Shirley Chisholm said, "The emotional, sexual, and psychological stereotypes of women begin when the doctor says, 'It's a girl.'" Chisholm's quote perfectly demonstrates the Puritan society which, like any society, is all about labels and stereotypes where almost everyone is pushed into a group and their fate is decided based on their stereotype. In The Scarlet Letter, while the local village sees Hester through the Puritan image that women are sinners or temptresses, the audience sees that she does not necessarily fit their characterization of her. Although she does not directly challenge social norms, the reader is able to see Hester break away from society. The way Hester interacts with people who are part of the society demonstrates the Puritans' reluctance to accept, however, when looking at the larger plot, it becomes apparent that Hester is not correctly stereotyped. Puritan society, from its inception, focused on perfection. Puritan ideas such as "The City on a Hill" show how the Puritans wanted everyone to observe them, however, this also means that everyone's actions are scrutinized, so even the smallest sin is made into a big problem. The harsh punishments of the Puritans are engraved deep into their society. People had even said that Hester "should die." (Hawthorne 39) The shame that Hester's stereotype brings causes people to believe that she deserves death, proving that their stereotype of her could easily decide her fate. The townspeople have no mercy when it comes to Hester, and it is their belief that people who sin, no matter how small or justified, should be killed. Stereotypes are harmful to society because they slow down progress, because instead of being able to come up with new ideas, people are chained to their stereotype and their ideas are not accepted. Also