The Scarlet Letter- Scaffold A

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scaffold was the only way society would acknowledge, and later forgive one for their sins. It is the first step on the long road to acceptance back into the strict, Puritan society. In the first of three scaffold scenes, Hester stands before the community, wearing a scarlet A. For her punishment, she was required to stand for hours upon the scaffold, and the truth pertaining to her sin of adultery and her inner struggle were put on display, “…for, haughty as her demeanor was, she perchance underwent an agony from every footstep of those that thronged to see her, as if her heart had been flung into the street for them all to spurn and trample upon” (52). Already carrying the heavy burden of her guilt, Hester was forced to stand before her fellow townspeople to endure further suffering, causing unbearable anguish within her. She was publicly acknowledging the fact that she had sinned against God, as well as against her community, causing shame to engulf every fiber ...

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