The Scarlet Letter to me did not move me in any extraordinary way. Although I recognized and admired the strength of Hester as a character, I think that at times her redemption in Puritan society is unrealistic. In the beginning of the novel the extreme Puritan punishment of Hester seems to contradict the sympathetic view of her later in the novel. Furthermore, I do not believe that this novel is a good representation of American ideals because of the emphasis on symbolic reasoning. Throughout this novel Hawthorne portrayed Puritan society as somewhat selfish and self centered. Their interpretation of external phenomena repeatedly focus’s on the individual, rather than the community or simply the realistic nature of the world. This theme of selfishness through their view of external phenomenon I believe is a poor portrayal of our society today.