Question

In Chapter 3 of The Scarlet Letter, how does the magistracy’s act of marking Hester Prynne with a scarlet letter serve to maintain its power in the community?

Answer 1

The magistracy's act of marking Hester Prynne with a scarlet letter makes people in the community fear becoming similarly shamed.

Answer 2

The correct answer is: "People in the community fear becoming similarly shamed."

Indeed, Hester Prynne has been convicted of adultery because of giving birth to a child out of wedlock. This is not only considered a sin by the very religious and Puritan society of her time but a crime under their theocratic laws. Her Scarlett letter is a form of public shaming that completely ostracizes her from her society and most people scorn her for her sin.