opinions and were not afraid to voice them, even if they were extremely strong
and straight forward. This women did not agree with the punishment given to
Hester and believed that she should get the death punishment. The townspeople
believed that the wearing of the Scarlet Letter by Hester for the rest of her
life was not enough, and her punishment should be taken to the next level. This
quote shows the views of the townspeople and their strong religious views
against adultery.
During Hester’s public punishment,
her husband shows up, despite being disguised as a physician who has been
captured by Native Americans. Upon arriving in front of the prison, he sees
Hester taking her punishment, yet decides to ask a local on what is happening
and his views on Hester’s crime. The local man responded to his question and
states, “‘ You must be a stranger in this region, friend… else you would surely
have heard of Mistress Hester Prynne, and her evil doings. She hath raised a
great scandal, I promise you, in godly Master Dimmesdale’s church’” (56). Through the mockery from the
townsperson, Hester’s husband is being insulted because he is not aware of the
drama unfolding in front of his eyes. This shows that in this era, crimes,
punishment, and drama were extremely important and sacred to the community.
Hester’s main form of punishment
was the Scarlet Letter, which she had to wear for the rest of her life. The
Scarlet Letter was the symbol for adultery. With regards to her punishment of
wearing the Scarlet Letter, the narrator states, “It had the effect of a spell,
taking her out of the ordinary relations with humanity, and inclosing her in a
sphere by herself” (51). Despite wearing the Scarlet Letter as her punishment,
it also created another punishment, which was the fact that she was never let
back into the ordinary lives of her fellow townspeople. Hester had to look at
her punishment whenever she looked in the mirror, but also she had to take her
punishment when she received the looks and cold shoulders that she got when she
stepped out into public. Later in the book the narrator states, “ In all her
intercourses with society, however, there was nothing that made her feel as if
she belonged to it. Every gesture, every word, and even the silence of those
with whom she came in contact, implied, and often expressed, that she was
banished…” (76). Through this quote, the narrator shows that after Hester’s
punishment, people still did not except her, even though she felt guilty for
what she had done. The narrator shows that in this time period, people felt as
if they would be the ones punished and embarrassed if they were to associate
with Hester or a person similar. The narrator also later states, “ –and,
looking up, she would detect the eyes of a young maiden glancing at the scarlet
letter, shyly and aside, and quickly averted, with a faint, chill crimson in
her cheeks; as if her purity were somewhat sullied by that momentary glance”
(79). This shows that although people would be embarrassed and punished in
their society to associate with her, they also believed that they would be
ruined morally and spiritually; that their purity would be gone forever.
Through the townspeople’s actions and views, the narrator shows the 17th
century and how people banished others from having a regular life.
Throughout the novel, the narrator
often referred to the way in which children acted. These children were not
aware of what was going on with regards to Hester and were rather influenced by
their parents and what they heard around the town. To sum up the idea that these children looked at Hester with
fear and often threw mud at her and Pearl, the narrator states, “ Children, too
young to comprehend wherefore this woman should be shut out from the sphere of
human charities, would creep at nigh enough to behold her plying her needle at
the cottage window, or standing in the door-way, or laboring in her little
garden, or coming forth along the pathway that led town ward; and, discerning
the scarlet letter on her breast, would scamper off, with a strange, contagious
fear” (73). Through this quote, the reader is able to deduct that these
children were not aware of what happened to her and the guilt she had about the
situation. These children were only told what their parents wanted them to know
and how they could take part in continuing the ridicule towards Hester.
Setting includes social conditions
and customs of a given location and time period. The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne took place in Boston,
Massachusetts during the 17th century. Due to the time period, beliefs,
and religion, Hester was constantly seen ridiculed, punished, and embarrassed because
she committed the crime of adultery. At her punishment, around the town, and
even in her home, her reverend, women, men, and children feared for their
purity and embarrassed her and her daughter. Nathaniel Hawthorne ultimately
showed to the reader that when someone goes against the society’s rules and
religion, society tends to ridicule and banish him or her from his or hers
everyday life.
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