Hester Prynne In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter

  "What lies behind us and what lies before us are small matters compared to what lies within us," stated Oliver Wendell Holmes. This eventually proves to be especially true for Hester Prynne, the main character in Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter. Hester Prynne, a fair young maiden whose husband had disappeared two years prior to the opening of the novel, has an affair with the pastor of her Puritan church, resulting in the birth of her child Pearl. Because of this act of adultery, Hester Prynne is branded by the scarlet letter "A," which she is forced to forever wear upon her attire. The plot thickens as Hester's former husband returns to New England and becomes

In the seventeenth century rigid Puritan society of Boston, Hester Prynne has an adulturous affair that leads to the birth of an illegitimate child. Dishonored and disowned by the public , she is required to always carry the letter "A", for adultery, embroidered on her chest. In the second chapter, the young Hester Prynne exits prison with her infant in her arms, at first she seems ashamed and even tries to cover the "A" on her chest with the child, however "In a moment, however, wisely judging that one token of her shame would but poorly serve to hide another, she took the baby on her arm, and, with a burning blush, and yet a haughty smile, and a glance that would not be abashed, looked around at her townspeople and neighbours." Much to the surprise of the public, Hester, even though embarrassed, does not give up her pride and shows the wild and rebellious side of her

In the book The Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne is convicted of adultery and severely punished. Hester is sentenced to wear the scarlet letter 'A' on her clothes at all times. The letter “A” is a symbol that is meant to identify Hester as a sinner and an adulteress in her community. She is seen as a negative example for others not to follow. Hester is also sentenced to spend an unidentified period of time in jail; furthermore, she must also stand on the scaffold for hours in the middle of the town. Everyone sees Hester in her most vulnerable and embarrassed state. However, she handles it with dignity and grace.

In the beginning of the novel, Hester refuses to let her sin define her, which her subtle, beautiful, yet defiant nature displays. With all eyes on her as she walks out of the jail, the townspeople notice “On the breast of her gown, in fine red cloth, surrounded with an elaborate embroidery and fantastic flourishes of gold thread, appeared the letter A” (Hawthorne 46). This embroidered A serves as a punishment of her sin and is supposed to be a disgraceful, ugly reminder to her and everyone around her. If she had succumbed to her punishment and the persona that went with it, then it would be an ugly A, but she makes

Hester being a woman, is more responsible for the punishment than the man involved. The father of the baby has a high status in the community,he's a Puritan minister, she takes all the punishment. The novel The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne the “A” symbolizes her mistake in society eyes such as adultery, also her abilities,her will of doing the right thing. In Hester’s eyes she made herself independent. Hester Prynne was forced to wear the scarlet letter “A” on her body as punishment for her adulterous affair with Arthur Dimmesdale, the town minister.

The sin of adultery she once made doesn't exist in the letter A any more. It has transformed from "adultery" into "able", "acceptable", and off course it's made Hester the woman of pride, kindness, and respect. Hester did such an outstanding evolution that no woman in her times can: expressing self-identity, proving woman strength by showing her self-reliance and independence, revealing her goodness and kindness for people, and earning respect and pride.

Though their crime of adultery was mutual, Hester’s pregnancy forced her sin into the spotlight, and in Puritan society, the sin of having an illegitimate child was one of the worst a woman could commit. As punishment for her crime, Hester Prynne is forced to wear a scarlet letter “A” upon her chest as a sign of her wrongdoing. Because of this, Hester was forced to acknowledge what she has done and accept the repercussions of her crime, which ultimately makes her a stronger person and supports Hawthorne’s claim that it is “better for the sufferer to be free to show his pain” (Hawthorne 76). Hawthorne reveals Hester’s acceptance of her crime and her guilt the moment she walks out of the prison with her daughter in her arms, explaining that, “In a moment, however, wisely judging that one token of shame would but poorly serve to hide another, she took the baby on her arm, and with a burning blush, and yet a haughty smile, and a glance that would not be abashed, looked around at her townspeople and neighbors” (Hawthorne 31). Because of her crime, many people expect Hester to tremble with fear upon being revealed to the town, but instead she holds her head high and embraces the punishment for her sin. This in turn allows Hester to appear stronger, more beautiful, and more dignified, and choosing to portray Hester in this way shows Hawthorne’s belief that it is better to confess one’s sin and live with it rather than deal with the

In a time where women are confined, Hester Prynne stands up for her right to be the strong human being she is. She follows her heart and deals with the consequences with her daughter Pearl by her side. Nathaniel Hawthorne’s famous melodramatic novel, The Scarlet Letter, depicts Hester’s strength in exposing and accepting her sin. Hawthorne makes use of symbolism, allegory, and irony to bring a tone of gender injustice to the novel.

. . . The scarlet letter was her passport into regions where other women dared not tread. Shame, Despair, Solitude!" ( ) In The Scarlet Letter, Hester is brandished by the Puritan community, with a scarlet letter “A” in which she must wear upon her chest. This scarlet letter represents her transgression of adultery which she must wear at all times.

Hester ends up becoming pregnant from this encounter. She has her daughter Pearl from it. Hester is forced to wear a letter A on her chest at all times because of this. This shows that in this time period, people were very limited when it came to marriage and sex. She was unable to deal with the matter privately because the church is what ruled the law in that time. The 10 commandments were laws to them. Hester ends up being in prison for becoming pregnant and isn’t release for a while. After she was released, she was forced to wear the big, red A that was supposed to symbolize the fact that she had an affair. She was the image of the fallen for the

Hester Prynne is a protagonist in the novel " The Scarlet Letter" She is described as a young tall women, with dark and glossy hair. So beautiful that "her beauty shone out, and made a halo of the misfortune and ignominy in which she was enveloped." Hester Prynne suffers public humiliation, forced to wear the scarlet letter for the sin she has done. She then hides her beauty and sin underneath a cap for seven years. All the people who surround her look down on her and shame her, but after a long while. People begin to feel bad for her, telling her to remove the scarlet letter. Though, Hester disagrees and keeps the scarlet letter on. Leaving her with a burden on her back reminding her and the people for what she did. Hester continues with her

After the crime of adultery, many things have changed including Hester’s appearance. The clothing she wears and her hairstyle changed from being beautiful to plain. She wanted to be invisible to society, to be unnoticed, but it was difficult for her because of the letter “A” she still wears on her chest.

Hester displays acts of courage that portray her as a heroic character. Hester clearly suffers from her punishment of having to wear the scarlet letter ‘A’ in public as she attempts to maintain

     In the beginning of the story, Hester is being punished for adultery, and is forced to wear the letter A on her bosom. It is shown so that people will know her as an

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.