Punishment in The Scarlet Letter

Punishment in The Scarlet Letter Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter deals with many themes, the most powerful being punishment. In this novel, Hester Prynne becomes a highly respected person in a Puritan society by overcoming one of the harshest punishments, the scarlet letter. This object on "her bosom"; however, does the exact opposite of that which it was meant for. Eventually, Hester Prynne inverts all the odds against here due to her courage, pride and …

…evil inside of Hester turned into good. The fact that Hester committed adultery was soon forgotten by the people around Hesters’ everyday life. Yet another meaning for the scarlet letter was brought about when a meteorite appeared above Boston, a sexton thought it represented the word "Angel" coming from above. What was once an ignoble member of the puritan way of life became a decorous woman. This turn in events was inevitable because of Hesters.