On Tuesday, we watched The Scarlett Letter, which I thought was a pretty good movie. I don’t know what I would do if I lived back then, though. They were so strict about everything! I would assume, though, that if I had lived during that time, it wouldn’t matter much to me because it would be what I was raised with. Watching that movie was really influential in a way because it made me appreciate the things I have! I thought Pearl, the little girl was adorable and when the other children were picking on her, I got really sad because it kind of reminded me of when I was a little girl. I was the one always getting picked on, so I could kind of relate with her sadness. I thought it was sweet how Hester always found a way to comfort her and cheer her up. She seemed like a very good mother to me, which is why I was so frustrated when everyone would talk bad about her throughout the film because of one simple act, which I don’t think should be considered wrong. I know in that time, rules were a bit different, especially to the Puritans because they were so religious, but her husband was gone for a long time and when that sort of thing happens, it’s only natural to move on. I don’t think Hester meant any harm and I certainly don’t think she deserved that kind of treatment. I was happy when I saw that she only had to wear the letter ‘A’ on her chest (even though that was considered a bad thing) because I thought it was a light sentence. But even then, the way people treated her AND her child probably hurt much more than having to wear that letter. No matter what Hester’s punishment would have been, I think the treatment and rumors would hurt her even worse. I was impressed throughout the film, though, because even when people were so cruel to her, she still seemed to hold her head up high and be sort of optimistic. That is the sort of thing I admire in people so I was glad to see that she was able to overcome people’s comments and bad treatment. The ending, I didn’t like, only because it was sad. It was not what I would call a “bad” ending but it was just really sad. I know they had planned to run away together and the very next day, which was the ending scene, he died of what I’m almost sure was heart failure. This is sad for a few reasons; it is never sad when anyone passes away, his daughter never got to know or understand that he was her father, the father she always wanted, and last but not least, right after he admitted what he had done, he passed away so he pretty much left Hester with another open wound, right when the other one was pretty much healing. By getting up on that platform and bringing up the subject again and then confessing, in my opinion, would only remind people and they would become infatuated with talking about it all over again. Since he was a priest, I can only imagine that after the movie ended (if this were a true story) that Hester would have an even worse reputation for having relations with a priest. I think to myself, poor Hester, because she seems so kind-hearted and sweet.

Overall, even though it didn’t end the way I wanted it to, I really liked the movie. It also helped me get a better idea of what Puritan life was like, especially since Dr. Berg had us take notes. It’s always interesting to me to learn about different cultures and different points in time. I love that sort of thing- differences among different groups. It’s amazing how many different groups and different people are alive in this world, past and present!