Essay Database

The Scaffold The scaffold where Hester was put on display was a physical example to the people of what could happen to them. The Puritan beliefs were strongly against what Hester did. The community displayed Hester and made an example of her to reassure themselves that they were doing the right thing. The Puritan society uses the faults of other people to reassure itself that it is abiding by God’s system and will clear …

…straight to hell if they committed sin. In conclusion the scaffold is a place where political and spiritual issues are resolved. It showed the people that political and spiritual issues are virtually the same thing. The scaffold is a place where the people go to remind themselves of what could happen to them and give an open warning that any offense to the Puritan society is an act against God and will be punished accordingly.