puritan life and punishment
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INTRODUCTION TO NATHANIEL HAWTHORNE
and THE SCARLET LETTER
Hawthorne: 1804-1864The Scarlet Letter: 1850
PURITAN ERA: Mid-late 1600s Salem Witch Trials: 1692 (Judge Hathorne) Puritan “Religious Enlightenment”: Mid 1700s,
Jonathan Edwards Forming of our Nation: 1776 Industrialization and Railroads: About 1760-1840 Transcendentalism (American Romanticism)
1830s- 1850s True Birth or American Fiction: Hawthorne,
Melville, Poe The Scarlet Letter 1850
Quick Timetable
Works are often allegorical in nature Work is considered a “Dark Romanticism Writes about Evil, Sin, and Psychological
complexities Writing style contains many sentences
clearly not composed with celerity
Hawthorne in a nutshell
Protagonist: Hester Prynne Setting: Boston, late 1600s Published: 1850 Central characters
◦ Hester Prynne◦ Roger Chillingworth◦ Pearl◦ Dimmesdale
Themes: ◦ Individual vs Society◦ The Nature of Evil◦ Nature and Romanticism◦ Sin, Guilt, and Atonement
THE SCARLET LETTER
Puritan Life and
PunishmentLiving within a
Theocracy
Puritans sought to create the ideal Christian society
Everyday life was seen as a struggle between God and the devil
Predecessors-Calvanists
Living in a Theocracy: Religion governs
Puritan Ideals
Common Punishments
Stocks and Pillory The most common New
England colonial punishment was use of the stocks.
Stocks were heavy wooden frames with holes for ankles and/or wrists
The pillory was similar, but allowed the accused to stand while his or hands were bound.
Whipping
Most whipping sentences called for 20-40 lashes
One case on record recalls a man being whipped 117 times
More Severe Punishments
A hot iron was sometimes used to pierce the tongues of those who spoke against the Puritan
faith.
Execution• The threat of execution was omnipresent in the colonies.
• Hanging was the most common method of execution, although burning at the stake was also used.
Public Ignominy Criminals were
sometimes forced to wear a letter symbolizing the crime committed.
“T” stood for thief “D” was worn by
those accused of public drunkenness
What do you think the letter “A” stood for?
1. Should adultery be a crime punishable under law? ◦ Make a case for and against
2. How much should our laws govern our own morals?
3. Where do we draw the line between morality and law? Can the two be linked? Are morals to closely connected to religion?
ARTICLE 1: A few discussion points to consider
1. Discuss the perception most people have of the Puritans vs what the author clearly points out.
Talk about the Puritans’ views of the Individual vs their views of the Society.
ARTICLE 2: A few questions to consider
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