When a novel has religious or social commentary it can transcend generations. Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter is an example of such religious commentary. Hawthorne asserts his simple truth, that the Puritan community is hypocritical and ignorant, by contrasting his own depictions of Hester and Dimmesdale with how the puritans view them. Hawthorne uses the irony in Hester's character, the hypocrisy of Dimmesdale's character, and the ignorance of the town to show his truth. The community's view of Hester is the first way Hawthorne shows that the Puritan community is hypocritical and ignorant. The community treats Hester as a vile sinner who should be shunned, even though she is strong and very useful. Hester's strength is shown…show more content… By publically passing judgment upon Hester for the same crime he committed, Dimmesdale embodies hypocrisy. Dimmesdale is tormented by the hypocrisy of this, and by the sin he has committed. Although he tries to repent for what he has done by brutalizing himself “under lock and key”[ch 11; 217], it is only when he makes his grand confession in the third scaffold scene that Dimmesdale feels he is free. The aftermath of this final confession is what demonstrates the ignorance of the puritans. When Dimmesdale confesses, he merges his public and personal lives in the public eye. Confessing reveals the hypocrisy of what he has done to the entire town. Dimmesdale tries to force the town to reconsider their morals by learning of his secret life. However, the town chooses to see the scene at the scaffold, not as a confession, but a "mighty and mournful lesson” [ch 24; 387]. Remaining ignorant allows the Puritans to go about their lives as if nothing has happened. This could be because they are scared of the truth or would prefer not to be challenged, but either way, it proves that the puritans are ignorant. Dimmesdale, through his actions and the aftermath of his confession, is used to demonstrate puritan hypocrisy and
