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Sage Johnson

Mr. Morgan

American Authors - 2nd Hour

21 March 2023

Age and Religion: Uniter and Divider

Diversity is something that is important everywhere. The differences between people

allow them to be placed in the same categories by themselves or by society. It is common for

these groups to stick together, defend each other, and have similar ideas or ideologies. These

groups need to stick together in some scenarios to get their point across. These groups can easily

cause harm to other groups by overpowering them and abusing their power. Two examples of

the categories are defined by age and religion. In the Scarlet Letter, Hawks characters

inappropriately used age differences as a way to separate themselves as age was a sign of

wisdom, and religion was used as a weapon and form of self-harm.

Throughout the scarlet letters, the elders constantly are speaking to those younger than

them with boldness and insolence. Older people feel a sense of superiority or entitlement due to

their age and life experience. The people of New England waited anxiously to watch Hester

Pyrene walk out of jail after committing adultery, which resulted in the birth of her daughter,

Pearl. The town stood and watched as she walked to the scaffold holding her child. The narrator

proclaimed “The age had not so much refinement, that any sense of impropriety restrained the

wearers of petticoat and farthingale from stepping forth into the public ways, and wedging their

not insubstantial persons, if occasion were, into the throng nearest to the scaffold at an

execution” (Hawthorne 59). Based on the quote, individuals did not place as much value on

propriety and decorum as is appropriate for their age. No matter how they should have behaved,
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women would go to public events like executions and push their way to the front of the audience

to get a better view. To clarify, because there was a lack of refinement and decorum in society at

the time, older women were free to express their interest or even morbid fascination in public

without feeling constrained by societal mores or a sense of modesty because they believed their

age excused their grotesque actions. One could find their actions excusable but someone else

may not, which can easily cause tension between people with varying ideas.

As Hester stands in shame for the whole town to see, the people begin to talk. They

search for ways to make themselves better than Hester so they are in a place to judge her. The

elders use their age to elevate themselves from their younger puritans. “Goodwives," said a

hard-featured dame of fifty, "I 'll tell ye a piece of my mind. It would be greatly for the public

behoof, if we women, being of mature age and church-members in good repute, should have the

handling of such malefactresses as this Hester Prynne” (Hawthorne 60). The other women in the

audience are being referred to as "Goodwives" by the speaker. She goes on to suggest that

women who are "old age and church members in good repute" should be in charge of

disciplining women who have committed wrongdoing, such as Hester Prynne. Even though

there was a justifiable distinction to treat Hester as if she were less than human, age and religion

were utilized to distinguish the other ladies from Hester. This leads Hester to becoming a social

pariah within her own community.

The novel focused on Hester’s sin and its result being her daughter Pearl in the

beginning. After spending time on the scaffold and being ridiculed by others in the town, the

chapter is named ‘PEARL’. This chapter begins with “WE have as yet hardly spoken of the

infant” (Hawthorne 107). Pearl has consistently been seen as an accessory to Hester rather than

a person herself because of her age since age was used as a sign of status in Puritan Society. Her
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current age doesn’t allow her to hold a significant role in the story or society. In general, the

sentence implies that Pearl hasn't received much attention from the narrator and that there is still

more to say about her as she grows in age and societal standing.

Hester's husband whom she cheated on, Roger Chillingworth, the governor of

Massachusetts Bay Colony, Bellingham, and Oxford scholar Arthur Dimmesdale all took note of

Pearl’s devilish behavior and started to call her names and taunt her. They question Hester about

if she was capable of raising her child into a faithful puritan as they considered Hester to be the

exact opposite. Hester protested “I can teach my little Pearl what I have learned from this!"

answered Hester Prynne, laying her finger on the red token.” (Hawthorne 126). The quotation

implies that one's ability to obtain and share information is not always determined by age and

that older people may contribute much by sharing their knowledge and wisdom with younger

generations. According to Hester, knowledge must be learned over time through experience, and

older people are frequently better able to pass on their information to younger generations.

Despite her youth, Hester is certain that she can teach Pearl the life lessons that she has learned

from her life and the scarlet letter. This self-proclaimed knowledge was commonly forced on

many puritans because the most knowledgeable person is a relative position. This easily caused

tension between age groups and with others within the same age group because their variety of

experiences formed different opinions.

Chillingworth keeps torturing Dimmesdale in efforts to give him the worst possible

retribution. The minister often holds mistrust and even hate for his doctor, but because he can

find no justification for these thoughts, he ignores them and his suffering continues.

Nonetheless, Dimmesdale's suffering inspires him to deliver some of his most stirring sermons,

which center on the subject of sin. His struggles allows him to understand human frailty and he
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proclaims “In many shapes, of death, or more awful shame, all flocking round about the

clergyman, and pointing with their fingers at his breast!” (Hawthorne 159) as he is tormented by

the guilt of his sin he committed with Hester. According to the remark, religion can cause people

to feel uncomfortable and ashamed, especially those who are in charge of defending religious

beliefs. Being a spiritual leader who has committed a serious crime in this specific case, the

clergyman is being judged and condemned by the community for his hypocrisy. The locals

accuse him of breaking his religious obligations by symbolically pointing their fingers at his

breast. The quote so emphasizes how religion may cause friction and conflict in society,

especially when religious leaders don't uphold their goals. It demonstrates how the demands

made of religious leaders may be crushing and cause a tremendous deal of guilt and shame.

The most common ideas in Puritan times were that faith is all powerful, therefore it had a

place in their government, and the idea that the elders were wise. Even though most believed in

the same thing, different perspectives changed ideologies of others. This is where tension was

able to sprout from. Inevitably, differences in age and religion can cause friction and conflict

between individuals and organizations since these factors can be deeply embedded components

of a person's identity and worldview. To manage these differences in a calm and beneficial way,

it's critical to build understanding, empathy, and respect for various points of view. Ultimately,

Hawthorne highlights the conflict between age and religion in the Puritan culture at many points

in the book. These instances bring to light the friction that exists between those conventional

beliefs and modern ideas of the puritans.

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Work Cited

Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Scarlet Letter. Apple Books., Essential Classics Edition, 1998.

EMCP, https://books.apple.com/us/book/the-scarlet-letter/id1478298003