Scarlet Letter Human Condition

Despite the isolation, Hester supports herself and Pearl with nothing but her inner strength. She is able to deal with the negativity from the townspeople and the local government, and is even able to be honest and compassionate in ways such as acknowledging her sin, keeping the identity of her

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.

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

As the book opens, Hester is brought forth from the jail and walked to the scaffold. For the first time being seen in public named an adulterer, Hester shies from the public as they mock her. However, "She never battled with the public, but submitted uncomplainingly to its worst usage; she made no claim upon it, in requital for what she suffered; she did not weight upon its sympathies." (Hawthorne 140). Soon, it did not matter what other people thought of Hester because of her sin. She chose not to live with the humiliation, but she did have to live with herself.

Hawthorne implies that this causes Hester some discomfort because it reminded her of a sinful nature. Yet, perhaps she saw her true reflection in Pearl; she should have always kept her fiery passion. Through her child she expressed herself in ways the Puritan society categorized eccentric. Pearl was blithe and did not carry the burden of sin but instead embraced it.

She feels isolated from the world and the lack of interactions with people eventually starts to take a toll on Hester as she begins to develop mental issues. Hawthorne writes “In all her intercourse with society, however, there was nothing that made her feel as if she belonged to it. Every gesture, every word, and even the silence of those with whom she came in contact, implied, and often expressed, that she was banished” (97) Hester feels left out from the world and the isolation, as it would do to anyone, causes her to doubt herself. She is left alone to only her own thoughts which at times become very dark. Hester is overwhelmed with Pearl and is unable to find any consolation from the outside

Hester wishes not to bring shame upon her accomplice so she bears the blame of them both. “Thus the young and pure would be taught to look at her, with the scarlet letter flaming on her breast,—at her, the child of honorable parents,—at her, the mother of a babe, that would hereafter be a woman, —at her, who had once been innocent, —as the figure, the body, the reality of sin” (Hawthorne 34). Standing before the crowd, Hester was a living symbol, a reminder, of a sin that she committed. The sin of adultery brought upon great consequences for Hester, but she held her head high and pursued a life for her

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.

The Scarlet Letter, written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, narrates the experiences of Hester Prynne, a beautiful young woman in Puritan times, after committing the sin of adultery with the local Reverend, Mr. Arthur Dimmesdale. Because she became pregnant, she bears the public scorn of her sin, while the town does not uncover Mr. Dimmesdale’s participation in the act until the very end of the novel. Using the Puritan society as the setting, and the development of both Hester Prynne and Arthur Dimmesdale, Hawthorne explores the concepts of individuality, identity, and isolation. Through Hester and Dimmesdale, he presents two scenarios: one in which the character is isolated and freed from society,

In the novel, Hester undergoes a transformation in which she is strengthened and becomes a figure of compassion in her community. The author attributes Hester’s change of character to her persecution, including her isolation from the community and the torment she endures. Hester’s home is “out of the sphere of human activity”, signifying that she is not welcome to live amongst other members of society. When Hester does enter the town, the interactions she has with the townspeople make her feel “banished”, almost as if Hester “communicated with the common nature by other organs than the rest of human kind” (76-77). Hawthorne’s use of imagery demonstrates that Hester is so drastically isolated from her community that she is prohibited from communicating with them in the most basic of ways.

For the most part, Hester sees her relationship with her daughter as a big important factor in her life. This can be seen by the ways that Hester express herself. “She is my happiness - she is my torture, nonetheless!” (Hawthorne… pg.

Her initial marriage with Mr. Chillingworth did not work out for her, leading her to look elsewhere for satisfaction and love. She found Dimmesdale and became passionate about each other, but in doing so, Hester is publicly shamed as an adulterer. She refuses to let out the identity of her partner in crime, wanting to deal everything out by herself staying resolute and independent (Hawthorne, 58). Hester shows a desire to work towards the betterment of society, demonstrating that she is not affected by the townspeople and that she does what she wants. Her decision to bring all of the suffering unto herself is a result of her love for Dimmesdale and her will to support him.

Hester was a women that was caught up in sin, and was looked down on in society for her sin. “This women has brought shame upon us all, and ought to die” (Hawthorne 49) “Behold, verily, there is the women of the scarlet letter; and, of a truth, moreover there is the likeness of the scarlet letter running along by her side! Come, therefore, and let us fling mud at them!” (Hawthorne 93). These quotes show, just how much the people looked down upon Hester, much like the people did to the Samaritan women.

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.

Pearl did not like the fact that Reverend Dimmesdale only acknowledges she and her mother in the forest and when it is dark. For she said “In the dark nighttime he calls us to him, and holds thy hand and mine, as when we stood with him on the scaffold yonder! And in the deep forest, where only the old trees can hear, and the strip of sky see it, he talks with thee, sitting on a heap of moss! And he kisses my forehead, too, so that the little brook would hardly wash it off! But, here, in the sunny day, and among all the people, he knows us not; nor must we know him!