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CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

This chapter is concerned with background of the study, reason for

choosing the topic, statement of the problem, limitation of the problem, objective

of the study, significance of the study, and definition of terms.

1.1 Background of the study

In a world or a society that has not regularly without guarantee and

protection of victims, building a legal system that is just hard. In a case that

occurred in society at that time in case of violation of the rules of society such as

acts of adultery, then they use religion as an excuse and a tool to decide on a

punishment without consideration of human rights offenders.

When the crime that happens then all the people only see the wickedness

that is done without giving offenders opportunity to provide a defense argument.

They do not consider that the crime itself is not as bad and wickedness of what

they have done.This gives the possibility for offenders to suffer psychologically

and sociologically.

According to Wellek (1995:109-110), literature is a social institution that

uses language media. Literature has a social function that does not fully describe

the personal nature of social problems such as traditions, conventions, norms,

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symbols, and myths. De Bonald in Wellek (1995:110) states that literature is an

expression that reflects the community feeling and expressing life.

Literature, especially novels have close links with the community as a

document of historical, social, and as a portrait of social reality. As a social

document, the novel is used to describe social history. Novel occurs in a social

context that relates directly and indirectly to the economic situation, political,

social and concrete.

Some novels are written based on the author’s experience or based on the

condition of the society in which the author lives. The hottest issue in his society

can be also as an inspiration for the author to produce a novel or literary works.

In this case, Hawthorne (2004:26-3) in The Scarlet Letter describes the

atmosphere of punishment in the puritan society. Adultery punishment becomes a

hot issue in the puritan society or New England in the year of 1641, especially in

several states. Many arguments come in, from the judicial system, the execution,

trials, human rights, the effect of punishment and from the side of the prisoner it

self or convicted person of capital punishment. Beside that the execution in death

penalty cannot do directly, there are many steps before the execution. The

prisoners (convicted person of capital punishment) have to wait in the jail (or

death row) until their execution. Moreover life in social punishment brings many

problems for the prisoner itself.

Social portrait of American history can be read in Nathaniel Hawthorne's

novel The Scarlet Letter as well. He took the original documents from the State

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Port of Salem, who noted the condition of Jonathan Pue puritan society and social

punishment of offenders of adultery at the time.

Nathaniel Hawthorne is considered as one of the great novelist in the

world but the difficulties are drawing up a whole sequence of events. Next is to

ensure an attractive setting for the story characters to be portrayed in this novel is

a real character. Nathaniel Hawthorne Hester Prynne should describe the character

as a people struggling for dignity in a society that is arrogant.

Hawthorne wrote about the people of Massachusetts and the patterns they

act and behave towards each other, especially against Hester, and life in general.

This novel begins when Hester walked to the scaffold in the city to be seen and

known to many people because of adultery who has done.

Historically, the puritans were protestants who wanted to purify the

Church of England from priests and rituals. They try to devote their lives and

enhance the value of a typical order of puritans. On a personal level, a puritan

would strive hard for perfection itself (self-perfection) by practicing a set of

values and beliefs. If it fails, as seen in the case of Hester or Dimmesdale, they

will impose penalties to anyone who is not able to achieve such self-perfection.

Prison then became an instrument for achieving collective self-perfection.

In societies that strive for a self-perfection, the penalty for deviation value is not

just physical but also spiritual or emotional. Prison here indicates that the puritan

society punishes people within their own ranks who have violated the laws of

society: an activation law society. Prison is also a concession to the fact that in a

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society consisting of people who dedicated themselves for the sake of self-

perfection, the prison was still needed.

In 1641 Boston Law provided for death as punishment ( the scaffold then

was used only for execution, not the pillory), and in 1644, Mary Latham and

James Britton were reported in John Winthrop’s journal to have been put to death

for adultery. But corporal punishment, or whipping was the usual punishment in

puritan Massachusetts for adultery, signaling that the ultimate possible

punishment offered by the Bible and the law was too harsh. Hawthorne’s ancestor,

Mayor John Hathorne, was magistrate in Salem in 1688, and he ordered a woman

named Hester Craford to be saverely whipped in publick after she gaves birth to

an illegitimate child. (http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com ).

Then these punishment subdided, A Plymouth law of 1694 called the

display of an A on the dress. Hawthorne recorded this case in his journal, and it

became the subject of his story , “ A letter and the Red Colour ,” in which a Salem

woman , required to wear the red letter A, added wonderful embroidery to it. The

admonitions society desire to punish what seemed to be obvious transgession

againts society. (http://www.notablebiographies.com).

Now, however, it seemed that the puritan communities had found

themselves in the difficult place of punishing adultery too lenienly, because many

found the embroidery of the ‘’A’’ letter too light a sentence, but whipping and

execution to harsh. This punishment offers a way to punish the adulterers to bear

his sins without forcing people to do violent and anarchic. It is an act to define the

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punishment more humane. The Admonition of Jesus in the case of adulteress, “

Let him who is without sin cast the first stone,’’ had not become a guiding

principle in the law refer to sexual acts. But Hawthorne was moving mind to agree

that if adultery was a crime, it was a crime of the heart that need not be punished

by the societ, since it had its own consequences in the guilt, shame, and suffering.

(http: //www.openbible.info ).

The writer is motivated to choose Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel because

firstly, Nathaniel Hawthorne is considered as one of the great novelist in the

world. His novel always reached International best seller, One of the great

American authors of the 19th century, Nathaniel Hawthorne grew up in New

England and published his first novel, Fanshawe, in 1828. Though he went on to

help lay the foundations of the American short story, Hawthorne is more widely

known for his novels The Scarlet Letter (1850) and The House of Seven Gables

(1851). (Hester Prynne, the heroine of The Scarlet Letter, is forced to wear the

letter 'A' for adultery after she has an affair with the puritan minister Arthur

Dimmesdale.) Hawthorne's other books include Twice-Told Tales (1837), The

Blithedale Romance (1852), The Dolliver Romance ( 1863) ( unfinished) and The

Marble Faun (1860), Septimius Felton or The Elixir of Live ( published in the

Atlantic Monthly, 1872), and Doctor Grimshawe’s Secret: A romance

( unfinished ), with Preface and Notes by Julian Hawthorne ( 1882). From 1853

to 1859 Hawthorne lived in England and in Italy, but returned to the United States

and died (http://www.notablebiographies.com).

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Secondly, the language of the novel is easy to understand. Hawthorne

writes in an easy gripping style, which combines a solid knowledge of the

American legal system with an ability to portray a wide range of characters that

have very unique personalities. The Scarlet Letter is famous for presenting some

of the greatest American literature. While not recognized by Hawthorne himself

as his most important work, the novel is not only as his greatest accomplishment,

but frequently as the greatest novel in American literary history. After it was

published in 1850, critics hailed it as initiating a distinctive American literary

tradition. Ironically, it is a novel in which, in terms of action, almost nothing

happens. Hawthorne's emotional, psychological drama revolves around Hester

Prynne, who is convicted of adultery in colonial Boston by the civil and Puritan

authorities.

To sum up, those explanations above are the reasons why this research and

this thesis are necessary to have. Why the writer chooses The Scarlet Letter as the

subject, and why the writer applies psychological approach for this research. At

last the writer hopes that this research will lead benefits for the students of

Pekalongan University especially for common people who like literature.

1.2 Reason for Choosing the Topic

In The Scarlet Letter the writer is interested in Hester Prynne’s

characterization because many of her actions to respect and protect the honour of

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her love when she was in judgment day. The writer also found that the change

views of the main character toward all of her crimes she had done before she got

the death penalty and met with her love.

This novel is very interesting to be analyzed about the life of Hester

Prynne is the main character in the struggle to raise their children with the burden

sign the letter "A" dark red on his chest which means sinners and condemned.

Although he was punished by the people he still had faith that what he did was

right in the eyes of God and he survived to this. We also may often encounter

cases in people's lives. How do our attitudes and behavior when there are people

who are considered guilty and punished.

By studying this novel analysis we can determine an appropriate reward

and punishment in the learning process in schools and in society. In addition,

analysis of the novel The Scarlet Letter in a thesis is a new thing in Pekalongan

University. Nevertheless this novel has been frequently discussed and explored in

other schools.

In accordance with the reasons, the researcher discusses about the main

character that is psychologically very interesting to be analyzed. Furthermore the

researcher uses psychological analysis using Sigmund Freud and Skinner’s theory.

The writer determines the title of this thesis that is The Impact of Adultery

Punishment as Reflected in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter: A

Psychological Analysis. The writer thinks that this will be suitable title for this

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thesis because the work (The Scarlet Letter) shows a unique characterization of

the main character and there are strong moral values in this novel.

1.3 Statement of the Problem

From the reason for choosing the topic above, the researcher formulates

statement the problem as follows:

1. How is the characterization of the main character, Hester Prynne in

Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter?

2. What are the impacts of Adultery punishment in the life of the main

character, Hester Prynne in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter?

3. What are the moral values contained in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The

Scarlet Letter?

1.4 Objectives of the Study

The objectives of the study appear in answering three questions mentioned

above, they are:

1. To describe the characterization of the main character Hester Prynne

psychologically in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter.

2. To describe the impacts of Adultery Punishment in the life of the main

character, Hester Prynne in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter.

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3. To draw some moral values in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet

Letter.

1.5 Significances of the Study

Basically all research activities should posses’ clear purposes. In the end

of this study the researcher expects that this study will give the great benefits for

the students, the readers (in general) and other researchers.

1. Theoretically

The reader will better understanding on psychological analysis. The

presentation of the thesis is very important to help the readers to read and

understand this thesis; the writer presents the thesis as follows: The first chapter is

the introduction. Here the writer gives background of the study, identification of

the problem, limitation of the problem, formulation of the problem, objectives of

the study, significance of the study, and presentation of the study.

The second chapter is theoretical framework that contains theories

underlying the writing of the study. Here the writer presents the author’s

biography, character and characterization, the definition of adultery punishment (it

includes social punishment), the effect of punishment, psychological approach

and moral values. The third chapter is research methodology. It consists of type of

the study, data collecting method, and data analyzing technique. The fourth

chapter is research findings. It consists of synopsis of the novel, characterization

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of the main character, the impact of adultery punishment, and the moral values of

the novel. The fifth chapter is conclusion and suggestion. It is the last chapter of

this thesis. Here the writer tries to conclude the result of the analysis and gives

suggestion to the readers who read the thesis.

2. Practically

a. for the students

The students will have better understanding on psychological analysis.

b. for the readers (in general)

The readers can get the information about adultery punishment and

able to understand the problem contained in there.

c. for other researchers

Other researchers can conduct further research on the literary works as

well as in the novel The Scarlet Letter. The readers can get the information

about adultery punishment and able to understand the problem contained

in there.

3. Pedagogically

This thesis explores the educational benefits and pedagogical complication

of focusing on morality in literature courses. The writer believes teaching works

of literature that raise difficult and complicated moral questions can help students

develop critical thinking and writing skill. This thesis reviews historical

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perspectives on the link between morality and literature pedagogy, and compiled

some pedagogical perspectives on the subject, focusing on how and why to bring

up moral issues in literature classes. It considers the idea that English teachers

can, without moralizing capitalize on literature’s moral questions to cultivate

compassion, imagination, reason, and independence of thought, and thereby help

students become better reader, cleaner thinkers, and more careful writers.

1.6 Limitation of the Study

As stated in the identification of the problem above, therefore the writer

limits the problem on the Impact of Adultery Punishment in the life of the Main

Character as described by Nathaniel Hawthorne in the novel The Scarlet Letter

based on psychological approach.

This limitation is intended to make the discussion more focus however, the

writer discusses the novel intrinsically and extrinsically to find out the impact of

the adultery punishment in the life of the main character.

1.7 Definition of Terms

Based on the background of the study, The Scarlet Letter contains some

interesting themes to analyze. The interesting theme includes the adultery

punishment, love, and puritan society. In the case of the adultery punishment

consists of many problems such as judicial system, the execution, the punishment

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row, and the most important thing is the problem of the convicted person itself

(prisoner).

In the title of this thesis is The Impact of Adultery Punishment as Reflected

in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter: A Psychological Analysis the writer

needs to define some key terms, which are as follows :

1. The impact

The impact (noun) in Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary of

Current English means ( a strong ) influence; effect.

2. Adultery

Hawthorne in The Scarlet Letter states that adultery is voluntary

sexual intercourse between a married man or woman and a partner other

than the legal spouse. Adultery was a moral violation, and people who

committed it could be put to death. The memorable character of Hester

Prynne in Nathaniel Hawthorne's "The Scarlet Letter" is punished to wear

a scarlet letter "A," symbolizing the word "adulteress," for the rest of her

life. Adultery was punished publicly, with the intention of giving shame

and humiliation, because it was a clear breaking of the moral and religious

marriage contract between husband and wife. By maintaining the bonds of

marriage, the Puritans also viewed adultery as a threat to societal order.

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According to Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary of Current

English adultery means sex between a marriage person and who is not

their husband or wife.

3. Punishment

Strater in “Rewards/Punishment’ Debate and Application

(http://documentsearch.org) explains that theory that punishment’ has a

specific, accepted definition in psychology: ‘An aversive stimulus that

occurs after some specific response and is intended to suppress that

response is known as punishment’ punishment can be anything that

decreases the occurrence of a behavior: physical pain, withdrawal of

attention, loss of tangibles or activities, a reprimand, or even something

others would find rewarding but the particular individual does not like.

4. Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter

According to Meltzer (2007: 10-18), Nathaniel Hawthorne is one

of the greatest writers in America. He was born on July 4, 1804, in

Salem, Massachusetts. He spent his time to produce many famous novels

and short stories. The Scarlet Letter is one of the best success that

Hawthorne’s producing to devote himself to his writing. the Scarlet Letter

was a real form of punishment in Puritan society. Adulterers might have

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been forced to wear a scarlet "A" if they were lucky. At least two known

adulterers were executed in Massachusetts Bay Colony.

Hawthorne is an expert in the use of symbolism, and a red letter

"A" stands as a symbol of the most powerful, about the interpretation of

the novel that spins. At one pole interpretation of "A" stands for adultery

and sin, and this novel is the story of individual punishment and

reconciliation. At another pole it stands for America and the story suggests

national sin and human costs. But the reader see the "A" as a symbol of

ambiguity, a fact which is very confusing.

5. A Psychological Analysis

Adi (2011 : 185) states that psychological (adjective) is relating to

psychology or relating to the mind or mental activity. Psychological

analysis (in literature) is learning related to psychologist fundamental

theories relate to characters in their texts. Psychological analysis is used

in the analysis of narrative. It can analyze character who has a psychiatric

disorder or psychological aspects of analysing characters.

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CHAPTER II

REVIEW RELATED LITERATURE

This chapter presents the author’s biography, character and

characterization, the definition of adultery punishment, the effect of punishment,

psychological approach and moral values.

2.1 Biography of the Author

The following biography is adapted from Meltzer (2007:10-11), Nathaniel

Hawthorne was born on July 4, 1804 in Salem, Massachusetts, a descendant of a

long line of Puritan ancestors including John Hathorne, a presiding magistrate in

the Salem witch trials in order to distance himself from his family's shameful in-

volvement in the witch trials. Also among his ancestors was William Hathorne,

one of the first Puritan settlers who arrived in New England in 1630.

After his father, a ship captain died of yellow fever at sea when Nathaniel

was only four, his mother became overly protective and pushed him toward rela-

tively isolated pursuits. Hawthorne's childhood left him overly shy and bookish,

which molded his life as a writer.

Hawthorne decided to write after his graduation from Bowdoin College.

His first novel, Fanshawe, was unsuccessful and Hawthorne himself still an ama-

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teurish. He wrote several successful short stories, however, including "My Kins-

man, Major Molineux," "Roger Malvin's Burial," and "Young Goodman Brown,"

arguably Hawthorne's most famous short story. Despite the critical acclaim it has

received since, Hawthorne twice rejected this work when asked to select a compi-

lation of short stories for publication.

His insufficient earnings as a writer forced Hawthorne to enter a career as

a Boston Custom House measurer in 1839. After three years Hawthorne was dis-

missed from his job with the Salem Custom House. By 1842, his writing finally

gave Hawthorne a sufficient income to marry Sophia Peabody and move to The

Manse in Concord, which was the center of the transcendental movement.

Hawthorne returned to Salem in 1845, where he was appointed surveyor of the

Boston Custom House by President James Polk, but he was dismissed from this

post when Zachary Taylor became president. Hawthorne then devoted himself to

his most famous novel, The Scarlet Letter. He zealously worked on the novel with

a determination he had not known before. His intense suffering infused the novel

with imaginative energy. (http:/ www.notablebiographies.com)

The Scarlet Letter was an immediate success that allowed Hawthorne to

devote himself to his writing. He left Salem for a temporary residence in Lenox, a

small town in the Berkshires, where he completed the romance The House of the

Seven Gables in 1851. While in Lenox, Hawthorne introduced with Herman

Melville and became a major supporter of Melville's work, although their friend-

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ship became strained. Hawthorne's subsequent novels, The Blithedale Romance--

based on his years of communal living at Brook Farm--and the romance The Mar-

ble Faun were both considered disappointments. Hawthorne supported himself

through another political post, the consulship in Liverpool, which he was given

for writing a campaign biography for Franklin Pierce.

In 1852, after the publication of The Blithedale Romance, Hawthorne re-

turned to Concord and bought a house called Hillside, owned by Louisa May Al-

cott's family. Hawthorne renamed it The Wayside. He went on to travel and live in

France and Italy for a spell, but he returned to The Wayside just before the Civil

War began. Indeed, he would publish an article entitled "Chiefly About War Mat-

ters" for the Atlantic Monthly just before he fell ill, detailing the account of his

travels to the Virginia battlefields of Manassas and Harpers Ferry and to the

White House.

Hawthorne passed away on May 19, 1864, in Plymouth, New Hampshire,

after a long period of illness. By this time, he had completed several chapters of

what was to be a romance, and this work was published after his died as The Dol-

liver Romance.

Hawthorne was buried in Sleepy Hollow Cemetery in Concord, Massachu-

setts. His life was described with the words "painful solitude." Hawthorne had

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maintained a strong friendship with Franklin Pierce, but otherwise he had had few

intimates and little engagement with any sort of social life.

A number of outstanding works of Hawthorne published after he died. His

works are well known with regard to the puritanical, guilt, and moral complexity

as well as a personal feud. Although he was not satisfied with his works, he still

praised by American society as one of the greatest writers in America.

According to Meltzer ( 2007:16-18 ) in 1852 Franklin Pierce was elected

president of the United States, and Hawthorne, who wrote his campaign

biography, was appointed to the important overseas post of American consul

(advisor) at Liverpool, England. He served in this post from 1853 to 1857. These

English years resulted in Our Old Home (1863), a volume drawn from the since-

published "English Note-Books."

In 1857 the Hawthornes left England for Italy, where they spent their time

primarily in Rome and Florence. They returned to England, where Hawthorne

finished his last and longest complete novel, The Marble Faun (1860). They

finally returned to the United States, after an absence of seven years, and took up

residence in their first permanent home, The Wayside, at Concord.

Although he had always been an active man, Hawthorne's health began to

fail him. Since he refused to submit to any thorough medical examination, the

details of his declining health remain mysterious. Hawthorne died on May 19,

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1864. He had gone for the New Hampshire hills with Franklin Pierce, an activity

he had always enjoyed, hoping to regain his health. But he died the second night

in Plymouth, New Hampshire, presumably in his sleep.

Hawthorne once said that New England was enough to fill his heart, yet he

sought the broader experience of Europe. Modest in expectations, he had

nonetheless desired to live fully. Hawthorne's life and writings present a complex

puzzle. A born writer, he suffered the difficulties of his profession in early-

nineteenth-century America, an environment unfriendly to artists (http:/

www.notablebiographies.com).

2.2 Character and Characterization

1. Character

According to Griffit (2011: 60), characters are people presented in

dramatic or narrative work, who are interpreted by the reader as being endowed

with moral, dispositional, and emotional quantities that are expressed in what they

say (the dialogue) and what they do (the action). To create the convince character,

the author must complete himself with enough knowledge about the behavior of

human being and the social custom that will be used as setting.

The character can be devided into two, major character and minor

character as follows :

a. Major Character or main character

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Major character plays an important role in the novel. Therefore, the

readers will usually pay more attention to the major character or main

character. The major character can further be analyzed into three

groups:

1) Protagonist (the very central character)

The protagonist usually a hero or heroine, that plays an

important role in the story. The hero is usually a good man with

good characters.

2) The antagonist character (the enemy of the protagonist character)

The antagonist in a novel usually refers to the enemy or the

challenger of the protagonist. The antagonist character is usually

immoral or evil because the protagonist is usually good and true.

3) The companion (the supporter of the protagonist)

In a novel, the protagonist usually has a companion or a

partner in pursuing his duty, career, struggle, or aspiration. When a

protagonist is oppressed, he is usually helped by a close friend or

by a reputable person (named companion character).

b. Minor character.

Minor characters are those who support the main or major character

(http:// academic.booklyn.english/melani/lit.cuny.edu/term.html).

The other hand the characters can be divided into two: round char-

acter or developing character and flat character. ‘Round character’ is the

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character that changes over the course of the story. For example, a character

is described to be morally good in the beginning of the story but after that he

becomes bad in the middle or in the end of the story. In other hand Flat

Character described as unchanging characters at the beginning and end of

story. (www.storyinsight.com).

2. Characterization

Characterization often comes up in the readers mind when they deal with

certain literary works; some theories of characterization help the readers to

understand what characterization means. These theories of characterization

provide the readers with valuable information to comprehend how Nathaniel

Hawthorne created and developed Hester Prynne’s characters in the story.

Characterization is author’s way in showing the character. While

Nurgiyantoro says the characterization indicates to qualify of character (1998:

165). He distinguishes between character and characterization. Character indicates

person, while characterization indicates characteristic and attitude of the character

like what is interpreted by the readers. Characterization indicates the qualities of

the character.

Murphy in Santoso (2007: 13 ) mentions that there are 9 ways in which an

author attempts to make his character to understand and come alive for his reader,

namely:

1. Personal description

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Personal description means that the author can describe a person

appearance and clothes in the story.

2. Characters as seen by another

Instead of describing a character directly, the author can describe his

character through the eyes and opinion of another character.

3. Speech

Speech may be used to describe a character of one of the persons in the

story through what the person says. Whenever a person speaks, whenever

he is in conversation with others, whenever he put forward an opinion, he

is giving us some clues to his character.

4. Past life

By letting the readers learn something about a person’s past life, the author

can give them a clue to events that shape the person’s character. This can

be done by the direct comment of the author, through the person thought,

his conversation or through the medium of another person.

5. Conversation of others

We can take the clues of a person’s character through the conversation of

other people and what they say about him. People talk about other people

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and the things they say often give a clue to the character of the person

spoken about.

6. Reaction

Different characters will react differently if they are faced with similar

problems. Each reaction toward the problem shows the character tendency

and this tendency gives the readers a clue about the character’s

personalities.

7. Direct comment

In the description of the character, the author directly gives his personal

comments about the character that he creates.

8. Thought

By letting the readers come into the most thought of the character in a

literary work, the author want to show personalities of the character in

perspective way. If the readers are subjectively involved in the characters

thought, they can understand the character’s personalities and position in

the story. Even the readers can feel as if they were the character

themselves.

9. Mannerism

The author use mannerism habits or idiosyncrasy in his fictional life which

can also describe the character’s personality.

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2.3 Adultery Punishment

Gray (1995 : 4-5 ) states, puritans were a Christian religious group whose

pious values formed the foundation of American culture. Puritanical ideals

regarding sexuality and marriage can still be seen today. They keep the spirit of

morality, especially in terms of marriage and keep away from adultery is very

important to maintain order in their society.

Vaughan ( 1972 : xiii ) mentions that the puritans were a devout Christian

group who not agree with the Church of England. Being chased and hunted for

their beliefs, they came to America. They believed absolutely in the words of the

Bible and felt that the Church had become corrupt. They were called the puritans

because they wanted to purify and cleanse both the Church and their own lives,

and devoted themselves to religious, social and moral reform. Upon migrating to

America, the puritans settled into the New England area and lived strictly pious

lives, in which the family and the bonds of marriage were the basis of societal

order.

Gray (1995 : 6 ) states, during the growth of religious life in the 16th

century a group of men and women who called puritanical group trying to

overhaul the official English church from within. Basically, they demand more

comprehensive changes to the national church and advocated a more simple

25

worship. Their ideas will change the integrity of the state church that could

threaten the position of king and church leaders. Under pressure, puritanical

society to go to a new world in 1620 they founded the Plymouth colony. While

the second generation founded the colony of Massachusetts in 1630, it consisted

of people who are quite wealthy and educated.

In puritan society, adultery was considered one of the big sin, a moral vio-

lation of God's will. Adultery was a moral violation, and people who committed it

could be put to death. The memorable character of Hester Prynne in Nathaniel

Hawthorne's "The Scarlet Letter" is punished to wear a scarlet letter "A," symbol-

izing the word "adulteress," for the rest of her life. Adultery was punished pub-

licly, with the intention of giving shame and humiliation, because it was a clear

breaking of the moral and religious marriage contract between husband and wife.

By maintaining the bonds of marriage, the puritans also viewed adultery as a

threat to societal order.

Contrary to other views of puritan society that they do not feel pressured,

shy, and behave boring. Although they have very strict rules about the punishment

for the actor of adultery but they appreciate the relationship of husband and wife

in marriage. They do not ban alcohol, but they do not give awards for the drunks.

They appreciate art, poetry in particular, and enjoy the beautiful environment of

the universe. They are organized society and respect for education.

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The puritan's beliefs and attitudes towards sexuality, marriage and adultery

can still be seen in America today. By being a part of the founding of the original

colonies, the puritans played an important and vital role in shaping America's

values. They directly contributed to many American beliefs about morality, work,

patriotism, and community. There are 8 million Americans who can trace their

ancestry back to the Puritans who first came to New England between 1629 and

1640. (http://www.ehow.com ).

Puritan society has many public figures. As a public figure puritan, Cotton

Mather very influential and popular in resolving cases of community life in the

1680s that brought puritan highly respected in the community.

Puritanical society expects of a better life and longer than ever before in

New England. They give birth to new generations to continue living in the

surrounding Maryland, Virginia and Massachusetts. This is where generations of

his successors witnessed the puritanical society growing up in a very large number

for a better life. Puritans wanted their children to be able to read the Bible, of

course. The law in Massachusetts decided that at every school supported by

sufficient funding for operational costs of public tax revenues.

Perceptions of the purists at the time was that the marine life and coastal or

bay of Massachusetts is more dominated by men. The women have not had ample

opportunity in every decision-making in the city council and they also have much

to contribute in decision-making in church. Rules and preaching in a church

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dominated by men. Puritanical society has very strict rules. Men and women are

given a punishment for actions that damage morale. Children can be given

punishment simply because it condemns his parents. It was believed that the who

were the resource persons pregnant women with a male child had a rosy

complexion and that women carrying a female child pale were the resource

persons. Names of women found in census reports of the Massachusetts Bay

include patience, silence, fear, prudence, comfort, hopestill, and be fruitful. This

list reflects the puritan views on women quite cleary.

The existence of the church as God's house. Those who regularly attend

church events in her contribution to the funding requested. Sermon at the church

used to solve community problems. The church was guarded by security guards to

safeguard the assets of the church, while maintaining public worship, to calm

children when they speak out noise in the church because the church is a sacred

place and away from business activities.

           Puritans believed that the people who were in the church is doing God's

work. Therefore, there will be penalties for violating the rules of the church.

Severe penalties are given as they are distorted or not carry out God's command.

There are also some cases that resulted in people sentenced to hang.

Made famous by author Nathaniel Hawthorne in his book of the same

name, the Scarlet Letter was a real form of punishment in Puritan society.

Adulterers might have been forced to wear a scarlet "A" if they were lucky. At

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least two known adulterers were executed in Massachusetts Bay Colony. Public

whippings were commonplace. The stockade forced the humiliated guilty person

to sit in the public square, while onlookers spat or laughed at them.

Puritanical society actually regretted everything while giving punishment

because they believe in the methods of the Old Testament. Surely God's

punishment is more real than the disciplinary action taken against his fellow man.

Jefferson ( 1966:15 ) writes that contrary to myth, the Puritans did have

fun. There were celebrations and festivals. People sang and told stories. Children

were allowed to play games with their parents' permission. Wine and beer

drinking were common place. Puritans did not all dress in black as many believe.

The fundamental rule was to follow God's law. Those that did lived in peace in the

Bible Commonwealth.

Adultery is considered by many Christians to be immoral and a sin, based

primarily on passages like 1   Corinthians 6:9–10 . Although 1   Corinthians 6:11

does say that "and that is what some of you were. But you were washed", it still

acknowledges adultery to be immoral and a sin. The sixth commandment (seventh

in some traditions) ("Thou shalt not commit adultery") is also a basis, but see also

Biblical law in Christianity.

Jesus taught that indulgence in adulterous thoughts could be just as harmful to the soul as actual adultery, and it is clear that both carry the same weight of guilt: But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman

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lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. (Matthew 5:28).But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. (Matthew 5:28) and he also says : But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, causes her to become an adulteress, and anyone who marries the divorced woman commits adultery.(Matthew 5:32).

Some churches have interpreted adultery to include all sexual relationships

outside of marriage, regardless of the marital status of the participants

Historically, adultery has been considered to be a serious offense by many

cultures. Even in jurisdictions where adultery is not itself a criminal offense, it

may still have legal consequences, particularly in divorce cases. For example,

where there is fault-based family law, it almost always constitutes grounds for

divorce, it may be a factor to consider in a status of children and the custody of

children. Moreover, actors in a adultery can set aside in public life

.

2.4 The Effects of Punishment

Skinner ( 1953:182 ) explains that the commonest technique of control in

modern life is punishment. The pattern is familiar, if a man does not behave as

you wish, knock him down; if a child is misbehaved spank him; if the people of a

country misbehave, bomb them.

Strater in her journal “Rewards/Punishment Debate and Application”

states that punishment is the latest way in controlling human’s behavior. Before

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choosing a punishment, it is better to use rewards or reinforcement.

Reinforcement can increase the probability of a response and punishment decrease

the probability of a response.

Strater ( 2011:1-2 ) also states that “as with reinforcement, the

effectiveness of punishment depends greatly on timing punishment delivered

immediately after a response is most effective, the longer the delay between the

response and the punishment, the greater the chance that the punishment will

become associated with other intervening events. ( http://documentsearch.org ). It

assumed that the punishment is the effective way in controlling the human

behavior, because in the punishment the individual can understand what he as

done before.

Skinner ( 1953 : 186-187 ) adds the effect of punishment can be drawn as

follows: firstly punishment is generally supposed to have some abiding effect, it is

hope that some change in behavior will be observed in the future, even though

further punishment, with-held. In other words by giving punishment it hoped that

the behavior of an individual can change to a better behavior. Secondly, the

individual who gets punishment usually feel guilt, shame or a sense of sin . A

condition of guilt or shame is generated not only by previously punished behavior

but by any consistent external for such behavior. The individual may feel guilty in

a situation in which he has been punished.

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Strater adds that another unfortunate side effect of punishment is that the

individual being punished comes to associate negative emotional responses with

the situation and agent of punishment.

2.5 Moral Values

In writing a literary work the authors usually have a goal. The goal is the

authors want to give a message to the readers. In general, it can be called as moral

teaching or moral values. According to Nurgiyantoro (1995: 30), moral is

something which the author wants to carry on the message to the readers by the

meaning which implied in a work indirectly or by giving the suggested through

the story.

Nurgiyantoro says that the moral of a story is something that is regarded to

be conveyed by the author to the readers in literature. A moral message in

literature usually reflects the author’s view about the right thing and that is

intended to be conveyed to the readers. The moral in literature is a guidance given

by the author about anything related to problems in life such as matters of

behavior, attitude and politeness. It can be represented in characters.

Wallace (1970 : 8) states that the moral messages existing in the stories

can be in the form of cultural moral messages which refer to the cultural concepts

found in some of the people’s mind about thing considered valuable in life. ‘The

cultural values’ refer to such things as the ability to stand suffering, work hard,

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being optimistic, tolerance to other people’s belief or principles and being helpful

and so on. Besides, there may be some ‘social values’ messages which can be

about the ways of how to communicate, about how to appreciate, and respect

other people and about things which should be or should not be done in the

society. There may be messages which are related to ’religious value’ such as

belief in God. There may also be messages which are related to ‘psychological

problems’ concerning such things as self esteem, self confidence, self concept,

self existence, and emotion.

Then Wallace (1070: 10-11) adds that the moral messages which may exist

in the stories are related the relationship between God and man, man and nature,

man and himself, man and another man and society.

2.6 Psychological Analysis

To understand the meaning of psychology, the writer takes the William

James’s idea. According to William James (1962: 15), psychology is to be treated

as a natural science about individual activities. The word ‘activity’ issue here in a

very broad sense. It includes not only ‘motor activities’ such as walking and

speaking but also ‘cognitive activities’ like hearing, remembering and thinking

and ‘emotional activities’ like laughing, crying, and feeling.

In line with William James, it states that the word psychology derives

from Greek ‘psyche’ and ‘logos’. Psyche means soul and spirit or mind and

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mentality, while logos means a science or study of human soul, spirit, mental,

nature or mind and its process.

According to Wellek ( 1995:90 ), psychology of literature can be used to

help a literary critic or a literary researcher to explain, relate literature and reader,

interpret and evaluate literary works. The psychology of the author, the habits of

the author in revising and rewriting his draft, the genesis of the work of art are

examples of psychological studies towards a writer.

Endraswara ( 2008:203 ) adds that psychology comes into literary works

through discussion about the characteristic’s personality and discussion about

methods and theories of psychology. It also comes through any psychological

influence on the readers.

The author’s ideas about psychology support the coherence and

complexity of a literary work. These ideas intensify the extrinsic values of the

work and sometimes the truth of psychology makes the characters more alive.

Psychology could help improve their sensitivity about reality, sharpen their ability

to observe life and give opportunity to problem on the situation of his/her life.

Critics use psychological approaches to explore the motivations of characters and

the symbolic meanings of events, while biographers speculate about a writer’s

own motivations, conscious and unconscious in a literary work. Psychological

approaches are also used to describe and make to analyze the reader’s personal

responses to variety of the text (www.bedfordsmartin.com/literature).

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So it can be concluded that the basis of psychological approach is the idea

of existence of a human unconscious, those impulses, desires, and feeling about

which a person is unaware but which influence emotions and behaviors.

Freud in Bertens (2005: 16) believes that every individual has a conscious

and unconscious mind. Moreover, he believed that it was the unconscious mind

that plays the largest role in shaping someone’s personality. He maintained that

the vast differences between real and apparent motives are a result of this

delineation between two aspects of the soul.

Adi (2011: 185) in the context of the research literature or popular fiction,

psychoanalysis as a method consideration. Its use can be seen from various

research practices Martial Arts in narrative analysis. By this is meant to analyze

character who has a psychiatric disorder or psychological aspects of analyzing

characters.

Freud in Charles E. Bressler (1999: 149-153), the theories and practice of

Sigmund Freud provide the foundation for psychoanalytic criticism. The most

famous model of the human psyche Freud’s later version topographic model, the

tripartite model . This model divides the psyche into three parts : The id, The ego,

and the superego. The irrational, instinctual, unknown , an unconscious part of the

psyche Freud calls the id. Containing our secret desire, our darkest wishes, and

our most intense fears, the id wishes only to fulfill the urges of the pleasure

principle. In addition, it houses the libido, the source of all our psychosexual

desires and all our psychic energy. For Freud, the unresolved conflicts that give

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rise to any neurosis are the stuff of literature. A work of literature, he believes, is

the external expression of the author’s unconscious mind. Accordingly, the

literary work must be treated like a dream, applying psychoanalytic techniques to

the text to uncover hidden motivations and repressed desires.

Freud in Sosiawan (2010: 1) devides the personality is made up of three

major systems: the Id, the Ego, and Superego.

1. The Id

The Id is the original of the personality. The Id consists of everything

psychological that is inherited and that is present as birth, including the

instinct. Freud called the Id the ‘true physic reality’ because it represents the

inner world of subjective experience and has no knowledge of objective

reality. Id, which is part of the personality that drives storing human

biological instinct that moves the center based on the principle of pleasure

and tended to their needs. Are selfish, immoral, and do not want to know the

reality. Id is a character that consists of two parts:

a. Libido; reproductive instinct basic energy provider for constructive

activities. Also called life instinct (Eros)

b. Thanatos; destructive and aggressive instincts

In order to accomplish its aim of avoiding pain and obtaining

pleasure, the Id has at its command two process. These are ‘reflex action’

and ‘primary processes’. Reflex actions are in born and automatic

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reactions like sneezing and blinking. The primary process involves a

somewhat more complicated psychological reaction. It attempts to

discharge tension by forming an image of an object that will remove the

tension. For example, a hungry person who sees a picture of food, he wish

that he can eat the food, but the hungry person cannot eat mental images of

food. Consequently, a new or secondary psychological process develops,

and when this occurs the structures of the second system of the personality

the ego begin to take forms.

2. The Ego

The ego comes into existence because the needs of the organism

require appropriate transactions with the objective world of reality.

Related to the example in the Id, the hungry person has to seek’ find and

eat food before the tension hunger can be eliminated. The basic distinction

between the Id and the ego is that the former knows only the subjective

reality of the mind where as the later distinguishes between things in the

mind and things in the external world.

The ego is said to be the executive of the personality because it

controls the gateways to action, selects the features of the environment to

which it will respond, and decides what instinct will be satisfied and in

what manner. In performing this highly important executive functions, the

ego has to try to integrate the often conflicting demands of the id, the

super ego, and the external world.

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Ego, serves to mediate the demands of the id with the reality on

the ground. The ego is the mediator between the desire - the desire by the

rational and realistic. Ego causes humans to beat desire and live in a

rational and realistic.

3. The Super Ego

The super ego is the moral arm of personality. It represents the

ideal rather than the real and it strives for perfection rather than pleasure.

Its main concern is to decide whether something is right or wrong, so that

it can act in accordance with the moral standards authorized by the agents

of society. To give the vision that something is true or wrong the

individual should be enforced by means of rewards and punishment.

Super-ego is a description of social norms or rules of society and

culture. Super ego forces ego to suppress the desire subconscious.

Skinner in Sosiawan ( 2010:2 ) states that humans according to the

theory of behaviourism is homo mechanicus whose behavior is driven and

influenced by the environment. Humans do something as a result of the

learning process of change in behavior due to the influence of the

environment. Humans in this theory are considered as a white paper at

birth. In the development that causes a change is experience.

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CHAPTER III

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

Methodology is a strategy, a process or a procedure as a way of collecting

data and then analyzing it. According to Hadi (2000: 9-10) methodology is a

science discussing the ways or strategies to be employed in the effort to collect, to

find, to develop or to verify. He adds that the corrected of knowledge is by using

the research method. It is an important part of analyzing. The result of the

research is determined by the method that is used. In this chapter the researcher

would only take three items to be discussed related to the research method, type of

the study, data collecting method and data analysis technique. These three items

are explained one by one in the following parts.

3.1 Type of the study

This study is categorized into a library research, since all data sources are

taken from libraries. The research has two sources; they are primary source and

secondary source. The primary source is the novel The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel

Hawthorne , and it also becomes the subject of the research in relation to the topic.

It consists of 209 pages and 24 chapters, while the object of the research is the

impact of capital punishment in the life of the main character as reflected in the

novel. The secondary sources are some books in the library and internet sources.

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3.2 Data collecting technique

The method to collect the data above is observation and documentation.

Here, observation is reading the books carefully and critically and finding the

feature of the main characters and characterization. The result of observation is

written and filtered to find the psychological feature of the main character, Hester

Prynne .

While, the documentation method used some books/papers that consist of

dialogues needed and some sources that can give some inputs to the research.

Those methods are used to describe the impacts of adultery punishment in the life

of the main character as reflected in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter.

3.3 Data analyzing technique

After the data collected, they are analyzed through an in depth text

analysis. Then, they are described with the descriptive qualitative method under

psychological research stated by Sigmund Freud and B.F. Skinner. The writer

analyzed the main character of the scarlet letter, the impact of adultery

punishment that influence the main character perception about what he has done

in the past year.