The author of The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorn, uses his text to expose his critical views on facets of Puritanism. This critical view is exposed by his main character Hester Prynne’s resilience to her punishment, the corruption of the minister, Dimmesdale, and the favorable light that Hester  receives when she resists the punishment placed on her by the Puritans.

Hester, in the novel, instead of letting her punishment break her and make her miserable, proves resilient and strong to the Puritan punishment which improves her character. Lesley Ginnsberg writes that Hester rebelled inwardly but showed outside conformity, this might be why she chose the practice of needlework to spread her touch (Lesley Ginsberg). Throughout her punishment Hester works hard and strives so that she resists confinement by her punishment. Hester’s needlework spreads her touch to all the members of her Puritan community. After reading “By degrees, nor vary slowly, her [Hester’s] handiwork became what would now be termed the fashion,” (Hawthorn 56) we can see that the members of the community are ironically being touched by the garments of a person they saw as unfit to live like the rest of the community. When we hear that “It is probable that there was an idea of penance in this mode of occupation, and that she offered up a real sacrifice of enjoyment, in devoting so man hours to such rude handiwork,” (Hawthorn 57) we see that Hester creates her needlework into a punishment that will have positive effects on society unlike the punishment of the Puritans which exposes another fault of the Puritans. Eventually, “Many people refused to interpret the scarlet A by it’s original signification. They said that it meant Able; so strong was Hester Prynne, with a woman’s strength,” (Hawthorn 111) and we realize that even the Puritans see the unjustness of their punishment. Hester’s hard work proves her quality to the Puritans of her community.

The pastor, Dimmesdale, embodies another example of Hawthorn’s cynical views on Puritanism. A person who held Puritanism in a very favorable light would probably not show corruption in the Puritan church by creating a character, a leader of a Puritan community, that has committed adultery. The character of Dimmesdale will plant in the mind of the reader the idea that people like Dimmesdale are in fact like some people of the Puritan church. The way that Dimmesdale keeps his sin a deep secret leads us to believe that Hawthorn uses this example to express his view that secrets are hidden in the church. Dimmesdale has deep regret for his sins, yet he does not speak out about them. Dimmesdale even goes to the extremes of torturing himself for his sins and in secret of course endured “A bloody scourge. Oftentimes, this Protestant and Puritan divine had plied it on his own shoulders; laughing bitterly at himself the while, and smiting so much the more pitilessly, because of that laugh.” (Hawthorn 99) and still does not speak of his sin. If Hawthorn held the Puritan church in high regard we would expect the leader of the Puritan congregation in his story to be able to make the most moral decision. Dimmesdale,  even though lives as a Puritan minister is unable to make the most moral decision and confess. Although he intends to confess he never does. His internal conflict, vividly described, reads “He longed to speak out, from his own pulpit, at full height of his voice, and tell the people who he was,” (Hawthorn 98) and “More than once, he [Dimmesdale] had cleared his throat, and drawn in the deep, and tremulous breath, which, when set forth again, would come burdened with the black secret of his soul.” (Hawthorn 99). This confession, as it does not expressly state his sin,  confuses the Puritans and leaves Dimmesdale with his guilt. Dimmesdale, although finally confesses his sin and dies on the spot. This seems to imply the severity of Puritan judgment.

Hester, the protagonist, usually makes the decisions that the author would approve of. Hawthorn, whenever she resists her punishment,  casts Hester in a favorable light. When she receives her punishment on the scaffold should be sad and remorseful but Hawthorn describes the scene like the following “Had there been a Papist among the crowd of Puritans, he might have seen in this beautiful woman, so picturesque in her attire and mien, and with the infant at her bosom, an object to remind him of the image of Divine Maternity,” (Hawthorn 39). Surely an author that sees a character as a sinner and immoral person would not describe them as Divine Maternity as they were receiving their punishment. Hawthorn seems to imply that Hester rises above her Puritan peers as she stands on a scaffold above them and appears as a heavenly figure. This proves not to be the only time that Hester seems to be shined on by one from above. Hester, when she takes the scarlet letter from her bosom, receives the rays of  the sun. This seems to show approval by none other than God. The scene is described as “Her sex, her youth, and the whole richness of her beauty came back…And the gloom vanished with their [Hester and Dimmesdale‘s] sorrow…All at once, as with a sudden smile of heaven, forth burst the sunshine,” (Hawthorn 139). The character are describes as being smiled upon by heaven when they rid themselves of their guilt and penitence. This surely shows what Hawthorn think of their punishment and shame that has been put on them by the Puritans. The author seems to vividly and explicitly the author condemns the punishment of the Puritans.

Hawthorn during the span of the novel also uses minor characters such as the judgmental Puritan woman, Governor Bellingham, and Mistress Hibbins to show corruption and evil in the Puritan society which would like to think of itself as pure and untainted, but this is obviously not the case. Julian Hawthorn describes Hawthorn‘s Puritan community as gloomy and despairing. Hawthorn goes to no length to make the reader want to be part of the Puritan community (Hawthorn).  The author during the course of the novel seems the show his criticism of the harsh Puritan punishment, while a few Puritan woman believe the punishment should be worse, even death. One woman remarks that “’This woman has brought shame upon us all, and ought to die’” (Hawthorn 38). A woman wishes a punishment so harsh to someone she does not understand without remorse. Another example of the faulty Puritan character is the decadence of the home of Governor Bellingham. The walls of his house are describes as “Being overspread with a kind of stucco…so that when the sunshine fell aslant over the front of the edifice, it glittered and sparkled as if diamonds had been flung against it by the double handful,” (Hawthorn 70). On this decadence Hawthorn comments that “The impression made by his aspect was hardly in keeping with the appliances of worldly enjoyment,” (Hawthorn 74). Hawthorn does not even create his Puritan leaders like Dimmesdale and Bellingham into true and devout Puritans. Corruption seems to touch all facets of Hawthorn’s Puritan community. One of the most striking examples of Puritan corruption is that of Mistress Hibbins. Living in the midst of the Puritans is a witch, a devil worshipper. The Puritans are wary of her and an interesting scene reads “As this ancient lady [Mistress Hibbins] had the renown of being a principal actor in all the works of necromancy that were continually going forward, the crowd gave way before her,”  (Hawthorn 165). Not only does Hawthorn describe Mistress Hibbins as a necromancer he also adds that acts of necromancy “were continually going forward,”. The Chances that a person who wished to protect the idea of sanctity in Puritanism would plant the idea that acts of necromancy were continually going forward. The characters described above certainly do not represent the Puritans well and if the author wanted to protect the image of Puritans he would most likely not include them. The most moral character in the novel, Hester, was once shunned and punished by the Puritans.

The Scarlet Letter shows its irreverence toward Puritan principles by having its protagonist rise above the commons Puritan principles of grief and guilt, while showing other Puritan characters defy or become enslaves by these principles. The author approves of Hester when she defies certain aspects of Puritanism and shows disdain of the Puritan community when he creates Puritans like Dimmesdale and Mistress Hibbins that are corrupt and tainted. Hawthorn‘s criticisms of the Puritan church and life style are prevalent throughout the novel.

Works Cited
Ginsberg, Lesley. “The ABCs of the Scarlet Letter”. Studies in American Fiction.

Vol 129. 2001.
Hawthorn, Julian. “A Review by Julian Hawthorn”. The Atlantic Monthly. 1889.