The Scarlet Letter Critical Reading Journal
This novel is written in Historical context and is under the genre of fiction. It is written by Nathaniel Hawthorne and was published in 1896. It is intended for an audience of readers who are quick to critique a person for a mistake they have made, and consider it “unforgiveable”, or grand enough of a cause to consider them an outcast, when in reality the people they look up to the most can be guilty of mistakes as severe as theirs. The message the story conveys is that when people are disapproving and judgmental of a person right away, they can easily influence others to join them in their criticism and they become ignorant to consider how their actions and words might affect their victim. At an early point, the neglect and feelings of shame Hester Prynne received from the town caused her to go as far as wanting to end her own life, had it not been for her baby being the only thing stopping her from doing so. For all of her life Hester is rejected and looked upon as an example of sin and temptation to evil by ministers and society for her commitment of adultery. The scarlet letter she has to wear as a part of the Puritan government’s punishment comes to be a part of her that she never removes, and even when she can remove it she continues to wear it because the guilt she holds within makes her feel that she should live that way for the rest of her life for what she did. After a while, a previous beautiful Hester Prynne becomes a sad, worn version, and her young daughter also constantly brings pain to her since even as a baby, she embraces the scarlet letter and smiles at its sight. Surprisingly, it results that the man with whom she committed adultery with is minister Dimmesdale, whom the town respect and value. Dimmesdale also shows the purpose of the novel because by refusing to announce that he was the one with whom