Essay about Scarlet Letter

Submitted By cberardi
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Pages: 5
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Scarlet Letter Alone in a cell, a girl sits with her thoughts: The constant reminder of her sin lays upon her breast, her one item of comfort, a journal to which she kept her thoughts of an ideal society... what we call today American society. America was founded upon the Puritan principles of good morals, pure lifestyles, and punishable sins. Today, America’s people and lifestyles are not like Puritan society. In today’s current society we do not live a pure lifestyle, our sins go unpunished, and we have lost touch with reality of our good morals. Although Puritans founded a strong religious based society, America no longer abides by what once was Puritan society. We do not live the pure and what was considered the ideal lifestyle the Puritans once lived. America’s people have evolved to become our own culture, have our own definition of morals, and establish our own lifestyle. In today’s society, all people promote what they believe is the ideal lifestyle. For some people it is a materialistic lifestyle, for others it is a spiritual lifestyle, others coast along with the status quo. Source C states, “Our ancestor’s Puritan values have definitively been discarded, the quick money ethos of Wall Street, the hookup culture of college students, and the vast pornographic industry”. This quote is significant because it shows the different lifestyles that Americans today now lead. Some are greedy and others are promiscuous: Both are completely opposite of what the Puritans had once instilled to be the proper lifestyle. Many people in today’s society are blinded by insanely greedy ways of thinking. Many people think about only about themselves and what they can do to advance their lifestyle to be better than the person next to them. People are no longer trying to keep up with the Joneses but rather outdoing them. Source C states, “A school instituted conservative dress policy prohibiting revealing clothing”. The school is trying to make their students live a proper and tasteful lifestyle when they are present in school. Unfortunately, the school is only a portion of the day leaving these students ample time to dress inappropriately. Children and teens look to their parents for guidance and support, and yet it is those same parents most of the time that allow their children to dress in a revealing manner. The school may be met with upset parents and students because they do not believe the clothes in their lifestyle are inappropriate. In conclusion, the lifestyles of today are nothing more than a contest to see who can outdo whom in all matters. This is including greed, money, and clothing choices that all make up the lifestyles of people. While in today’s society, America’s people are infatuated with greed, money, and the clothing choices. There is a large difference in opinion when it comes to morals. Each person has their own interpretation of what morals are and what they mean to them. Back when the Puritans existed they had a structured set of rules and morals that all people had to obey or suffer the consequences which included banishment or even death by hanging. Morals were the building blocks of the Puritan community; it is clearly evident in the Scarlet Letter. A quote from source A supports this, "She stood apart from moral interests, yet close beside them, like a ghost that revisits the familiar fireside and can no longer make itself seen or felt, no more smile with the household joy, nor mourn with the kindred sorrow; or, should it succeed in manifesting its forbidden sympathy, awakening only terror and horrible repugnance." This quote is critical because while Hester did not agree with the morals set forth by the community, she could only ignore the feelings of her mistakes for so long. It was something that haunted her and something that she could not escape even within her own home. As times have changed and people’s moral compasses evolved to what they deem acceptable, the issue of adultery does
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