Consequences Of Punishment In The Scarlett Letter

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Making someone a public outcast as a form of punishment can bring many negative consequences for him/her. In the novel the “Scarlet Letter”, Hester was treated differently and was unwelcomed by the public because of her scarlet letter. Also, in the article “Concerns Raised On “Scarlet Letter” For Drunk Drivers,” people could be targeted by police and others if everyone knew what they had done. In “Companies ‘Named And Shamed’ For Bad Behavior,” the author explains how newspapers are trying to shame others for their behavior. This can bring a poor reputation to the company and less business to them. Shaming one in public is not the best way to make him/her change. By shaming one, it can make him/her uncomfortable in public. For example, in the…show more content…
Another example in the “Scarlet Letter” is that everyone in the town gathers around the scaffold to publicly punish her to bring guilt and shame upon her. Not only is she getting shamed, people are yelling nasty things at her. For example, “At the very least, they should have put the brand of a hot iron on Hester Prynne's forehead. Madame Hester would have winced at that” (Hawthorne, 36). Branding a person with a hot iron is a very brutal and unusual thing to do to someone who has committed adultery let alone committed a crime. Unusual punishment is not only found in the “Scarlet Letter”, but is also found in “Concerns Raised On “Scarlet Letter” For Drunk Drivers”. In the article, it states that a “proposal is an invasion of privacy and that the bill would move the state away from its emphasis on treatment” (Locy) by taking the point of the punishment away it can alter the main point and turn it into something worst. Lastly, when others think that the punishment is taken too far, it should not be given to someone. In “Companies ‘Named and Shamed’ For Bad Behavior” it says, “Some offenders have appealed their sentences as cruel or unusual, but the courts have ruled that humiliation is within the bounds of fair punishment” (Smith). By making one’s company a public laughing stock, it can decrease the company's motivation also it can make the employees want to quite. Cruel and unusual punishments are not the best way to fix someone’s
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