In The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Hester Prynne is virtually banished from Puritan society because of her crime. She was guilty of adultery with the town minister, Arthur Dimmesdale. However, the reader is kept in the dark about the fact that Dimmesdale is the child's father until the last part of the novel. Although Hawthorne's novel accurately depicts the consequences Hester and Dimmesdale suffer because of their sin, the novel does not accomplish the task of reflecting on 17th-century Puritan gender roles in Hester and Dimmesdale. For one thing, Hester and Dimmesdale's mental and physical states are reversed. Hester takes on the bravest role throughout the novel while Dimmesdale takes on the most sensitive role. Additionally, Hester is examined based on the gender roles established for American women today. The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne is written in a way that accurately depicts 17th century Puritan society, but does not accurately display gender roles. For starters, the typical Puritan society during the 17th century was “painfully severe and grim; it was founded on the most severe and inflexible Calvinism” (Puritan…). In other words, their society was very narrow and confined to religion. Civil law also played a role in the economic and social relations of citizens. The law affected the way they dressed, their religious affairs, and even their family relationships. In terms of education, the Puritans prospered. In fact, in Massachusetts, they required that each township of fifty families hire a teacher to educate the children. Their government was also structured on religion because religion was their only way of life. In terms of gender roles, men were responsible for earning their keep for... half of the paper... letter." Faculty of Humanities, Ghent University. Ghent University, July 2008. Web. 12 January 2012..Hawthorne, Nathaniel. New York: Tom Doherty Associates, LLC, 1989. Print.Gannon, Andres, 2008. Web. January 12, 2012. .Tyson, Lois New York: Routledge, 2006. Print."Puritan Laws and Character January 17. 2011. .