What does their reaction reveal about Puritan society?
Some want to punish her further--one specifically suggests branding Hester on the forehead; another proposes death. A third says that Hester will always keep the mark in heart. (This is all in Chapter II.) To be fair some of these women are fat and ugly and hefty enough (They were her countrywomen: and the beef and ale of their native land, with a moral diet not a whit more refined, entered largely into their composition) so some of this harshness comes from jealousy, since Hester is quite attractive. The remarks as a whole reveal an unforgiving, stern society with lots of pettiness and little room for generosity of spirit, compassion, or empathy.
They react by mocking her. To Hester it is a humiliating experience. It is meant to be one. This reveals the childish nature of the puritanical society at the time. There is Aso a bit of irony in the fact that they are supposed to be looking down on her when intact literally, she is looking down at them because the scaffold is mounted about 4-5 feel up.
