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Examples Of Hester Prynne A Heroine

Decent Essays

Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “The ScarIet Letter” describes the heroine (Hester) in a different way than most of the novels do. Unlike in other novel where heroine is easily identified right from the beginning, Hester cannot be identified as a good character nor is she known for good reason rather she is depicted as a criminal at the beginning of the novel. However I don’t agree with the statement that it is impossible to fully identify Hester Prynne as a heroine of “The Scarlet Letter” because her decision to stay in the society where she was publically ashamed and imprisoned makes her extraordinary and her courage to take the punishment and change the scarlet letter ‘A’ from ‘adultery’ to ‘able’ is remarkable act of strong woman and her honesty and compassion differentiate her from other ordinary woman. Hester Prynne is a heroine of “The Scarlet letter” because she has the courage to accept her imprudence. She understands that her action have led to present situation as she lives in a Puritan community. Being a single mother, Hester is able to support her daughter Pearl by doing …show more content…

She had only her strength of positive spirit to sustain herself and Pearl. This inner strength in her is marked as changing attitude of the people in that community that they recognize “A” as “Able” and not as Adultery. According to H. Nathaniel (1850), “It is our Hester-the town’s own Hester who is so kind to the poor, so helpful to the sick, so comforting to the afflicted!” Hester becomes known for her charitable works, she offers comfort to the downtrodden, sick and poor. Hester reached out to help all the needy once, although at the beginning she was not acknowledged for the help she provided but as time passed people no longer saw the scarlet letter “A” on her chest as “Adultery”, they saw it as “Able”, able to help the needy ones. Eventually Hester gains the respect of other

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