Elements of Hypocrisy in puritan society in The Scarlet Letter

Society is essentially ruled by a set of cultural, religious and philosophical concepts and believes by which human actions are determined whether right or wrong. This system of principles and judgment is called morality. These principles are made to control and regulate the behavior of members in a society. It gives balance to society; therefore, conformity to such systematization is necessary. If the society provides flexibility in rules, then every individual is able to give a proper feedback and can perform his duties in a way that is more responsible. And if the society is strict and severe, it prevents the individual from doing anything good and pushes him either to lose his identity or to follow a harsher way to get personal freedom. At times, he finds himself in conflict with its rules. Once he breaks these enforced laws, he has to face a harsh penalty. The Scarlet Letter is viewed as one of Hawthorne‟s greatest works .It conveys a simple but very affecting story in which four people living in a puritan community are involved in and affected by the sin of adultery in different ways. Adultery is taken as one of the greatest sins in Puritan society, which brings a severe penalty. In his novel, Nathaniel Hawthorne uses hypocrisy to set up the moral of the story, through his characters. Hypocrisy is often seen as one of the most immoral manifestations of the human ego, is also one of the most predictable and foreseeable behaviors. It is the simplest, and yet one of the most intricate behaviors of human beings. "The Scarlet Letter" is a fictional novel, inscribed by Nathaniel Hawthorne. The novel depicts a society, which is strict, lifeless and full of darkness. The novel subsequently describes the Puritan culture of 17th century as Nathaniel Hawthorne was a pure descendent of Puritan. Puritans were the people, who want to purify the Church of England. They thoughtthat rules and structure of Roman Catholicism need to be changed. Hence, puritans migrated to America, when they realized that the church could never reform. In America, they established new colonies and called the place New England. There they spend a life of their own policy and morals. Their narrow-mindedness demolishes both the individuals and the social system. The story takes place in Boston, representing thoroughly the misery of the people of 17th century. Puritans were very curious in finding flaws and faults in the character of others, just as they gather to see Hester‟s penalty .They continuously torture her with their bitter talks. In their thoughts, her punishment is quite easy. These people further torment Hester and her child by making both of them communal castaways. They constantly torture her by casting distrustful gazes and abusive remarks in their way. Hester‟s suffering which she bears regarding the punishment of her crime is clearly intensified by the truth that she survives in a harsh and strict puritan community, not capable to forgive and forget her crime. Hawthorne labeled the clashes between the individual and the society in his novel. He described the hidden sin and guilt of the characters. Just as the secret sin of Arthur Dimmesdale, a leading character in the novel. Arthur Dimmesdale is half-aged clergyman in the novel who commits an act of fornication with a young and pretty woman, Hester Prynne. Adultery is taken as one of the greatest sins in Puritan society. When Hester acquires the penalty of disgrace, Arthur Dimmesdale, at the same time, is honored by the people for his praiseworthy sermons. Dimmesdale turns into a hypocritical man for hiding his crime and pretending to be a pure and innocent being in society.