Puritan Hypocrisy in the Scarlet Letter - 1870 Words

Hypocrisy of the Puritans â€Å"When you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites. They neglect their appearance, so that they may appear to others to be fasting. Amen I say to you, they have received their reward (New American Bible Matthew 6:16).† The Puritans that settled into Massachusetts in the seventeenth century were some of the most religious people to be seen throughout History. Prior to landing in America they had already abandoned two countries in order to â€Å"purify,† their Puritan religion and find a place where they could be guided by faith alone. The basis of Puritanism was predestination, the belief that one was already predestined to go to heaven or hell. The Bible clearly states that hypocrites have already received†¦show more content†¦That is why they are represented in the first chapter as â€Å"A throng of bearded men, in sad-colored garments and gray,† (Hawthorne 35). They were the hypocrites that neglected their appea rance, and as the Bible stated, had already received their reward. Even though Dimmesdale knew all of this, he couldn’t express his sins without scarring himself and tearing off his shirt. Really, the two sinners in the community were the most righteous people in the terms of the religion that dictated everything the community did. What the Catholic religion says that the people are supposed to do, is forgive (Gillis). The townspeople, especially the women, did the exact opposite. They scorned and mocked Hester for what she had done and wish that her punishment were increasingly worse. On the day when the beadle called out Hester’s permanent punishment the women wish that she had gotten a harsher sentence, at least being branded on her forehead or even killed. They never forgave Hester and the staring and isolation continued even seven years later (Hawthorne 190). They talked about killing a human being for bringing a little shame to the community, while in the T en Commandments, the laws that govern the Catholic religion, it is bluntly stated that killing of any kind is a grave sin (Gillis). The killing of any impure person in the Puritan society was therefore an ultimate hypocrisy.Show MoreRelated Puritan Hypocrisy Exposed in Nathaniel Hawthornes The Scarlet Letter1235 Words   |  5 PagesPuritan Hypocrisy Exposed in The Scarlet Letter   Ã‚   Throughout The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne repeatedly portrays the Puritanical views of sin and evil.   The Puritans are constantly displayed as believing that evil comes from an unyielding bond being formed between love and hate.   For such reasons they looked towards Hesters commitment of adultery as an action of pure, condemned evil.   However, through the use of light and dark imagery, Hawthorne displays who truly holds evil in theirRead More Scarlett Letter Essay652 Words   |  3 PagesThe Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, is a tale set around the lives Puritan people, and how a women branded by them learns to live with their hypocrisy. 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