The Lack of Separation of Church and State in The Scarlet Letter
Throughout his novel, The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne consistently uses the conflicting personalities of his main characters to augment the social and political instability of the Puritan community in which the work takes place. By focusing on the responsibilities and roles of a handful of important characters throughout the novel, Hawthorne is able to use them as examples of the hypocritical nature of the community’s beliefs. As a result of his implementation and analysis of characters, such as Hester Prynne, Roger Chillingworth, and Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale, Hawthorne ensures that the reader is able to understand the impact that a strong dedication to their religion has on the community. Nathaniel Hawthorne’s 1850 novel revolves around the beliefs that common law is based off of the law of God. The reader is immediately introduced to the unforgiving nature of the community when the protagonist, Hester Prynne, is revealed. The author explains that the woman is being punished for having an affair and giving birth to a child after it is believed that her husband was lost at sea while on his way to America. Having committed adultery, a sin in the church of God, Prynne was sentenced to wear a letter “A” on her clothes to represent her crime. Hawthorne immediately presents Prynne as stubborn and impetuous, as she defies the community by proudly embroidering the letter to her dress “in fine red cloth, surrounded with an elaborate embroidery and fantastic flourishes of gold thread” (73). The community, who has gathered to watch the woman appear for the first time since her sentencing, is clearly appalled. Rather than surrender to a society that desires to severely punish a person for one mistake, Prynne takes charge and embraces her punishment, giving the reader a first look into her defiant character. Prynne was further banished from the community and was forced to live on the outskirts of town alone with her daughter. Though it was the