Sin In The Scarlet Letter

From the beginning of time, as seen in Christianity, sin has plagued the earth. From eve taking of the forbidden fruit and being cast from paradise to someone robbing an elderly woman down the street, sin is always present. The consequences of sin should have taught us to avoid it at all costs, yet we still fall victim to it. Sin is never the solution yet it is almost always the inevitable answer. Every person sins, and in turn they are judged and besieged with consequences. Never was this more prevalent than during the colonial period of America. Through the Salem Witch Trials in the Massachusetts colony and the historically fictional events of “The Scarlet Letter”, in which a young woman is shunned for committing adultery, we are able to …show more content…
Was the governor of Salem just in killing his own people of the account of them being “witches” solely based on the testimony of another? Was it right for the women gathered at the sentencing of Hester Prynne to talk of her as if she were a lesser being due to one transgression? The adolescent, power craving girls in which started the Salem Witch Trials also do not go unscathed in this matter. Their actions brought harm on many others, which surely would have been scorned upon if it had been outright to the colony. While the prosecuted are the main constituents of the sinful actions, all others have also sinned in their treating of the prosecuted. Rather than helping them, they have punished and judged them, which would seem to be further condemning them to damnation in the eyes of the colonies religion. Although every person sins, everyone is not equal in their doing and perceiving of …show more content…
Especially if the sin is discovered by those of a strict religious grouping, as were those in the New World colonies. If not punished by death, one may be expected to be outcast and treated as if they were a leper by others. Hawthorne’s “The Scarlet Letter” gives a perfect example of this aforementioned judgement. The women in which gathered to observe the sentencing of Hester Prynne, talked down on her constantly. Stating that Hester should have received punishment far greater than she had been given. Such greater punishments pertaining of “...the brand of a hot iron on [her] forehead.” Not all the women talked down on Hester though, some tried to defend her in a way. This attempt to justify the actions done by Hester then led to themselves being judged along with her. In Salem, during the witch trials, condemnation of the witches was usually based of off testimony. This leading to the judgements of others leading to the downfall of some. If someone did not like another, they could simply testify that said person had been seen doing acts of witchcraft believed to have taken place. The people in Salem during these trials were also very judgemental from the start. They started the accusations of the citizens without looking to much into the causes of what was happening. All they knew was it seemed like witches were contriving on the colony, therefore they took it into their judgement, which was not sound