Firstly, an American is someone who immigrated to the United States from a country other than the United States itself. The Puritans were English Protestants and Calvinists during the 16th and 17th centuries. Because of religious beliefs and societal norms at that time, individuals felt strongly obligated to follow strict moral or religious standards.
The book The Scarlet Letter exemplifies the religious atmosphere and the challenges individuals faced during this time, specifically in regards to being perceived as morally upright in the eyes of Puritans. In this essay, I will discuss the expectations imposed by the church and society, as well as the discrepancy between people’s public conduct and their private lives.
Hester Prying, the protagonist in The Scarlet Letter, exemplifies the ideal behavior expected within the puritan community to be deemed morally righteous. Despite committing adultery by giving birth to Pearl with a man other than her husband, Hester serves as an example of how one should have acted according to Puritan customs. As punishment for her transgression, she is mandated to wear a patch displaying the scarlet letter “A” on her chest indefinitely as a constant reminder of her sin. This emblem functions as a public representation of her culpability, visible to all who come across her.
Hester’s sin, according to Puritan standards, is to wear a patch that makes her sin visible to everyone she encounters. Despite being unhappy about it, Hester chooses to wear the patch and does not attempt to conceal her sin. The identity of the man who fathered Pearl is not disclosed to the community, but Hester and Timescale (the father of Pearl) are aware of it. Timescale, who is both the father of Pearl and the town’s religious Reverend, exemplifies hypocrisy by keeping his sin a secret from the townspeople.
Timescale views sin and hypocrisy as distinct, rather than seeing them as one overarching sin. This is evident in the following quote: Be not silent for any mistaken pity and tenderness towards him; for, believe me, Hester, although he were to descend from a high position and stand beside you on your pedestal of shame, it would be better to expose his guilty heart than to conceal it throughout life. What can your silence do for him, except tempt him – yes, even compel him – to combine hypocrisy with sin?
(Hawthorne page).
This is hypocrisy at its finest in the book, as well as a representation of puritan beliefs. In my opinion, being a good puritan means hiding your sins and appearing virtuous to the world. To be an American Puritan then, is to follow a specific religion or God and adhere to its principles consistently. However, it is challenging to always live up to these standards because we are human and prone to making mistakes, as the natural man can never achieve perfection.
Being human is defined by our mistakes. One individual, she, proudly displays the scarlet letter as a constant reminder of her faults. She does not shy away from it, instead choosing to embrace it and strive for personal growth every day. However, Timescale behaves quite differently. He is a hypocrite who evades responsibility for his own mistakes and attempts to conceal them. He creates an elaborate facade, presenting himself as an exceptional and virtuous individual – a Reverend. By doing so, he hopes to prevent anyone from questioning his true character, allowing only his outward appearance as a righteous Puritan man to be seen.
