Sin A Necessity Of Puritan Society - 1678 Words

Sin: A Necessity in Puritan Society In 1986, a nuclear power plant at Chernobyl melted down, causing thousands to be evacuated. Fortunately, no one was harmed in this incident. This disaster raised awareness of the potential dangers that could arise from nuclear power plants. Since then, large steps have been taken to increase the safety in power plants to ensure that another accident does not happen. By learning from this mistake, experts have been able to ensure that nuclear power plants are safer, and that another, more serious accident will not occur. Mistakes, despite their potential consequences, can have very large benefits when a lesson is drawn from them. People must learn not only from their own mistakes, but from ones that others make as well. Mistakes range from breaking the law, to failing a test, and even an accidental nuclear meltdown, but each mistake holds its own benefit to society, and the individual. In Puritan society, the mistakes of people are equivalent to sin. Puritans believe that sins have th e potential to lead to the destruction of society. However, despite this belief, Puritan literature seems to suggest that sin serves a crucial function in society. Through the works of Arthur Miller, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and John Winthrop, the benefits of sin become evident. Puritan literature implies that sin has two large benefits. The first is benefit to society, by setting an example of what is wrong and allowing sinners to more effectively serve theirShow MoreRelatedThe Scarlet Letter Paper1007 Words   |  5 PagesThe Scarlet Letter Sin Debate In Nathanial Hawthorne’s famous standard of American literature, The Scarlett Letter, Hawthorne examines individual cases of sin occurring within society known for its intolerance of sin and strict religious principles, the Puritans. In The Scarlet Letter , each of the main characters, whether protagonist or antagonist, are guilty of a sin or form of â€Å"evil†. However, one character stands out from the rest. This character is guilty of the worst form of malice and evilRead MoreThe Scarlett Letter : Sin1336 Words   |  6 PagesScarlett Letter: Sin The Scarlett letter has many themes throughout the story. One of the most important themes in the story that was emphasized greatly was sin. Sin is defined in Webster’s new world dictionary as, â€Å"any offense, fault, or the willful breaking of religious or moral law.† As human beings we are very likely to commit some type of sin. It is an obstacle that is very rarely avoided. In the story the townspeople didn’t discriminate, no sin was greater than the other. All sin was equal andRead MoreGothic Elements Present in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter1310 Words   |  5 PagesPuritanism, sin and suspense and Gothic structure. The underlying theme within the novel suggests that sins of the past are unavoidable as they haunt the protagonist of the story. 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The Puritans found the necessity to exercise this crusade in order to stay by their moral codes of conformity which included witchcraft to be the greatest crime, punishableRead MoreThe Scarlet Letter Essay1207 Words   |  5 Pagespractices of Puritans and others, which were developed in England during his reign. With the many executions of Puritans in England, Puritans decided to seek a new life in the new world, which led to the Massachusetts bay colony. By lett ing them seek a new life, King Charles I approved by signing of the charter of the Massachusetts bay colony to the Dorchester Company. The charter states that people can choose who can govern them in the colony and the necessities the colony must have. The puritan leadersRead MoreSocietys Sin In The Scarlet Letter1226 Words   |  5 Pages Society’s Sin In Hawthorne’s romantic novel The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne uses symbolism, contrasting, romantic imagery, and individual characterization to argue that sin can and should be forgiven despite the misguided ideals of society. By using symbolism to convey his argument in his novel, Hawthorne adds nuanced meaning to his argument. Notably, the letter A, the most prominent symbol in the book which originally meant to symbolize adultery, is ambiguous in many ways in order to give theRead MoreThe Scarlet Letter, By William Hawthorne879 Words   |  4 Pagesdiscovering the Americas, the puritans going to live there and then orchestrate the witch trials. Nathanial was shaped by this history of which his father was the magistrate. The hall of history lead to Nathanial Hawthorne writing The scarlet letter, the mirroring of this history and Hawthorne’s redemption for what his ancestors did. Pearl is the representation of the salvation of Hester Prynne, she is the representation of what Hester went through, she is a representation of the sin between Dimmesdale and