Hester Prynne's Conflicts In The Scarlet Letter By Nathaniel Hawthorne

Being a woman in a Puritan society, Hester did not have much influence, and her crime as an adulteress made her a public figure of shame. Over time, Hester became accepted and also accepted herself, and this caused her dealings with sin to not be as heavy. In the 13th chapter of the Scarlet Letter, “Another View of Hester”, Hawthorne describes how Hester has found her place. (13-146/147). This quote shows how Hester’s role has changed and how she had developed.

The Scarlet Letter is made by Nathaniel Hawthorne. This book took place in a puritan town during the 1600s. The scarlet letter is about a woman named Hester Prynne who committed adultery with a minister. She was punished for her sin and had to wear a scarlet letter on her bosom for the rest of her life. As for the minister who is named Arthur Dimmesdale hid in the shadows for years and never took the blame for the sin he also committed. Hester never told anyone that Dimmesdale was the baby’s father so, Dimmesdale always looked like the good guy in any situation. As a result for the sin both Hester and Dimmesdale committed they had a daughter named Pearl. Pearl was an odd child they would say, they also say she was born out of darkness. Pearl

By initially facing her fears of living in public with the shameful mark of the Scarlet Letter, Hester was able to accept this life and continue without the fear of public scorn and humiliation. Although the mark still played a heavy role Hester’s place in society, she was able to overcome its hindrance to an extent, and turn the letter into something positive in the eyes of the Puritans, as shown when the author writes, “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” (Hawthorne 158.) By accepting her fears initially and standing brave in the face of her apprehension over the Scarlet Letter, Hester was able to live a life free of the fear which could have plagued her, and instead became a positive force in society. Hester faced her fear of the town judging the Scarlet Letter and turned to a life of selflessness and

Hester has to go through all the rumors and talking that the townspeople say about her since she does have to stand on the scaffold where she's publicly shamed for committing such sin that is unjustifiable. Nathaniel Hawthorne has major and unrevealed symbolisms

As we are introduced in the beginning of the book Hester is already an independent woman, she denies the arm of the beadle who meant to lead her through town to the scaffold. Once she gets shamed and humiliated on the scaffold for what she did, Hester begins so heal again. Hester starts to punish herself in ways that are very humbling and changes the way the community feels about her over the course of the seven years. In Characters of The Scarlet Letter, the author writes, “Her way of life suggests that she had determined so to bear her earthly punishment without complaint,” (Wagenknecht 4). Hester began helping folks, even if it was just in the dark, helping the sick and the poor even though they disrespected her and treated her poorly.

Throughout the duration of the novel, Hester displays copious amounts of bravery. In the beginning of The Scarlet Letter, Hester is forced to stand in front of the town as part of her punishment for her crimes. Instead of displaying emotion or cowering away, Hester stands tall and accepts the reality she is in. Gracefully, she exhorts an air of dignity that can be matched by few as she accepts the first portion of her sentence. After her initial punishment, Hester is flung into the world as a single mother of an infant with no source of income or support. Freedom to leave and live anywhere she chooses is given to her, yet she decides to stay in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Using her skills as a seamstress to provide for herself and Pearl,

The Scarlet letter shows hester as a humble person. She had to suffer a lot in the beginning. I tried to convey this with her distaste of the town shaming her. I also made sure to highlight her persistence to protect herself and her child. That’s the one thing Hester always did, protect Pearl. I decided

In The Scarlet Letter, Hester is forced to act a certain way because of her mistake. Hester is described as being a different type of person than the one she presents herself as:

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

Despite being judged and discriminated against, Hester’s character can be seen through changes in her physical appearance as well as her persistence through a time of judgement and repercussions from sin.

Few months later Hester is released from prison. She is free to leave to leave Boston, but she chooses not too because that’s where she sinned at. She settled in an abandoned cabin at the edge of the town. Hester remains alienated from everyone, including the town fathers , respected women, beggars, children, and strangers. These people look at her as a fallen woman, although she is an outcast. Hester remains to support herself due to her talent in needlework she made burial shrouds, christening gowns, and officials’ robes. Hester feels lonely and is constantly aware of her

Towards the end of the novel, Hester gets the break in life she’s been waiting for. She put up with seven years of shame and guilt, to finally be the person she used to be. Her rekindled love with Arthur makes her happy again, and everything just seems right for them. She’s filled with hope that her life will finally turn back to normal again. She feels redeemed, and the guilt is no longer on her shoulders. She’s now ready to take on the world, and start her life over to the way it was before the “A” entered her life. Having the courage to show her face in the colony again is just a sign of her bravery.

In the beginning of the book, Hester is shamed for committing adultery and throughout the book struggles to find out who she is. Hester has the opportunity to leave New England but instead chooses to stay, therefore deciding to accept the sin that she has committed and entwine it into her own life. This is shown when Hester is leaving the jail, she begins to walk home and think about what her new life will entail, “the days of the far-off future would toil onward; still with the same burden for her to take up and bear along with her, but never fling down; for the accumulating days and added years would pile up their misery upon the heap of shame” (Hawthorne 70). Hester’s thoughts show that she truly understands the endeavors that she will have to encounter for the rest of her days but accepts them because she knows she cannot

The novel “The Scarlet Letter” by Nathaniel Hawthorne was published in the 1850s, and takes place in the Boston, Massachusetts area during the 17th Century when Puritans were the main population. Hester Prynne, is accused of committing adultery and is forced to wear a scarlet A against her chest and care for Pearl, Her daughter who is born from the tryst. In the beginning of the novel, both Pearl and the Letter are introduced at the same time aspressed against Hester’s chest. Though she chooses to hold the child close to her and the Letter is thrust upon her, Hawthorne shows the reader how determined she is to take these symbols of sin and integrate them into her life and create her own identity.

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.