I am confused about the message that Hawthorne is trying to convey.
At first it seems like he is against the severe public punishment that Hester receives, but ultimately she transcends her humiliation and the scarlet letter and it becomes a badge of honor.
Meanwhile, Dimmesdale never reveals his guilt and it festers inside him until he goes mad.
Thus, my question is whether Hawthorne is actually in favor of the public humiliation that Hester receives, despite the way he portrays it in the beginning? Or is he instead critiquing the entire culture of the Puritans that forces these people to feel so guilty about their sins in the first place, such that it drives Dimmesdale mad?
At first it seems like he is against the severe public punishment that Hester receives, but ultimately she transcends her humiliation and the scarlet letter and it becomes a badge of honor.
Meanwhile, Dimmesdale never reveals his guilt and it festers inside him until he goes mad.
Thus, my question is whether Hawthorne is actually in favor of the public humiliation that Hester receives, despite the way he portrays it in the beginning? Or is he instead critiquing the entire culture of the Puritans that forces these people to feel so guilty about their sins in the first place, such that it drives Dimmesdale mad?
