Prompt #5: Gilead

Prompt: Often we can learn a lot about a character through his relationship with another character or characters. Discuss a relationship you see between two characters in Gilead and what that relationship tells you about the characters and the novel as a whole.

            A little boy wishes for nothing more than to be like his father when he grows up. Sometimes, this wish stems from a great wealth of respect, and other times because a father is a young boy’s first male role model. Reverend John Ames of Gilead, by Marilynne Robinson, relates to his father with a similar mixture of respect and awe. His strong relationship with his father affects both his development as a character, and eventually, his relationship with his own son. The development of this father-son relationship throughout the novel not only characterizes Reverend Ames, but provides the background to his purpose for writing this letter of his life history: to build a relationship with his own son, even after he passes away.

            The most visible connections relating Reverend Ames to his father are the similarities between the two men. Mutual respect is created between Reverend Ames and his father because both are ministers. They live by the same scriptures and principles. Reverend Ames feels that religion defined a large portion of his father’s life. By sharing the same commitment to spreading God’s word, John and his father are united by common beliefs and goals. The magnitude of the effect of religion on both of their lies is evidenced by the impact of the ministry on their basic personalities and characters. When traveling in the West together, strangers immediately recognize Reverend Ames’ father as a preacher. He recalls, “And they could tell he was a preacher, rough-looking as we were a few days into our desert wanderings, as he called them. […] He was interested that they knew, and wondered a good deal what it was that gave him away” (Robinson 16). Sentences later, he thinks, “I have had the same experience many times, and I have wondered about it, too” (16). Whatever special quality the men share, it immediately identifies them, creating a common link between them. Additionally, Reverend Ames and his father both share the name John Ames. This furthers the similarities between father and son, both literally and symbolically. Simply, they have the same name, but the author seems to suggest that they were nearly the same person in respect to their ideals. Because Reverend Ames and his father share their passion for religion, it becomes apparent that their father-son relationship is so strong because they are similar in multiple respects.

            Though Reverend Ames and his father share the same profession and name, he contemplates the subtle differences between their methods of preaching. One aspect he focuses on is the way ministers write their sermons. He recalls that his father always preached from his notes, whereas he must write his own sermons down completely. Reverend Ames sees his father’s notes and his own sermons as works that could have a future impact. Yet, his father’s sermons can never be relived or repeated because they were never completely recorded. The concept of being able to preserve a sermon forever fascinates Reverend Ames. Perhaps his father’s way of only partially recording his sermons compels him to save every sermon he preaches, so his wife and son may have access to them after he passes away. This contemplation of the method in which his father recorded his sermons is indicative of the way Reverend Ames views his father’s sermons as a part of the man and father he was. For that reason, Reverend Ames is meticulous about recording his own sermons verbatim so they can be saved for his son.

            Throughout his letter, Reverend Ames also returns frequently to positive memories he has of his father. One of his oldest, most sacred memories of his father is when his father fed him a biscuit from his hand during a gathering to repair the church. The act was simple, but Reverend Ames remembers it as if his father was giving him communion straight from his hand. At that moment, he felt blessed by his father and closer to him than before. For this reason, Reverend Ames feeds his own son communion from his hand as a little boy, even though he is too young to have communion or remember the occasion. For Reverend Ames, the situation was a treasured moment with his father, and he wants his son to have the same opportunity. He also often discusses the trip he took with his father as a boy to find his grandfather’s grave in the wilderness. He recounts the night they stood at the grave, with the rising moon and setting sun creating a straight line on the horizon, with the grave and the two men at the center of it. Later, his father told him that everyone observed the same alignment. Looking back at that situation, Reverend Ames says, “Later I realized my father would have meant that the sun and moon aligned themselves as they did with no special reference to the two of us. He never encouraged any talk about visions or miracles, except the ones in the Bible” (48). Reverend Ames seems disappointed by his father’s rejection of the possibility of a miracle, yet at the same time, his religious views are shaped by his father. Now, as an adult and a preacher, Reverend Ames still references his father’s teachings when he considers the possibility of a vision or miracle, showing the lasting impact his father’s teaching has had on him. Reverend Ames wants his own son to learn from his religious teachings as well, just as his father taught him.

            Although he fully respects and loves his father, Reverend Ames also harbors conflicting feelings about his father’s relationship with his grandfather. His father hated his own father for his role in the Civil War. The man often wore his bloody war shirts and his pistol during church services, brandishing them as proof of God’s will in the war. These antics enraged Reverend Ames’s father even after he man had died, leading him to destroy the relics, without regard to respect for the dead. Reverend Ames feels that his father was hiding the “guilt” of his grandfather, saying, “I had so much respect for my father. I felt certain that he should hide the guilt of his father, and that I should also hide the guilt of mine” (85). This shows how although Reverend Ames believes his father had done something wrong in his hatred of his own father, he wanted to respect and to protect him. Reverend Ames does not want his son to have to be responsible for any of his own guilt, and uses this recollection of how he felt about his father’s disrespect to his grandfather as an example of what he has learned about father-son relationships.

            The progression of the relationship between Reverend Ames and his father shows much about the nature of each of the men. The development of their relationship shows how Reverend Ames’s father was a man who held love for his son, as well as the desire to teach him morals and religion. This is evidenced in the gentle way he fed young Reverend Ames from his hand, and how he revealed the guilt of his father to him so he might not repeat similar sins. The relationship also demonstrates how much respect Reverend Ames has for his father. He is very conscious of the relationship between father and son, constantly analyzing it. He respected his father’s profession and his beliefs, showing how his world views derive directly from his father’s teachings. In the context of the novel, the relationship between Reverend Ames and his father shows how impressionable a child is, receiving all of their teachings from their parents. Whether the teaching is good or bad, the child will be affected by it forever. Because Reverend Ames will die before he has the opportunity to teach his own son the lessons taught to him by his father, it is necessary that he records his teachings in the letter. In this way, the relationship between Reverend Ames and his father shows how each man’s character was shaped by his father, and demonstrates the importance of passing knowledge from one generation to the next.

            In Reverend Ames’s case, he strives to be like his father not because he is the only male he knows well, but because he values his teachings so much. From his father, he learned the importance of passing religious traditions to his own son, as well as how to protect his son from holding his guilt. This beautiful relationship validates Reverend Ames’s efforts, because though he will not be alive to teach his son, his wisdom can live on in the words of his letter.

Prompt #4: Charming Billy

Prompt: Though Billy Lynch is the title character of the novel, Charming Billy presents several other well-rounded characters. Choose a character other than Billy and discuss the methods the author uses to create him/her. How does your character contribute to the meaning of the novel?

 

            Human society revolves around the idea of contrasts. From the Chinese symbols of yin and yang, to the juxtaposition of right and wrong in nearly every childhood tale, understanding is often best attained by drawing a contrast. In the novel Charming Billy, by Alice McDermott, lifelong friends Billy and Dennis form their own kind of yin-yang relationship. Billy is wild and romantic, while Dennis is calm and realistic. Although Billy is the title character of the book, Dennis is developed just as richly through direct and indirect methods of characterization, furthering the contrast between the two characters.

            The author uses physical description to directly characterize Dennis, at the same time contrasting his looks with Billy. The narrator of the novel observes, “…Billy thin-faced with black hair and pale blue eyes behind his rimless glasses; Dennis with broad cheeks, eternally flushed, and dark eyes and fair hair that had only begun to thin under his combat helmet, somewhere, he claimed, in northern France. One every inch the poet or the scholar, the other a perfect young cop or barman” (McDermott 63). This direct description helps to identify Dennis’ strong Irish roots by assigning him one of the “…half dozen or so basic versions of the Irish physiognomy…” (63). Beyond that, Dennis’s physical appearance makes him look like a “young cop,” contributing to the way others react to him. As the narrator describes Dennis as a young man, she notes the way drunken men loitering on the streets would move as Dennis approached, mistaking him for a police officer. This glimpse of Dennis’s interactions with the drunken men on the streets foreshadows his dealings with Billy in the future, taking care of his friend each night when he arrives home drunk. Furthermore, this direct characterization draws the contrast between the two men by connecting Billy’s appearance to a poet and Dennis’s appearance to a cop. These occupations are symbolic of each man’s character: Billy, soft and emotional, and Dennis, strong and orderly. By directly describing Dennis’s physical appearance, the author achieves a greater contrast between him and Billy and implies how other characters respond to Dennis’s personality.

            Dennis’s actions are also indicative of his character, showing how selfless he is. Dennis tends to pay attention to other’s needs, making his daily decisions based on how they will affect the others around him. At the opening of the novel, Dennis is first seen at the table next to Maeve, following her husband’s funeral. He is extremely perceptive of Maeve’s needs, getting her more iced tea and communicating with the waitresses and the restaurant manager for her. In this way, Dennis is unlike Billy, who was never able to take care of Maeve. Rather, she nursed him as he became more addicted to alcohol. As the narrator recalls events from the past, Dennis’s differences from Billy become more apparent. Instead of telling Billy the truth about his love, Eva, who has just been married to another man, he decides to tell him that she has died. Dennis does not consider the romance that Billy has treasured, but the long-term, practical effects of telling the truth. The narrator notes, “…he had no real plan. He only knew he didn’t want to deliver the blow with Billy’s two sisters and their husbands and Aunt Ellen, his mother, around. Imagine the night: your life’s plans blasted, the baby crying in the next room, your sister and her young husband stirring in their bed, your widowed mother tapping at your bedroom door hour after hour…” (27). Dennis’s practical assessment of the future leads him to tell the lie instead, showing how he deals with problems in an orderly way, unlike the sentimental Billy. Although this action seems cruel, Dennis shows that he can be kind and selfless. When Billy first met Eva, Dennis approached his wealthy stepfather for a loan for Billy. He procured $500, allowing Billy to send for Eva. Though Dennis does not always understand Billy’s sentimental inclinations, he is willing to do anything that he believes will make his friend most happy. The combination of Dennis’s actions over the years demonstrates how he is helpful by nature, yet very different from Billy and his romantic, unrealistic view of life.

            The most compelling testimony to Dennis’s true character is the way others react to him. The author carefully crafts the other characters’ reactions to reflect the gentle, loyal man they perceive Dennis to be. As the characters reminisce at Maeve’s house after Billy’s funeral, they praise Dennis for his dedication to Billy and Maeve. They say, “And Dennis having to go down to the VA to identify Billy like that. What would Maeve have done, over the years, without your father to call on” (165). This statement shows how Dennis remained loyal to Billy, even when the tasks presented to him were difficult. Nobody wants to identify a dead body – especially that of his best friend. Dennis was always there to help Maeve with Billy, receiving phone calls and visiting late at night, even when his own wife was terminally ill at home. The trust the other characters place in Dennis demonstrates how loyal and reliable Dennis was for his friend, even as the mutual nature of his friendship with Billy was no longer reciprocated.

            By drawing a contrast between the characters of Billy and Dennis, the author is essentially contrasting two ways of life: one very realistic and the other imaginary and romantic. The romantic lifestyle is most exciting, but leads to heartbreak and failure. Billy lives his life spontaneously, investing all of his energy into his love with Eva. Because of his sentimental and childish image of love, Billy eventually becomes helpless. Contrastingly, Dennis is matter-of-fact about everything, helping him to stay in control even as Billy fails to recover from his broken heart. The author captures Dennis’s view on Billy’s imaginary world when he says, “‘Billy didn’t need someone to pour him his drinks, he needed someone to tell him that living isn’t poetry. It isn’t prayer. To tell him and convince him’” (194). Dennis is saying that Billy needed to focus on reality. He needed someone to tell him that unlike the romantic lines of poetry he loved to recite, real life was not always flawless. Because Billy could not understand this way of life, he crumbled when faced with adversity. This is what made Billy the wrong husband for Maeve, and what made Dennis the best husband for her later on. The author contrasts these life views throughout the novel to show how they affect one’s entire life.

            The narrator closes with a statement: “As if, in that wide-ranging anthology of stories that was the lives of the saints – that was, as well, my father’s faith and Billy’s and some part of my own – what was actual, as opposed to what was imagined, as opposed to what was believed, made, when you got right down to it, any difference at all” (243). This quote can be interpreted to mean that whether someone chooses to live in the realistic world or in an imaginary world, the outcome of their life will result directly, and cannot be altered. The underlying meaning of the novel revolves around how characters deal differently with hardship and life, leading to their success or failure. Though Billy’s spontaneity and personable ways made him a favorite with his friends, his unrealistic view of the world was his downfall. Dennis was realistic in every way – from his looks, to his actions, to his interactions with other people. Even as Billy’s complete opposite, Dennis made a reliable, strong friend who was capable of dealing with even the most difficult situations.

Prompt #3: Charming Billy

Prompt: One of an author’s goals at the beginning of a novel is to fully engage her reader. Select a passage from the first half of “Charming Billy” that you found particularly interesting and explain how you think it contributes to engaging the reader in the novel.

            After a loved one passes away, relatives and friends search amidst the grief, looking for memories to hold on to. When Billy in the novel Charming Billy, by Alice McDermott, passes away, the attendees of his funeral grasp at the few things that leave a positive memory of Billy, before his alcohol addiction consumed him. Billy was always writing letters, his friends recall, sending quick notes scratched on scraps of paper. At the funeral reception, Bridie, one of Billy’s friends, passes around a letter from Billy, written on an airline napkin. The vignette of the family sharing the letter works to engage the audience and to convince them to like Billy, whom they barely know. The narrator says:

The napkin was circulated, held as delicately as a fledgling, some even reaching into a purse or breast pocket for reading glasses so as not to miss a word. All the way up the table to Maeve, who read it with a smile and a nod, and all the way back down again. Bridie took it back and read it once more before placing it into its envelope and back into a side, zippered compartment of her Sunday pocketbook.

Other letters from Billy were being mentioned: a note scribbled on a Playbill page, on a business card. The long missives he’d sent home during the war, whole lines blacked out by the censors but the homesickness coming through. He was so homesick. The postcards from the Irish trip, the placemats and napkins from various Long Island restaurants and diners, that summer he and Dennis were out there, fixing up Mr. Holtzman’s little house. You remember Mr. Holtzman. Dennis’s mother’s second husband. The shoe-store man.” (McDermott 6)

This passage draws readers in by juxtaposing the idea of someone who died from an alcohol addiction with the image of a charismatic and romantic well-loved man. The development of this complicated character, along with the conversational syntax of the passage works to make the reader feel emotionally connected to Billy.

            The way Billy is indirectly characterized in this account makes the reader sympathize with Billy and his struggle with alcohol. Instead of revealing more about Billy’s disease, the author’s description creates a romantic image. The reader does not connect the action of letter-writing with an alcoholic, but rather a popular, loving man. Also, the places Billy has been are revealed: airports, plays, restaurants, and various travel destinations. These places intrigue the reader with the image of a worldly, educated man, not a drunk. Furthermore, the way the other characters react to Billy’s letters makes the reader like Billy. The characters have saved the notes for years, indicating that Billy was a special person. When they read the letter, they linger on the words, though it is only a short note. They pull out eyeglasses, as if not to miss any detail. The way the author indirectly characterizes Billy as a kind of man that readers identify with works to immediately engage the reader.

            The author also appeals to pathos, or emotion, to engage the reader. The reader feels sentimental while reading the passage, reminiscing about Billy along with his friends and relatives. The book was published in 1998, when people were transitioning from mailing handwritten letters to sending emails and making phone calls. Letter-writing seems old-fashioned to the reader, making the idea resonate with them more. Also, the emotion described in Billy’s war letters connects with the reader. The way Billy was able to communicate his homesickness despite censorship makes the emotional connection more genuine. The audience identifies with this feeling of being separated from a loved one, whether it is from war, or just living far away. By displaying Billy as a sentimental, passionate man, the author strengthens the contrast between the alcoholic Billy and the emotional, letter-writing Billy. The depth created by this juxtaposition further intrigues the audience, indirectly lending insight to the story.

            The author’s use of figurative language also furthers the goal of engaging the readers, making them feel fondly towards Billy. A simile is created as Billy’s friends and family hold his note “as delicately as a fledgling.” A fledgling, or a little bird, is essentially harmless and vulnerable. Maybe this simile is an intentional symbol for Billy; he was viewed as a disturbed alcoholic, but he was truly a fragile, emotional man who needed more protection than he received. The letter is also symbolic of his friends and family refusing to let go of the Billy they loved, before his alcohol addiction. The note is almost a piece of the old Billy, explaining why Bridie has kept it for all of these years. The deeper connection between the letter and the characters’ perception of Billy engages the reader in not only a literal, but figurative way.

            One of the author’s most engaging decisions is the intentional use of conversational syntax. Many of the sentences are long, periodic sentences, separated into multiple clauses by commas. This makes it seem as if the narrator is actively thinking or telling the story to the reader, elaborating on each detail. Amongst these descriptive sentences are shorter sentences, like “He was so homesick,” and “You remember Mr. Holtzman.” These short, explanatory phrases draw the audience in, making them feel as if they are being spoken to by someone at the table. The combination of these longer and shorter sentences makes the reader feel as if he is part of the intimate conversation, reinforcing a tangible connection to Billy, the others at the table, and the novel.

            With the combination of these elements, this scene from the funeral reception becomes especially effective in interesting and engaging the reader. The reader becomes more loyal to and familiar with Billy as his story unfolds, through a combination of emotional, indirect characterization, figurative language, and conversational syntax. Billy is almost recreated by the author as a good man who lived a beautiful life, not the alcoholic he truly became. This passage successfully attracts the reader, committing him to Billy and the rest of the story.

Prompt #2: The Scarlet Letter

Prompt #2: Choose one of the three main characters and discuss his/her motivations throughout the novel. What is the final outcome for the character you are discussing, and what does this outcome suggest to the reader?

            Hester Prynne, infamous adulteress of The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, is doomed to eternal religious and moral turmoil after committing the unspeakable sin of adultery. After committing such evil in early Puritan America, it seems that Hester might never survive the solitude and isolation of her punishment of wearing the scarlet letter “A.” Rather than crumbling under the contempt of her neighbors and her own guilt, Hester perseveres, choosing to endure her punishment. Hester is able to survive her punishment because she is empowered to bear her punishment and is motivated by her love for her daughter, Pearl, and her fellow sinner, Reverend Dimmesdale.

            Hester’s ultimate goal is to accept her punishment of wearing the scarlet letter. She does not want the letter to define the rest of her life, though she knows it will forever be connected to her. When Hester first emerges from prison, she is overwhelmed by the urge to hide the symbol of her crime. As Hester stands before the town, she attempts to cover the letter with her baby. Shortly afterwards, a different idea registers in Hester’s mind: “In a moment, however, wisely judging that one token of her shame would but poorly serve to hide another, she took the baby on her arm, and with a burning blush, and yet a haughty smile, and a glance that would not be abashed, looked around at her townspeople and neighbours” (27, Hawthorne). It is interesting that the author chooses to describe Hester as “wise.” She has made the mistake of having a child with a man other than her husband and seems anything but wise. This wisdom seems to come from within, as Hester realizes that she must consent to and tolerate her punishment if she is to survive the humiliation and guilt she feels. As the author notes, the people around Hester are only “townspeople and neighbours.” The only person deserving to judge and punish Hester is God. Hester realizes this and chooses to accept her punishment instead. This ability to endure the consequences of her sin and leave her fate with God is what separates Hester from Reverend Dimmesdale. He is unable to accept his punishment from God, instead suffering internally from his religious and moral conflict. Because Hester possesses this incentive to be at peace with her punishment, she is better able to cope with the situation, thriving even in her solitude.

            As Hester’s lifetime of punishment progresses, her motivation to accept the price of her sin becomes further evident. As time passes, the townspeople are decreasingly repulsed by her past. They allow her into their homes to treat the sick and needy, coming to appreciate her charity and generosity. Yet, when Hester leaves their homes in the morning, she distances herself from those who reach out to her, rejecting their forgiveness and gratitude. The author notes her behavior, saying, “This might be pride, but was so like humility, that it produced all the softening influence of the latter quality on the public mind […] Interpreting Hester Prynne’s department as an appeal of this nature, society was inclined to show its former victim a more benign countenance than she cared to be favoured with, or, perchance, than she deserved” (78). The community mistakenly believes that Hester is seeking forgiveness so she can be liberated of the implications of her punishment. The author attempts to define her attitude with words like “pride” and “humility.” These words give the impression of someone trying to escape her punishment, through aloofness or through an apologetic attitude. Instead, Hester has chosen to endure her punishment as means of coping with it. She neither “cares” to reject forgiveness, nor believes that she does not “deserve” it. Her outlook is more a combination of these two concepts. Hester has elected to serve her punishment in full, both because she feels obligated to and because it is how she chooses to deal with her sin.

            Hester’s ultimate motivation not only includes the desire to endure her consequences, but a drive to protect those she loves. Just as Hester can never separate herself from the scarlet letter, even if she takes it off, she cannot break her ties with Pearl and Reverend Dimmesdale. The three are forever united by the sin of adultery. Though Hester has truly wronged these people, she feels that she can protect them through persistence and solidarity. In the case of Pearl, Hester never expected to have a child and knows little of motherly instincts and childcare. The community attempts to take Pearl away, questioning whether she has received an adequate Christian upbringing. Hester herself fears for the purity of Pearl’s soul, but fights to keep her. This determination to protect her daughter stems from love. Hester’s motivation to protect Reverend Dimmesdale is also evident. From the beginning, Hester refuses to reveal him as Pearl’s father, protecting him from the shame of society. She later risks their lives to alert the reverend that Chillingworth has malicious intentions, and is actually her husband. The author reveals this choice by saying, “Such was the ruin to which she had brought the man, once – nay, why should we not speak it? – still so passionately loved! Hester felt that the sacrifice of the clergyman’s good name, and death itself, as she had already told Roger Chillingworth, would have been infinitely preferable to the alternative which she had taken upon herself to choose” (93). This passage shows how Hester would rather die than have to admit that she hid Chillingworth’s true identity from Reverend Dimmesdale for so long. Because Hester loves Reverend Dimmesdale so much, this confession is difficult for her. The syntax of the sentence is indicative of her deep love for Dimmesdale. By using the interjection of “nay, why should we not speak it?,” the reader feels Hester’s strong emotion of love. Hester’s love for Dimmesdale motivates her to protect him in any way possible, even if revealing Chillingworth’s identity poses a risk for her. This motivation of love leads Hester to take on the difficult task of protecting those closest to her: Pearl and Reverend Dimmesdale.

            Eventually, though Hester perseveres through her hardship, she loses both Reverend Dimmesdale and Pearl. Her motivation to endure her earthly punishment and to protect those she loves fails to keep her loved ones with her. Reverend Dimmesdale dies in the center of the town after revealing his role in the sin, finally releasing the burden of his guilt. Hester loses Pearl to adulthood. Pearl grows up and moves away from her mother and the scarlet letter, seeking a life that is not tainted by her past. Meanwhile, Hester chooses to stay in the town and to wear the scarlet letter. The author says, “Here had been her sin; here, her sorrow; and here was yet to be her penitence” (125). Even if Hester had moved away or removed the scarlet letter from her dress, the guilt of her mistake would stay with her forever. The syntax of this sentence suggests a chronological process through the use of semi-colons. Hester experienced sin, then sadness, and now experiences repentance. This also suggests a lesson of morality. One can tolerate a sin that they have committed, and even be forgiven by others and by God, yet they are never to rid themselves of it. Hester endured the trials of shame and isolation, motivated by her decision to withstand the punishment and by her determination to protect her loved ones. These well-loved people, who were Hester’s main motivations to persevere, eventually moved on, leaving Hester and her scarlet letter behind, showing that one can come to accept, yet never escape her sins.

Prompt #1: The Scarlet Letter

Prompt #1: Setting includes more than just time and place. It also concerns social conditions and customs of a given location and time period. Discuss the setting of The Scarlet Letter and how it contributes to your understanding of the book so far.

            From a modern perspective, the plight of Hester Prynne in The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, seems unjust and utterly hyperbolic for her offense of adultery. Hester made an unfortunate mistake; now her act of adultery leads to a tainted future. As religious fervor decreases in America, it is difficult to understand why Hester’s blunder is treated aggressively, without any chance of forgiveness. Today’s readers see teen mothers publicized on television shows and movies, and unmarried, single mothers aided by the funds and supports of society. Adultery is certainly not accepted today, but Hester’s predicament seems decreasingly shocking. Unlike the permissive world of modern America, the setting of The Scarlet Letter in Hester’s time is based on strict, religious social conditions and customs that explain why her transgression is treated with extensive punishment, leaving her a social outcast branded with a red “A” for the remainder of her life.

            The Scarlet Letter takes place during the mid-17^th century colonial period in America. Hester lives in a religious Massachusetts town, awaiting the arrival of her husband from Europe. The focus of the town seems to be the prison and the penalty platform, where Hester and her baby are exposed and shamed before the community. The punishment platform allows the community to gather around the sinner, displayed for everyone to see. Because the recognition of sin is such a focus in the town, it becomes evident why Hester’s punishment creates a long-lasting impact. Also, after her release from prison, Hester moves to a peninsula on the outskirts of the town, symbolizing her rejection from society. Hawthorne describes the peninsula: “It had been built by an earlier settler, and abandoned, because the soil about it was too sterile for cultivation, while its comparative remoteness put it out of the sphere of that social activity which already marked the habits of the emigrant” (68, Hawthorne). The diction in this description signifies Hester’s detachment from her town, with words like “sterile” and “remoteness.” Hester’s home is isolated, and also on an inhospitable patch of land, representing how the world as a whole receives her.

            Beyond the physical setting of time and place, the social conditions of the 17^th century contribute to Hester’s situation. Hester’s sin is regarded as especially wicked because colonial life was closely tied to religion. The settlers of the Massachusetts colony immigrated in groups, with the families and minister of a church traveling together. The churches established towns and daily life was centered on religion. The church determined laws and voters were usually male members of the church. These religious people also determined punishments, such as that of Ann Hutchinson, who is mentioned at the end of the first chapter. She believed that people’s actions did not determine their fate in heaven because God already knew the nature of their soul. This belief contradicted the teachings of the church, so she was banished. Because the legal system in Hester’s town was also religiously affiliated, her punishment of wearing the scarlet letter was clearly derived from religious and social beliefs. Without the implications of religion in the community, Hester might have returned to her original life.

            Hester’s situation is also influenced by the prestige of the clergy in the colonies. Religious leaders held the most respected positions in the community, especially in pious New England. Hester’s pastor, Reverend Dimmesdale, tries to convince Hester to reveal the father of her baby, though, ironically, it is him. She fails to do so, leaving him and the other reverend to uphold her punishment of banishment and wearing the scarlet letter. The clergy is so well-respected that not a single colonist would think to question his decision and authority. The author describes him as, “…a young clergyman, who had come from one of the great English universities. His eloquence and religious fervor had already given the earnest of high eminence in his profession” (57). He also has a “…dewy purity of though, which, as many people said, affected them like the speech of an angel” (57).  This description shows how the people are entranced by the reverend, though he is not a holy man, as they believe. Rather, he is just as much a sinner as Hester is, but his high societal status protects him. The choice of the word “purity” and the comparison of Reverend Dimmesdale to an angel further demonstrate how the clergy is revered, despite their inner character. The reverent diction throughout the description also portrays Dimmesdale as a good man, noting his “eloquence” and “fervor.” Truly, the townspeople are misled, because Dimmesdale has sinned before God as well. Because the clergy was so greatly respected in colonial life, it shows why his authority to judge Hester before God is not doubted.

            In colonial society, women are also believed to be subservient to the men. The way Hester is dealt with is indicative of the gender roles of the 17^th century. Women were expected to obey their husbands, take care of the children and the home, and had very few rights. By being unfaithful to her husband, Hester is deserving of punishment. Meanwhile, the man who sinned with her is not responsible for the deed, and will not be punished. When Hester’s husband arrives under the disguise of Dr. Chillingworth, he says to her, “‘…I find here a woman, a man, a child, amongst whom and myself there exist the closest ligaments. No matter whether of love or hate; no matter whether of right or wrong! Thou and thine, Hester Prynne, belong to me. My home is where thou art, and where he is” (64). Dr. Chillingworth’s tone is authoritative and controlling, giving Hester no opportunity to object or disobey. The figurative “closest ligaments” that tie them are the bonds of marriage and family. Even Hester’s unfaithfulness has failed to break the ties with her husband because she does not have the power to do so. The tone is established with the use of the exclamation point and the repetition of the phrase “no matter.” Hester and her daughter are seen as property of Dr. Chillingworth, never mind the fact that she does not want to be married to him. Unlike modern times, Hester cannot divorce her husband, showing how the social conditions of The Scarlet Letter confine Hester to her permanent punishment.

            Though the modern audience of The Scarlet Letter may not be familiar with the way Hester is ostracized and publicly humiliated for adultery, the social context explains why she is treated in such a way. A combination of the role of religion and the subservience of women in the colonies explain why Hester is severely punished by her town, rather than leaving the conflict between her and God. Although readers may question the way Hester was punished, early American society would be convinced of the leaders’ right to punish her on a basis of religion and gender roles.