Hester Prynne In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter

In the 1850’s, America was undergoing a massive internal changes via the industrial revolution. With this new era, American culture was drastically changed as women started to take a more prominent role in American society. In his novel The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne attempts to stimulate this change by illustrating the positive influence of a strong female character in a Puritanical society through his heroine, Hester Prynne, by putting her in a scandalous situation capable of drawing out the worst in people.

One night Pearl asks her unaccepting father, Dimmesdale, to “stand [t]here on the scaffold with [her and her] mother ”(230). Pearl wants the beloved minister to own up to his sin and show the rest of the townsfolk his participation in the sin. However, the mortified priest responds, “[nay]; not so, my little Pearl”(230). Denying Pearl’s request accurately represents one way Dimmesdale tries to avoid the ignominy his moral consequence of sin. Even though Dimmesdale gets to chose whether he stands on the scaffold or not, Hester did not have this choice in the beginning of the novel. One of Hester’s immediate punishments was to stand on the scaffold holding her baby with the scarlet letter “A” on her clothing in front of “a thousand relenting eyes” (54). Hester felt shame when she had to show the rest of the town the ways her sin affected

Nathaniel Hawthorne portrays the ideology of Puritan society in the novel the Scarlet Letter; however reader also get to witness his characters being an illustration of hypocrisy and victims to their own guilt. In the Scarlet Letter, as in many of Hawthorne’s shorter works, he makes profuse use of the Puritan past: its odd exclusionary belief, its harsh code of ruling, its concern with sex and witchcraft. The Scarlet Letter is a story that is embellished but yet simple. Many readers may view this novel as a soap opera due to the way Hawthorne conveys this Puritan society’s sense of strictness and inability to express true emotion along with the secrecy and how deceiving the characters are being. As the story unfolds the main character Hester Prynne is bounded in marriage at an early age. She engages in an adulterous affair with an unknown member of their small village. Hester soon becomes pregnant and with her husband’s absence the chances of this child belonging to her husband are slim. The towns’ people know that she has committed a sin and imprisons her for her crime.

Hawthorne's Hester Prynne is the underdog protagonist that the reader cannot help but want to succeed. She is flawed but her flaws are outshone by her good heart and spirit. This shamed and humiliated woman is the one the reader, with the help of Hawthorne’s descriptions, wants to support. This sinful woman, with a child from wedlock, a diabolical “husband”, and a secretive lover is the motivating force that drives the reader to continue on with The Scarlet Letter. The language, descriptions, and plot of The Scarlet Letter show that Hawthorne believes the reader should look past gender stereotypes because not everything is what is

The citizens of Boston know that Hester is married and her husband isn 't living with her. Therefore, when she becomes pregnant, she is arrested for adultery, a grave sin in their Puritan society. Consequently Hester is punished with jail time and made to wear a scarlet letter A for the rest of her life, meaning adulterer. These punishments make her life as a single mother even more difficult. Suddenly, Hester is disliked and ridiculed by everyone in the town. People look down on Hester to make themselves seem better than her. In chapter two, several women gossip about Hester. "This woman has brought shame upon us all, and ought to die; Is there not law for it? Truly there is, both in the Scripture and the statute- book" (Hawthorne 78).  The women are calling for an even harsher punishment than the scarlet letter. They want Hester to be executed. As well as being ostracized by the entire community, Hester must endure living in a patriarchal society. Hester has no choice but to adapt to the adversity she faces. To avoid some of the daily persecution she faces, Hester moves to the outskirts of town, where she learns to tend a garden to grow food for her daughter Pearl and herself. This is a clear example of acquiring a skill, because talent and hard work are needed to grow a garden. She also learns to sew, and earns money by crafting beautiful articles of fabric for people in Boston. Hester also applies her free time to crafting clothes for the

Hester is introduced as a beautiful and graceful young woman. Although she has committed adultery, she is prideful and has force of character. Her situation does not stop her to present herself in front of everyone with class. I believe that is very admirable. Although she is being disgraced and ridiculed in front of everyone she knows, she does not show she is hurt. Hester Prynne is brave not only is she judged for her actions, but so is her baby. Although the child has done nothing wrong it is seen as the offspring of adultery, and the mother’s sin. The child is used to make Hester reveal the father of the infant but she refuses, once again proving her determination and force of character. As expected the crowd does not welcome Hester.

Hester Prynne was seen as a risk taker. The 17th century is the time periods in which it took place. During this time period the things Hester did were not allowed to be done. Her actions are characterized as "but greatly beyond what was allowed by the sumptuary regulations of the colony" (Hawthorne 44). What she wanted for herself was always put before what she actually needed. Because of her behavior there were consequences to go along with them. Hester slowly becomes an outcast to the society, as well as Pearl when she is born. People in the community often said a few thing about her and talked behind her back."People say," said another "that the reverend Master Dimmesdale, her godly pastor, takes it very grievous to the heart that such a scandal has come upon his congregation" (Hawthorne 107). This quote shows how the others around her are effected by her

Hester Prynne’s guilt is thrust upon her by society, and though it momentarily hurts her persona she continues on and radiates unspoken strength. Instant backlash from her people cause Prynne to recoil, but she bounces back with resilience and mocks the shame they throw upon her. After seeing how they scowl and curse her name after a simple mistake, she saw “ that one token of her shame would be 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 towns-people” (Hawthorne 46). By switching over and embracing her tokens, especially as quickly as she does, Prynne’s character and qualities are quickly shown to the reader. It is established that she is no one to ignore and she will not lie on the floor to be walked upon.

When Hester’s sin initially comes to light, the people of Boston show Hester no mercy. One lady states, “At the very least, they should have put the brand of a hot iron on Hester Prynne’s forehead” (Hawthorne 53). Another community member even goes on to say, “This woman has brought shame upon us all, and ought to die” (Hawthorne 54). The scornful opinions of community members change over time, and “a species of general regard had ultimately grown up in reference to Hester Prynne” (Hawthorne 166). Hester becomes utterly selfless and devotes her entire being to the charity of others.

Hester Prynne: From Outcast to Respected Woman In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter a woman named Hester Prynne is prosecuted by her Puritan Community. She made love to a man that was not her husband and committed one of the greatest crimes, adultery. Through her prosecution of being judged by her community her husband, who thought to be long lost, arrives.

While Puritan women are weak and dependent upon their husbands, Hester Prynne is empowered and self-reliant. A character designed by Hawthorne to show 19th century women that women’s work could be valuable, Hester supports herself and her daughter by needlework. “For, as the novel unfolds, the letter, intended by the Authorities to signify harsh but just condemnation, is made by Hester to signify something entirely different—able, admirable.” (Bell 109) All aspects considered, the ability of Hester, a woman who committed sin and was publicly punished for this crime, to manipulate this punishment into a virtue

Hester Prynne has had to endure one of the harshest punishments of the time period, public shaming. This causes her to seclude herself from the hypocritical society Rousseau condemns in his idea that society corrupts individuals. After her humiliation, Hester begins to feel pressure around her, causing her to sense the true embarrassment of the sin she has committed. A fellow citizen comments, “‘let her cover the mark as she will, the pang of it will be always in her heart’” (Hawthorne 36). During this time, Hester has lived alone with Pearl in the woods surrounding the Colony for many years, rarely entering the city; Hester explains, ‘“Doth the universe lie within the compass of yonder town, which only a little time ago was but a leaf-strewn

While Hester is a feminist, not only does she share the ideals but shows superiority to the town while being fearless. " It may seem marvelous, that this woman should still call that place her home, where, and where only, she must needs be the type of shame.” (chapter 5, paragraph 2) Hester does not let the shame and remorse of the sin keep her away from the town like most would do. Hawthorne even states that Dimmesdale is weaker than Hester by punishing himself and holding his heart while Hester embraces the sin and is strong while carrying the letter on her chest. She leads a self-righteous life, although she could keep what she earns, she gives most away. Even the townsfolk say Hester is "so kind to the poor, so helpful to the sick, so comfortable to the afflicted."(chapter 13, paragraph 5) Hester can be seen over the townspeople helping them although they shamed her. Hawthorne presents that Hester’s “tendency of her fate and fortunes had been to set her free.” (chapter 18, paragraph 2) With this Hester has a “radiant and tender smile, that seemed gushing from the very heart of womanhood. (chapter 18, paragraph 12) These quotes from Hawthorne show that Hester’s kindness helps her overcome her sin on her own. With Hester’s contribution to the town, “Her handiwork became what would now be termed the fashion.” (chapter 5, paragraph 6) In his research, Sacvan Bercovitch remarks that “Hester Prynne ‘builds upon the tradition of the biblical Esther -

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.

Madame Marie de Deffand said, “Women are never stronger than when they arm themselves with their weaknesses.” In the novel, Hester becomes stronger because of her weakness like her sin being exposed to the whole town, and her having to adapt. The Scarlet Letter is compassionate to the inequalities women faced in seventeenth century Boston, a place where the sexes were far from equal. The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne is a novel that can be considered a feminist book because the protagonist, Hester Prynne, goes against the norms of Puritan values, battles the moral differences between men and women, and exhibits strength as she experiences adversity in her strict, judgemental community.