Hester Prynne As A Heroine

Throughout the course of the novel, Hester Prynne transforms from a sinful adulteress to a capable woman. Hester Prynne is a dynamic character in The Scarlet Letter. In the beginning of the novel, as punishment for her act of adultery, Hester wears an embroidered scarlet letter ‘A’ on her chest. The scarlet A represents her sin and her status as an outcast in society as stated in the novel, “In all her intercourse with society, however, there was nothing that made her feel as if she belonged to it. Every gesture, every word, and even the silence of those with whom she came in contact, implied, and often expressed, that she was banished, and as much alone as if she inhabited another sphere, or communicated with the common nature by other organs and senses than the rest of humankind” (74-75).

What is the significance of the scarlet letter A which is embroidered on Hester’s gown?

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As Chico Xavier once said, “Though nobody can go back and make a new beginning... Anyone can start over and make a new ending.” Hester did indeed have a horrible beginning; locked up and condemned to humiliation, Hester lost her will to live at times and nearly went mad. But the very Symbol she was forced to create helped her to escape her misery. In Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, the symbol of the letter A on Hester’s clothing serves as a constant reminder to Hester and the townspeople of her sin; however, this constant reminder develops Hester’s self-worth throughout the novel.

They made her wear the letter “A” which stood for adultery. Hester whole life has changed just because she committed a sin. In the novel it says, “Throughout them all, giving up her individuality, she would become the general symbol at which the preacher and moralist might point, and in which they might vivify and embody their images of woman's frailty and sinful passion. Thus the young and pure would be taught to look at her, with the scarlet letter flaming on her breast,—at her, the child of honorable parents,—at her, the mother of a babe, that would hereafter be a woman, —at her, who had once been innocent, —as the figure, the body, the reality of sin. And over her grave, the infamy that she must carry thither would be her only monument” (Hawthorne 3).

The letter is meant to be a symbol of embarrassment, but Hester turns it into something better. She chooses to continue to wear the A after standing upon the scaffold for several influential reasons. In the novel The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Hester continues to wear the scarlet letter ¨A¨ because it is a symbol of strength to her, a part of who she is, and she wants to set an example for her daughter, Pearl.

First of all, the scarlet letter stands for Hester's sin. By forcing Hester to wear the letter A on her bosom, the Puritan community not only punishes this weak young woman for her adultery but labels her identity as an adulteress and immoral human being as well. "Thus the young and the pure would be taught to look at her, with the letter flaming on her chest", also "as the figure, the body and the reality of sin." And the day Hester began to wear the scarlet A on her bosom is the opening of her darkness. From that moment, people, who look at her, must notice the letter A manifest itself in the red color covering not only her bosom, but her own character. The Puritans now only see the letter A, the representation of sin, scorn and hate

In The Scarlet Letter Hester Prynne is more than a literary figure in a classic novel, she is known by some people to be one of the earliest American Hero’s. In The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne Hester commits adultery and has a child that she must care for all alone. She is forced to wear a powerful, attention grabbing “Scarlet A” on her chest while she must try to make a living to support her and her child, Pearl. Even though she must face all the harsh judgment and stares she does not allow her sin to stop her from living a successful life. She looks past the Letter as a symbol of sin and turns it into a sign of approval. Hester

Hawthorne transcribes, “The letter was the symbol of her calling. Such helpfulness was found in her, —so much power to do, and power to sympathize, —that many people refused to interpret the scarlet A by its original signification. They said that it meant Able; so strong was Hester Prynne, with a woman's strength” (13). Hester, despite having a scornful symbol on her chest, helps out the less fortunate than her with food and sewing clothes. The “A” on her chest becomes “Able” instead of “Adultress”, painting a softer image of Hester’s reputation in Puritan society.

Alexandra Coleman Mrs. Smith Major American Authors, 1st 10 February 2015 Scarlet Letter Paper In The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, the author describes Hester Prynne as a sympathetic character which is shown through her remarkable personality that is revealed through her public humiliation, isolated, and later succeeding life in the Puritan society. Although Nathaniel Hawthorne does not give a large sum of information on Hester's life before her public humiliation, her inner strength, honesty, compassion, and defiance of convention show her true character, a survivor. Nathaniel Hawthorne develops Hester Prynne as a kind and sympathetic women who passively suffers her agony, who kindly helps those less fortunate than she is, and who

    One of the different forms that the scarlet letter takes is the actual scarlet letter. The scarlet letter is the letter ‘A’ which is stitched onto Hester Prynne’s bosom in scarlet thread. The scarlet letter is a symbol of shame and sin at first, for she had to wear it as the public eye used the letter as a lesson. The scarlet letter burned her bosom for years, until it faded, for only the public’s eyes on it did it burn more. Hester’s opinion of the scarlet letter changed over time being it gave her a daughter, a special kind of safety, and happiness.

In the novel, Hester is the character with the scarlet letter. She believes the scarlet letter is apart of her, that is why when she gets humiliated and shamed for it, she takes it with strength. Hester is so close to the letter ‘A’ that even when she has a chance to take it off she refuses. Hester does not want to take off the letter, but what she pleases to do is transform the meaning behind the letter with her actions. For instance, when she helps around the town she transforms into something majestical “ She was self-ordained a Sister of Mercy or, we may rather say, the world’s heavy hand so ordained her, when neither the world nor she looked forward to this result. The letter was a symbol of her calling.” (Hawthorne 158) Hester becomes somewhat of a nurse, but both the world and she do not see her this way. This is

One of the most prevalent forms of invisible social control is the creation and perpetuation of stereotypes. Today’s society is filled with stereotypes and the media has proven to be an excellent breeding ground. Research in the stereotype domain indicates that the media can prime stereotypes, and these primed stereotypes do influence how people are later perceived. Also the research on media priming of stereotypes generally increases confidence in the generality of the media as a prime. Television, movies, newspapers and magazines contain millions of images that feature individuals portrayed in stereotypical ways. This paper will examine the February issue of Marie Claire and the gender and racial stereotypes that are evident within the

What makes a hero? Some may say saving lives, or stopping evil, but in literature, these are not the only requirements for the title of “hero.” It is monstrously debated amongst literary scholars whether or not Hester Prynne of Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter is a true heroine or not. She displays heroic qualities, but many believe otherwise. The novel opens with her being publicly humiliated. Her sin was adultery, a transgression that puritans of the 1600's would take to heart. Her husband, Roger Chillingworth, had not been seen for two years, and she slept

The character of Hester Prynne changed significantly throughout the novel "The Scarlet Letter" by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Hester Prynne, through the eyes of the Puritans, is an extreme sinner; she has gone against the Puritan ways, committing adultery. For this irrevocably harsh sin, she must wear a symbol of shame for the rest of her life.