Hester's Role And Reputation In The Scarlet Letter

In “The Scarlet Letter” by Nathaniel Hawthorne the character of Hester symbolizes as an objectification women, victimization of a female, social definition of feminine of sin, and growth into feminine independence.

Have you ever judged someone by first sight? Nathaniel Hawthorne in the novel, The Scarlet Letter, claims that the perspective on an intimate, yet prominent object can be altered through a novel. Hawthorne supports his claim by telling the audience about how Hester, the villagers, Pearl and even Hawthorne’s diverse perspective on Hester’s scarlet letter evolves throughout the novel. The author writes in a solemn tone for the audience to take the story soberly.

To begin with, the author first highlights the alien and wild mental state of Hester through multiple similes. Lines 11 to 13 describe Hester in a metaphorical wilderness where she “wandered, without rule or guidance, in a moral wilderness; as vast, as intricate and shadowy, as the untamed forest. . .” This simile elaborates

Her being forced to wear the scarlet letter which led her to becoming a women’s advocate reflects the theme that good things come from bad. There was plenty of negative backlash to Hester's mistake, however she gained the ability to help other women struggling just like her. “They said that it meant Able, so strong was Hester Prynne, with a woman's strength” (pg 177, Hawthorne). The sin she committed and the experience gained through the aftermath of that sin, gives her insight on what it's like to be a woman who's being discriminated. Raising her daughter on her own and her saving her from harming herself reflects the theme that everyone makes mistakes. After all Hester is human just like everyone else. It is in our nature to make mistakes or even sin. “It is remarkable, that persons who speculate the most boldly often conform with the most perfect quietude to the external regulations of society” (pg 181, Hawthorne). The actions we take to reverse or to compensate for that sin is what makes us who we are as individuals. Her being alienated from society and developing an independent thinking mindset mirrors the theme that one must acknowledge their mistakes to learn from them. Hester’s society made it abundantly clear that what she did was absolutely heinous and that she needs to repent and beg for forgiveness. The isolation she suffered through helped her become an independent thinker and develop thoughts that we would consider ahead of her time. “The world's law was no law for her mind” (pg 180, Hawthorne). Being excluded socially gave her a chance to dwell in her own thoughts and gather perceptions different from that of other puritans. This decision that Hester makes is very important to the story because it mirrors many of the major themes the author tried getting across to its

Hawthorne juxtaposes the incredible grace and poise of Hester with the grotesque words and figures of the established Puritan women. When she is heading up to the scaffold, Hester is described as, “lady-like, too, after the manner of the feminine gentility of those days, characterized by a certain state and dignity” (Hawthorne 46). The idea of Hester being “lady-like” and having “gentility”, which are very positive qualities to have for a woman, especially in Puritan times, is used as a foil to the malicious treatment Hester receives. These positive traits also show the beauty and desirability of

In the book, The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Hester is very strong-willed and loyal. For example, when Dimmesdale tells Hester to identify the father and she replies, “I will not speak!” (51). When Hester is in front of many people; she stays strong and does not give Dimmesdale up. This is important because by not revealing the identity of the father, Hester stays loyal to Dimmesdale. Another example is when the governor tries to take Pearl away from Hester and she says, “Ye shall not take her! I will die first!” (85). Hester continues to be tough and not give up Pearl but also does not give the name of Pearl’s father. Hester continues to argue why she should keep Pearl and is willing to die before she would let someone else raise

Hawthorne thought that Hester was so physically stunning that he noted the letter on her clothing was “artistically done, and with so much fertility and gorgeous luxuriance of fancy.” Hester was a character intentionally made to get attention and Hawthorne successfully achieved his attitude towards her by noting his opinion on the bold letter “A” on her clothing which made her stand

       Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter seems to be created around Hawthorne's obsession with the forbidding quality of the scarlet "A", the symbol from which the novel takes its title. Rrom the rose-bush which Hawthorne selects a flower from as an offering to the reader(1) to the "elfish" child Pearl, every aspect of the story is drenched in this letter's scarlet hue. Perhaps this repetition reflects Hawthorne's own repressed desires, as some critics suggest(2). However, what seems more compelling is the function which the symbol serves for Hester Prynne and the community which has condemned her. For Hester the symbol is clearly a literary one; she fashions the scarlet "A" to

Hester Prynne from Nathaniel Hawthorne’s Scarlet Letter is a unique character. She shows a lot of strength. Hawthorne creates a Puritan Society who isolates Hester, which made her a character of her own uniqueness. Hester is a woman of strength, compassion, and honesty.

Throughout history, mental illness has been labeled as a defining deformity, that harnesses in its “victims,” into a box, parallel to the familiar “mime in a box” image. In a world where we glorify “normality,” a lack of illness, which by all means is a gift, the beauty of one mind takes away from the beauty of an outlier, even though, ironically people may not even recognize their differences. Hester, at a glance suffers from a literal scarlet letter, but an imprint on her brain may exist as well. Irrational actions, sudden emotional episodes, and destructive thoughts can only prevail for so long following sin; Hester’s persona has branches of self-defeating personality disorder, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder. No one of her time, however, will bring the issue to light, Hester will be left known as the mistress, a witch, or “A,” rather than to explore her “complicated” condition. As decades pass, Hester’s state will remain, as the “A,” the mark of the stigma on mental illness today. When left neglected, society rejects the possibility that under a visible coating, mental deformities may lie; those who are divergent, who require affection more, are made subordinate, marginalized with no quest for a cure.

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

Hester names her daughter Pearl because of her beauty and intelligence, however also because she is Hester’s treasure. It mays seem contradictory, however, the one thing that causes her immense pain is also her greatest gift. Pearl has a innocent, independent, and non judgmental personality yet loyalty bold with wise outlooks on the world (76). The other children stare and tease Pearl for her unique circumstances that have taught her different struggles. For example, Pearl makes do with her confinement by making scrapes her playthings to fight the loneliness; a pine tree branch or weeds from the garden was used. One day, as an infant, Pearl grasps at her Mother’s “A” and smiles it it, causing Hester distress, however, this only reflect

Imagine yourself on display in front of your whole town, being punished for cheating on your husband or wife. Today adultery is looked down on, but in reality nobody makes a huge deal out of it. Sin can affect a person in many ways, but whether it’s good or bad only time can tell. In the old days, religion and law were looked at as one, and Hester Prynne just so happened to sin, which in turn caused her to break the law. In the novel, Hester displays that how a person deals with sin has a lasting impact on the people around her, and most importantly those that are the closest to her.

An excerpt from John 8:32 says, “...the truth will set you free.” In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s historical novel, The Scarlet Letter, A young woman, named Hester Prynne, was impregnated by a man who wasn’t her husband. When the baby was born, Hester would not tell anyone who the father of the child was, however, she wasn’t ashamed of her choices or her baby, Pearl. Reverend Dimmesdale is the father of Pearl. He suffered daily by not facing his sin, as well as not being able to tell anyone that he was the father. In The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne portrays Hester as the perfect symbol of self-acceptance, and Dimmesdale as a symbol of insecurity.

Hester Prynne, who is best known for her act of adultery and the scarlet letter she wears upon her breast, best represents a mix of Romanticism and Puritanism. Introduced in the beginning of the book, she automatically is outcast from the rest, not only because of her act of adultery and sin, but from her obvious different way of thinking. After Hester’s baby named Pearl is born, she can especially be shown to have more of a Romantic way of thought as she raises