The Scarlet Letter

Explain the Puritan attitude toward luxury and how Governor Bellingham and the Reverend John Wilson responded to it.

Chapter 8

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The Puritans were simple people; they lived in a very hostile environment and did not think about anything that we would call luxury. Hester's A, in its amazing decoration, is somewhat horrible to them simply because they do not want to see such amazing "luxury." The Governor and the Reverend Wilson are the real leaders of the church and the state; in some ways, like Dimmesdale they have their secrets, but in general they would disdain all luxury.