Character Analysis Of Hester Prynne In The Scarlet Letter

In “The Scarlet Letter” by Nathaniel Hawthorne the character of Hester symbolizes as an objectification women, victimization of a female, social definition of feminine of sin, and growth into feminine independence.

Despite the isolation, Hester supports herself and Pearl with nothing but her inner strength. She is able to deal with the negativity from the townspeople and the local government, and is even able to be honest and compassionate in ways such as acknowledging her sin, keeping the identity of her

Edward Said, literary critic, has described exile as something “strangely compelling to think about but terrible to experience,” and as something that can be “potent, even enriching.” In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne experiences an exile after being marked as an adulteress which intrigues the reader because of its ability to change her substantially throughout the novel. Hester’s exile is intriguing because she often is near other people, but she remains on the outskirts of the town, and of society. Through the years, this exile leads to Hester’s complete transformation proves her incredible strength, even when faced with such tragedy.

Hester harbored an intense love for her child Pearl although the child's mischievous and imp-like qualities brought nothing but pain to the child's mother. This is demonstrated as Hester, after having her talents as a seamstress publicized, began to change the attire of her family. For example, "Her own dress was of the coarsest materials and the most somber

In The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne develops the dynamic characterization of Hester Prynne from a beautiful, innocent girl into a somber, hardened women to showcase the evils and hypocrisy of Puritan New England’s culture of shaming. Hawthorne employs rhetorical devices such as metaphor and juxtaposition to further develop the characterization and his critique of Puritan society. When initially describing Hester, Hawthorne emphasizes her incredible beauty, and juxtaposes this with the other ugly, judging Puritan women, adding to the hypocrisy of her being shamed for sinning. Hawthorne emphasizes the verbal assault on Hester by employing metaphor and imagery in its description. After the community shuns and shames Hester for years, Hawthorne uses metaphor again to show how Hester’s body and character changes for the worst, emphasizes the malice and evil of public shame.

In the crowd hester looks through, she spots a man who is her husband before she came. He is dressed in strange european and indian mixed clothing. He gestures her to not tell anyone that he is her husband. Chillingworth asks a stranger in the crowd that her husband was captured by indians. He asks the stranger who the father of the baby is ,but the stranger said Hester wants to keep it as a secret. As a punishment she is sentenced to 3 hours of standing on the platform. They also introduce another main character called Dimsdale who is a church pastor. Hester is then led back into the prison after a sermon is performed.

The Puritan townspeople of Boston, Massachusetts, punish a woman for committing an ignominious act with an unexpected man. Hester stands alone on the scaffold as townspeople scowl and judge, wondering who her lover is. The innocent town seamstress is a sinner in the eyes of the pure citizens. As Nathaniel Hawthorne’s Scarlet Letter continues, the residents notice Hester’s abilities when caring for her daughter. She also regains respect as the bearer of the scarlet letter, the emblem she wears that “takes her out of the ordinary relationships with humanity and encloses her in a sphere by herself” (Hawthorne 51). Mistress Hester Prynne is an example taught to others because of her hardships faced without her true love. Hester transforms

“To be- or not to be.” Isn’t that the question that revolves around everything? In order to become something, one must first do something. In the Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, an adulterous woman lives with the consequences of her actions. Throughout the years, she became something different than she was before her sin. Some say that Hester remained a sinner and that her sin was so enormous that she could not remove it from her name. Others argue that she became a victim of society where no one let her move on from her sin, though she had undergone a heartfelt change. Finally- the best choice- Hester became a saint and changed her life for better in order to change the lives of those around her.

The meaning of something that is in your life can change in many different ways for the best of one lets it. What starts out as a bad thing can ultimately change into something that will affect you life forever. Hester received the “A” from the townspeople to make her feel bad for making the mistake that she made. In the novel, “The Scarlet Letter”, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, the symbolism of the “A” changes from Adultery, to ability, to angel, or the living “A”. Adultery was the sin that gave Hester the wretched “A” on her bosom.

Hester has a baby named Pearl which brings suspicion to the townspeople. Pearl is seen as a demonic figure because she was the product of such an unspeakable act. Adults and children look down upon her because she is a symbol of sin. The townspeople realize that Hester’s husband was in Europe for the past couple years, Hester must have obviously

Therefore, Hester is bored and sad because of the man she is married to is giving no sign of life. So to compensate this lack of man, she decides to have sex with a priest, which is really bad in this society. But instead of leaving the city like most would do, she stays in the city where all started, and she acknowledges it, because she is kind of proud and is not ashamed. Never has she revealed the name her Pearl’s father, because she is courageous and has pride.

Several years pass and the child of Hester’s adultery, Pearl, grows up with her mother on the outskirts of town, shunned by society

Pearl is often accused of being a witch child, but Hester tries her best not to believe it. Hester does her best to be there for her daughter, even when she was faced with her own burdens. Even though she’s been through so much in her, Hester gives out all her love whenever she can. That proves that she’s become a pure and loyal person.

Hester took residence in a cabin at the edge of town and lived with her young daughter Pearl. Hester became perplexed by the young childs actions, as she watched her

Hester Prynne, a character within The Scarlet Letter, is a prime example of Hawthorne's common transformation of individuals within his books. These mutations involve the qualities and attributes of her physical appearance, feminine emotions, and reputation among the townspeople. Throughout the novel, the mentioned elements of Hester's character develop and change several times, providing the reader with better understanding of the influence that the scarlet letter and other characters have on her.