Throughout time, punishment has been a defining consequence for people who break the law. For example, Rosa Parks, a civil rights activist, refused to move from her seat for a white man. Back then, the law required blacks to sit at the back of the bus when a white person didn't have a seat. Her defiance of the government landed her in prison as punishment, but helped spark the civil rights movement over the injustices of their society. Likewise, in the 16th century, the Puritans had strict laws prohibiting sinful acts against the Bible and the purification of their society. If a Puritan were to go against the law, there would be serious consequences regarding his crime, such as public punishment. The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne focuses on a Puritan woman named Hester Prynne, who committed adultery in her town. She has a daughter named Pearl and is given the punishment of wearing a red "A" on her chest. The bold scarlet "A" symbolizes the shame on Hester of her sin and is a constant reminder of her relationship with Reverend Dimmesdale. Through light and dark motifs, Hawthorne shows the harsh Puritan society, criticizing its hypocritical nature and lack of need for less conformity. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Despite Hester's sin, Hawthorne reveals with a lighthearted plea that the punishment of wearing the "A" imposed on her by the Puritan people was the real crime. The Puritan people were adamant in their belief that Hester would finally become a shadow in the darkness with the scarlet letter. However, "those who had known her before, ... were astonished, and even surprised, to perceive how her beauty shone out and made a halo for her misfortune and ignominy in which she was shrouded" Hawthorne reveals that the prominent beauty Hester's story has still eclipsed the darkness that the Puritan citizens tried to impose on her by forcing her to wear the scarlet letter. Even with the Purtian's actions against her, Hester was still able to defy their expectations of someone who committed such a horrible crime in their eyes. This shows that Hawthorne's emphasis on Hester's light and beauty details, such as her "halo," was intended to further acknowledge her splendor against the Puritan people. Hester stood her ground and faced the fact that she had committed such horrible crimes within her society. His sincerity allowed his brilliant physical traits to shine even brighter as the rest of his society was not entirely sincere. Not only does Hester have radiant beauty, but her daughter Pearl has her own “suitable beauty, shining through the splendid robes…an absolute circle of splendor around her…” (Hawthorne 62). Puritans believed that Pearl inherited Hester's evil nature to rebel against society. However, Hawthorne revealed that Pearl was also able to eclipse herself through "the robes" because she has no dark sin to fall into as she is only a child and is only the product of adultery. The robes symbolize the darkness that society tries to cover regarding Hester and Pearl. Hawthorne reveals that Hester and her daughter's accusations were wrong and that Pearl can also have goodness and light within herself. Hawthorne conveys that the Puritans were surprised by Pearl's beauty as they considered her to be the daughter of the devil in their society, which reveals the community's hypocrisy against Hester and Pearl. Hawthorne describes that his "sin" was a mistake that any of the Puritans could have made, but the fact that heby admitting his mistakes he shows courage. Although Hester was able to eclipse the darkness that her society believed it would not be able to achieve, Hawthorne reveals the negative impact that hypocritical society has on Hester's mindset through dark motives. For Hester, negative interactions with townspeople were a daily struggle. Clergy mocked Hester and "stopped in the street to speak words of exhortation, which brought a crowd, with its smile mixed with frowns, around the poor sinful woman." Hawthorne calls attention to the details Hester had to endure during painful encounters with the townspeople as they called her the “sinful woman.” Not only did they want to humiliate Hester with the letter, they wanted to make her feel vulnerable and weak. The darkness of society affected her, which is why Hawthorne points out the flaws within their society while the Puritans try to humiliate others just to make them feel better about themselves. Despite all of society's scrutinizing criticisms, "Hester Prynne always had this terrible agony to feel a human eye on her symbol..." (Hawthorne 59). Although Hester tries not to notice the large amount of people looking at her for her letter, their eyes act as daily torture. Hawthorne explains that it is not the letter that Hester cares about, but the unpleasant and critical nature of her society that makes her feel weakened. He felt like he needed to escape his society and constant criticism. Thus, “his rich and luxuriant hair had been cut off, or was so completely hidden by a cap, that not a shining lock of it ever flowed into the sun” (Hawthorne 112). Hawthorne shows dark images of what had a light connotation to describe the fact that she only stayed in the forest with Pearl to reduce the amount of hatred she felt. At the beginning of the novel, Hester felt quite confident in the letter, however, with more exposure to Puritan society, she felt more vulnerable. He felt more comfortable staying in the shadows. Hawthorne demonstrates that a toxic society can alter the mindset of those who experience the greatest vulnerability. With the punishment and hypocrisy of Puritan society, Hawthorne demonstrates Hester's reluctance to conform to her unjust society and her perseverance in overcoming her fear of her society's judgments. . Although Hester felt undermined by her society as they publicly denounced her for her sins, Hester's unwillingness to give up her reputation allowed her to build relationships and gain the trust of people in her community. People in her community “recognize the influence of Hester's good qualities. She used the dark deeds of her past and shaped her path to a new beginning, which helped her finally bring the light back into her life. Her positive influence within her society allowed her to gain the trust of others, which shows that Hawthorne believes that Hester's duty is to help others even though she had lost the connection between herself and society. The scarlet letter allowed her to grow and know herself better and “the tendency of her destiny and fortunes had been to set her free. The scarlet letter was her passport to regions where other women dared not venture” (Hawthorne 137). Through Hester, Hawthorne conveys that from every mistake you must learn to grow. Hester's choice to accept responsibility for her sin allowed her to achieve redemption with herself and the Puritans, something that many other women would not be able to do if they were in her situation. Rather than avoid the past, he instead attempts to accomplish tasks within his own..