The Scarlet Letter Blog 2: Shaming Sinful Acts

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Besides the main idea of the book being how Hester reacts to the villagers’ hate, does the theme of the book revolve around the act itself or how the villagers react to the sin committed? I believe the book is something that is ahead of its time, in many ways. Yes, Hester Prynne committed adultery, but her neighbors had her sew a bold scarlet “A” on the chest of her dress to remind her of her mistake. The topic of “slut shaming” has been a constant problem with females in this day and age. Women are looked down upon for these types of things. Granted, cheating is not excusable, but I disagree with double standard that has been created for men. The male cheater was not in so much penalty as Hester, who was shunned publicly. Although, their audience does not know who the father is, he has an advantage from not having to be coidis since he does not have to carry the child for 9 months. Women have a biological necessity to the world and are being punished in this book because their actions have rather evident consequences compared to men. Which is something extremely present today. This book took a surprising turn of events, being a relatable book for the 21st century consisting of adultery and shame on such sinful acts.

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