Scarlet Letter Ch. 1-2

"'They should have put the brand of a hot iron on Hester Prynne's forehead'" (49).
It has been made clear just how much these people obsess over other people's lives, specifically their faults. The townspeople gathered around the prison anticipating the release of Hester Prynn. This comment indirectly speaks for the majority of the townspeople: they strongly believe that one's shameful acts should be made known to everybody. It is very similar to the ritual of the townspeople in 'The Crucible'. Here, a woman suggests that a permanent mark on Hester's forehead is better than a letter embroidered on her shirt that can be hidden. However, her suggestion proves to be unnecessary as the birth of her baby stands as proof to her shameful acts. Therefore, this woman's comment simply demonstrates her lack of compassion.

"Those who had before known her ... were astonished, and even startled to perceive how her (Prynn's) beauty shone out, and made a halo of the misfortune and ignoming in which she was enveloped" (51).
Through Hawthorne's detailed and thorough descriptions, we see that these townspeople value appearance, particularly women. Hawthorne goes on describing ideal women in that town, therefore women's appearance obviously play some kind of role in this setting. This description above also shows that she was not that attractive as she was before prison. Here, she is described as extremely beautiful compared to how they remembered her from before. Then again, maybe they're eyes are playing tricks on them - she is walking out of an ugly and deplorable prison that probably makes her look more beautiful than she actually is.