An End to Understanding

Alright, so... has anyone noticed a pattern where, the more homework I have, the more I blog? But I'm tricking it, see, this blog post will be homework.

So my essay, which I'm thinking about calling "An End to Understanding", because the two choices for style in Essay Titles are "Technical and Cold" or "Lame", and I like to go with "Lame" because I'm what the English teachers call "Creative". So my essay. I'm going to examine where, when, how, and why the law went terribly astray in The Scarlet Letter and The Crucible.

TENTATIVE THESIS:

The Scarlet Letter by Hawthorne and The Crucible by Miller share a common theme: A gradual corruption and eventual failing of the power of the law. In both cases this starts with an unbalanced influence of reason and emotion over the ruling of the court, extends to waste and destroy innocent lives and good intentions, and is ultimately overthrown by surrender or growing disregard of their magestrial authority.

REASONS: The Court was Over-Eager in Judgement in both cases. In Crucible emotion ruled, without reason. In the Scarlet Letter law ruled, without human tenderness.

REASON VS. EMOTION

Coldness of Society, Self Righteousness - Women in Scarlet Letter, Judges in Crucible.
Need for a Scapegoat - Society at Large, Both.
Greed - The Putnams wanted land, Abby wanted John Proctor.
Jealousy - Hester was pretty, young, and skillful.
Mass Hysteria - Everyone flips in Crucible.


RESULTS: These judgements made in haste bring undue mental and physical punishment, a waste of innocent lives and good intentions.

Guilt - Hester and Dimmesdale feel extraordinary guilt, guilt is aftereffect of cruelty for Salem judges, witnesses.
Prejudice - People judged Hester at first sight due to her Scarlet Letter, people saw witches in every corner.
Condemned Innocents - Innocents went to the gallows or were pressed to death in Crucible, in Scarlet Letter Pearl was outcast and Hester and Dimmesdale felt more guilt than they deserved.
Waste of Goodness - Good people were killed, ending their potential for good permanantly. Town society destroyed, waste of much good. In Scarlet Letter Hester's goodness was only slowly recognized, Dimmesdale felt his own goodness would be nil if he confessed.


DOWNFALL: Eventually the extreme injustice of the law brings about it's own downfall as the rulings gradually lose their sway over the society or victims are driven to confess or surrender, breaking it's power.

Confession or Surrender - Dimmesdale Confesses to Adultery, is safe from Chillingsworth, is right with God. Proctor confesses to Lechery, weakening Abby's hold.
Eventual Acceptance - Time Heals all wounds. More peacefully, people give in and reaccept people, reversing ruling - Hester's A means Able. Witchcraft Trials shiver and die.

CONCLUSION: Unjust and short-sighted law, fueled by an imbalance of stark reason and tempering human understanding, brings about disasterous consequences for all those involved, and ultimately for the law itself through nullifying surrender or popular disregard.