Are We All That Different?

Considering the intense amount of exposure we have had to the Puritan society, through evaluation of Puritan literature, I have begun to make a few comparisons with modern day. One aspect that has been continuously readdressed is the "evilness" of the Puritan beliefs. Specifically relating to "The Scarlet Letter", I have realized that with adultery not much has necessarily changed. For example, in the novel Hester Prynn is completely shunned from society, and labeled as a women who not only cheated on her husband but also had a child out of wedlock. The towns people negatively display her on a scaffold in the beginning of the novel, and create her as the center of hate and judgment. Although current consequences for adultery may not be as dire, they do contain a large relation. For instance, if a woman were to have cheated on her husband and become pregnant, like Hester, than many of her friends and family would be extraordinarily disappointed. Many friends would begin to ignore or just completely shut out this women from their lives. Also, this child would be negatively looked upon in a similar manner as Pearl. To continue, the husband of this women would most likely have a similar mindset as Chillingsworth, except for less unpleasant and creepy. The husband would probably file for a divorce, but he may also want to seek revenge on his wife's new "love" interest. So, I suppose the Puritans are not so "evil" with their reaction towards Hester considering they are almost the same in current day.