How Does Hester Prynne Characterize In The Scarlet Letter

Pearl’s existence reminds Hester of her act of passion, which the cultural morality of Boston dictates as sinful. This is evident not only because Pearl is the product of Dimmesdale and Hester’s action, but because of who Pearl is at heart. Pearl’s personality is as stated,

Hawthorne’s message about obtaining salvation through the means of being open and true to yourself, is shaped by the contrasts of consequences the characters Hester Prynne, who publicly acknowledges her sin, and Arthur Dimmesdale, who hides his sin, face. In Hester’s case, she was publicly shamed for her sin from the beginning and was forced to wear the symbol of her sin, the scarlet letter “A” representing adultery, to isolate her from the rest of society. She had the opportunity to leave the town and begin a new life free from the scarlet letter, but she decides to stay as, if she were to run away or remove the scarlet letter, she would be admitting to the shame of her sins. Her staying, shows she wants to change the scarlet letter to not represent her sin, but her as a character.

““There was witchcraft in little Pearl’s eyes, and her face, as she glanced upward at the minister, wore that naughty smile which made its expression frequently so elvish.” (Hawthorne 145) This, is a misleading description that Nathaniel Hawthorne depicts of Pearl, the daughter of Hester Prynne, in his classic novel The Scarlet Letter. Pearl is the living product of sin for her mother. Born out of wedlock, Pearl is a unique child that tends to be very moody and unpredictable. However, Pearl, at such a young age, demonstrates outstanding knowledge and exhibits curiosity to her mother’s scarlet letter, and the hypocrisy of Puritan society. Although Pearl portrays devilish characteristics and performs mischievous behaviour, she

  "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 Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne develops the dynamic characterization of Hester Prynne from a beautiful, innocent girl into a somber, hardened women to showcase the evils and hypocrisy of Puritan New England’s culture of shaming. Hawthorne employs rhetorical devices such as metaphor and juxtaposition to further develop the characterization and his critique of Puritan society. When initially describing Hester, Hawthorne emphasizes her incredible beauty, and juxtaposes this with the other ugly, judging Puritan women, adding to the hypocrisy of her being shamed for sinning. Hawthorne emphasizes the verbal assault on Hester by employing metaphor and imagery in its description. After the community shuns and shames Hester for years, Hawthorne uses metaphor again to show how Hester’s body and character changes for the worst, emphasizes the malice and evil of public shame.

Often times, children remind their parents of the mistakes they previously made. However, if the adults gain enough courage and learn to stand up to their wrongdoings, their children will help them see and reach their upmost greatness. Nathaniel Hawthorne illustrates the life of Pearl, a young girl, in his novel, The Scarlet Letter. Initially, Hester Prynne, Pearl’s mother, marries Roger Chillingworth; however, she soon meets the Puritan Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale, and Pearl results 9 months later. The Puritan society forces Hester to wear a scarlet and gold colored “A” on her chest as a reminder of her crime - adultery. In society’s eyes, Pearl serves as a reminder of Hester’s sin, establishing Pearl as a living scarlet letter, although

he harshness of the Puritan religion is captured in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter. This novel’s protagonist, Hester Prynne, commits adultery in New England during the colonial times. She gives birth to an illegitimate child, Pearl, with Reverend Dimmesdale. Punished with a scarlet letter “A” that she wears on her breast, she is an outcast to society. This leaves her lonely; her only companion is her Pearl. Hester is skilled with uniquely embroidering elaborate designs; thus she supports herself and Pearl through her needlework. Pearl is often described as impish throughout the novel, disobeying the standard expectations of children. The Puritans government threatens to take away Pearl from Hester because they think Hester unfit to teach Pearl correctly. In comparison to Hawthorne’s view of a strict education system for Puritans, the Puritan community had a very effective education system. The Puritans’ strong and strict view on religion greatly influenced education in Colonial America.

The Puritan townspeople of Boston, Massachusetts, punish a woman for committing an ignominious act with an unexpected man. Hester stands alone on the scaffold as townspeople scowl and judge, wondering who her lover is. The innocent town seamstress is a sinner in the eyes of the pure citizens. As Nathaniel Hawthorne’s Scarlet Letter continues, the residents notice Hester’s abilities when caring for her daughter. She also regains respect as the bearer of the scarlet letter, the emblem she wears that “takes her out of the ordinary relationships with humanity and encloses her in a sphere by herself” (Hawthorne 51). Mistress Hester Prynne is an example taught to others because of her hardships faced without her true love. Hester transforms

Throughout The Scarlet Letter, the romantic purities and connotations of nature, being the embodiment of beauty and gracefulness, are best exemplified by Hester Prynne, who acts against the corrupt society through her embodiment of nature. Hester’s character is always described to be one pure of soul, though the letter she wears prevents her from being this character entirely. Enduring the shame of the letter, she tries her best to help the people of the town and the poor. She also possesses a motherly love so dear to her beloved Pearl who is also outcasted from the puritan society. Regardless of the good deeds she committed, she still struggles to be accepted by the community and attain purity due to her symbol of shame she is forced to wear upon her bosom. Through her exclusion and contrast to the society, she is described as the more graceful and refined being in comparison with the inhabitants of the puritan community.

In the book The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne there are three characters who suffer greatly. Chillingworth is tortured by his obsession with getting revenge on Dimmesdale. Dimmesdale suffers because he is a slave of his own guilt and is being mentally manipulated by Chillingworth. The last character in the book that suffers is Hester Prynne. She suffers the most because she is living with two constant reminders of her sin; Pearl and the scarlet letter, she is forced to raise Pearl on her own without any help from Dimmesdale, and she is also publicly shunned which keeps her from interacting with the outside world much resulting in her mental health problems throughout the book.

Furthermore, Hester has stated that she can teach her “little girl” what she has learned from this. Hawthorne page . The scarlet letter will help Pearl learn from her mother's mistakes rather than Pearl at risk of making those same mistakes. Pearl notices how differently her

Who is ultimately the best guardian for a child? Is it someone who teaches their child to fit in with society; or is it someone who teaches their child to be themselves? In the novel, The Scarlet Letter, written by Nathaniel Hawthorne in a Puritan setting, the author presents the characters Hester Prynne and her outspoken, sassy daughter, Pearl. Throughout the novel, Hester Prynne is challenged with the idea that she is not capable of being the best guardian for Pearl. Although the townspeople suggest Hester is not teaching Pearl correct Puritan values, Hester is teaching her daughter to be herself, to love others, and to be proud of who she is. Therefore, Hester Prynne is the best guardian for Pearl.

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.

The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne explores the themes of right and wrong and who determines what actions are moral and immoral. The character Hester Prynne exemplifies how Puritan society views actions as being honorable or sinful; her act of adultery is deemed to be wrong but she eventually is recognized for more than her sin and transforms into a symbol of hope. Hester is self-sufficient and compassionate, which attributes to her being viewed as able towards the end of the novel. Hester proves to be self-sufficient in many ways.

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.