The pressures of society forces one to lead a certain kind of lifestyle (Negative and Positive Effects of Peer Pressure). For example, lying one time will usually lead to another lie to back up the first lie. This is a domino effect that makes matters even worse and makes problems harder to resolve. Once caught up in the lies, one only makes themselves not worthy of trust or friends. With no friends and a lack of trustworthiness, one can become depressed, fatigued, and lonely. Due to incidents that affect one’s life, societal pressures have an impact on how one conform to society. In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s, The Scarlet Letter, many characters have secrets that are eating them alive on the inside, Hester is faced to being ridiculed, judged, and embarrassed, Dimmesdale strives for perfection Chillingworth shows signs of social anxiety Trudy’s own mother has been ridiculed and judged because of her alcoholism.
The woman was told by her mother, her kids, and her husband that she wasn’t being a good role model and was never apprehensive to situations around her. This upset only caused her to drink more, and eventually, she ran away once returned, the woman tried so hard to push herself into her children’s lives’ and it came to the point that she was trying too hard, Realizing her mistakes, she has stopped drinking and tells her children never to inherit her bad habits, nor follow in her footsteps, Hester is faced with being ridiculed, judged, and embarrassed, Pearl says, “Mother, the sunshine does not love you. It runs away and hides itself, because it is afraid of something on your bosom.,.it will not flee from me, for i wear nothing on my bosom yet!” Hester responds, “Nor ever will, my child, I hope”. Hester knows she has done wrong, and has to live with the sin everyday of her life inside and out.
Knowing that Hester is protecting and praying that Pearl will not follow in her footsteps. She does not want Pearl to go through the suffering of being shunned, put up on the scaffold, or be guillotined. Although Pearl will have to deal with society knowing that her mother is an adulterer, she has to try to be someone everyone will accept. Social anxiety is the fear and anxiety of being judged and evaluated by other people (Social Anxiety Fact Sheet). An example of social anxiety: a man finds it difficult to walk down the street because he’s self-conscious and feels that people are watching him from high- above windows (What is Social Anxiety?).
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This disorder usually develops from accidents such as being made fun of by other people, being judged, or being afraid of what people might think if the truth was discovered Hawthorne explains, “To sum up the matter, it grew to be a widely diffused opinion, that the Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale…was haunted either by Satan himself, or Satan’s emissary, in the guise of Old Roger Chillingworth”. The townspeople had two different opinions on Chillingworth; either he was a good and pure friend of Dimmesdale, or he was The Black Man When Chillingworth questions Dimmesdale, he tells him that if the townspeople found out that Chillingworth is Hester’s husband, the people would soon find out he is the man who Hester cheated with So being afraid people might find out.
Chillingworth’s features become more deformed because of the worry and the torture towards Dimmesdale. Perfectionism is trying to live up to high expectations you’re convinced other people perceive you as (When Striving for Perfection Is a Problem) Being told everything must be perfect or nothing less than perfect is acceptable by parents at a young age can cause perfectionismt This can lead a young child to grow up and strive for perfection for the need of approval. If performing less than perfect, the fear of being rejected is in one’s mind. Hawthorne states, “mnever had man spoken in so wise, so high, and so holy a spirit, as he spake this daym”.
As depicted, Dimmesdale spoke so well on the clay of the Election Sermon, the townspeople cheered and celebrated. He performed above expectations and has performed a phenomenal sermon, when the sermon was over, striving for perfection was soon diminished; he had performed with last of his energy. Due to incidents that affect one’s life, societal pressures have an impact on how they conform to society. Hester faces the struggle to make Pearl everyone will like, dealing with being humiliated, judged, and ridiculed. Chillingworth became a personage looked upon as The Black Man and dealt with this struggle tearing Dimmesdale to pieces. Dimmesdale was afraid the townspeople would discover the truth, so performing an excellent sermon rose him high above their expectations. Society looks upon every aspect in one‘s life, and makes judgments and ridicules a person to tear them down physically and emotionally.
