139)
This represents the first stirrings of change for the meaning of the scarlet letter from adultery to "able"; able to overcome tragedy with one's head held high; just as Hester Prynne had done. As Hester continues to contribute to the community through her seamstress and charity work, she becomes increasingly admired, once again changing the meaning of the scarlet letter. It has now surpassed mere ability to encompass admiration for a woman who was actually a victim of Puritanical small mindedness rather than a sinner worthy of a public haranguing. If anyone was truly sinful here, it was her husband Roger Chillingsworth, who chose to spend his life hell bent on revenge rather than forgiveness.
The Historical Critical Perspective
The Scarlet Letter is set in Boston in the 17th century during the Puritan era. According to Portersfield (2001) "people argued over the strong American tendency to define religion in terms of morality, which was a legacy of the Puritans' move to shift control of religious life from external authorities to individuals, families, and local communities" (p. 230). This description of Puritan life fits ideally into the setting that Hawthorne portrays in his novel.
Interestingly however, Hawthorne does not express disapproval of the Puritans for the fact they sought to chastise a crime of passion. Instead he expresses the following thoughts at the beginning of the novel: "The founders of a new colony, whatever Utopia of human virtue and happiness they might originally project, have invariably recognized it among their earliest practical necessities to allot a portion...
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