In The Crucible by Arthur Miller and The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, adultery is found to be acceptable. Adultery is when one spouse cheats in isolation. After committing a serious sin, the adulterous woman or adulterer is punished and publicly humiliated. The characters in each book unmistakably show that infidelity is an approved act. Life is like a pen is a great analogy to prove such a bold statement. To understand the role of acceptable adultery, this essay aims to provide a discussion on loyalty, love and especially forgiveness. One aspect that illustrates acceptable adultery can be identified as loyalty. Loyalty is presented between the characters in each book. In The Crucible, Proctor is exceptionally loyal to Elizabeth, his wife. The reason Proctor is loyal to Elizabeth is because he is going to appeal Elizabeth in court. Proctor says: “I knew her, sir. I knew her” (Miller 49). Proctor makes this exclamation about lust with Abigail. The fact that Proctor admits to being an adulterer goes a long way to proving how loyal he is to Elizabeth. Proctor goes from defending Elizabeth to admitting that he had engaged in lust. Proctor decides that his reputation is not as important as saving Elizabeth's life. Plus, Proctor could have forgotten all about Elizabeth and gone to be by Abigail's side, but instead he calls Abigail out on her crime. Knowing the odds were against him, Proctor still shamed himself in front of prominent residents of Salem, Massachusetts, in hopes of saving Elizabeth. The true loyalty found between Proctor and Elizabeth is seen very clearly when reading the book and proves that adultery can be perfectly acceptable over time. Loyalty is also shown between Hester and...... middle of paper ...... mrsdale for not admitting to being Pearl's father, this really shows that being part of adultery is perfectly fine. Sure, Hester was unfaithful to her husband, but in the end, the only thing that really matters is that Hester is happy with Dimmesdale. In fact, adultery is not a terrible thing because it ends up bringing two people together. Clearly, this essay has shown that the main factors that impact the acceptability of adultery are loyalty, love and forgiveness. Adultery in any reality is actually a terrible thing and is frowned upon, but The Crucible and The Scarlet Letter prove that adultery is acceptable in many ways. Life is like a pen, so any mistake made can never be erased or taken back. Works Cited Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The scarlet letter. New York: Simon, 2004. Print. Miller, Arthur. The Crucible. Austin: Holt, 2005. Print.