Strong female characters emerge as victorious in Nathaniel Hawthorne's
             novel, The Scarlet Letter, and Maryse Condé's novel, I, Tituba, Black Witch
             of Salem. In both novels, we witness females suffer humiliating and
             degrading circumstances under the hands of Puritan societies. Despite
             their circumstances, these women remain true to themselves and refuse to
             In, The Scarlet Letter, Hester suffers great pressure to name the father
             of her child. She refuses to answer and, as a result, bears the weight of
             both sinners' transgressions. Hester's punishment is to stand on the
             platform of the pillory in the town for three hours and she is also
             condemned "for the remainder of her natural life to wear a mark of shame
             upon her bosom" (Hawthorne 58). This scene allows us to see the importance
             the Puritans placed on good behavior. Punishment was also used as a
             deterrent for others who may be considering similar crimes.
             The narrator expresses how Hester was never able to escape her "sin."
             For example, he states, "In all seasons of calamity, indeed, whether
             general or for individuals, the outcast for society at once found her
             place" (154). In addition, we are told, "Society was inclined to show
             its former victim a more benign countenance that she cared to be favored
             with, or, perchance, she deserved" (155). Again, we are shown how the
             Puritan society treated sin and sinners with an unforgiving attitude. In
             fact, the narrator points out, "The truth was that the little Puritans,
             being of the most intolerant brood that ever lived, had got a vague idea of
             something outlandish, unearthly, or at variance with ordinary fashions, in
             the mother and child; and therefore scorned them in their hearts" (87).
             The hatred can be seen when two wayfarers wandered into the town and
             recognize who Hester is and began to fling mud at them. (95) Hester is
             ...