The Scarlet Letter and I Tituba Black Witch of Salem

Strong female characters emerge as victorious in Nathaniel Hawthorne's novel, The Scarlet Letter, and Maryse Cond;'s novel, I, Tituba, Black Witch of Salem. In both novels, we witness females suffer humiliating and degrading circumstances under the hands of Puritan societies. Despite their circumstances, these women remain true to themselves and refuse to In, The Scarlet Letter, Hester suffers great pressure to name the father of her child.She refuses to answer and, as a result, bears the weight of both sinners' transgressions.

Hester's punishment is to stand on the platform of the pillory in the town for three hours and she is also condemned "for the remainder of her natural life to wear a mark of shame upon her bosom" (Hawthorne 58).This scene allows us to see the importance the Puritans placed on good behavior.Punishment was also used as a deterrent for others who may be considering similar crimes. The narrator expresses how Hester was never able to escape her "sin." For example, he states, "In all seasons of calamity, indeed, whether general or for individuals, the outcast for society at once found her
place" (14).

In addition, we are told, "Society was inclined to show its former victim a more benign countenance that she cared to be favored with, or, perchance, she deserved" (15).Again, we are shown how the Puritan society treated sin and sinners with an unforgiving attitude.In fact, the narrator points out, "The truth was that the little Puritans, being of the most intolerant brood that ever lived, had got a vague idea of something outlandish, unearthly, or at variance with ordinary fashions, in the mother and child; and therefore scorned them in their hearts" (87). The hatred can be seen when two wayfarers wandered into the town and recognize who Hester is and began to fling mud at them.