The Point Of Freudian Therapy

Repeatedly she stays silent to protect both those she loves and those she is indebted to. One instance of this is when she denies information about Dimmesdale, her lover, to her husband in order to protect him, saying “‘That thou shalt never know!’” (Hawthorne 69). This privilege of trust is not just exclusive to loved ones however, as she turns right around and offers the same deal to her husband, who asks her to “‘[b]reathe not, to any human soul, that thou didst ever call me husband!’” (Hawthorne 69-70). She complies, and no one ever finds out their prior relation. Hester is loyal to more than just the people around her, however. Hester is also loyal to her punishment and societal beliefs despite her lack of respect for the clergymen and their decisions. Hester has the option to escape her punishment, but chooses not to, rather displaying her embroidered ‘A’ to the public “... which was of a splendor in accordance the the taste of the age, but greatly beyond what was allowed by the sumptuary regulations of the colony” (Hawthorne 50). She views this mark of her sin as something to be proud of, decorating the letter like a trophy and taking a firm ownership of her sin. At the same time she also remains loyal to her ideals, refusing to believe she has done anything wrong. Hester “remains unwilling to separate herself from her sin by recognizing it as a sin,” and as a result maintains a strong “devotion to

Hester's shame does become very influential in her life making her unable to express herself freely. "Hester Prynne might have repaid them all with a bitter and disdainful smile. But under the leaden infliction which it was her doom to endure, she felt at moments as if she must needs to shriek" (52-53). Hester's guilt has surfaced fully because when she wants to simply express herself, she is prevented from doing so due to her guilty conscience. She wants to take revenge on everyone that has passed judgment on her by giving them a disdainful smile, but she is fearful that she might start feeling guilty for doing such a thing. It seems Hester can live without any consequences of sin if she is able to suppress her anger, but she is actually being slowly isolated from the world. Living peacefully for Hester is slowly isolating her because she acts kind to others to avoid confrontations, which shows that she is afraid of the world and is actually trying to hide from it. Guilt is still the consequence that causes Hester to become isolated from the world around her, but there is another larger consequence which she is reminded of everyday.

2. Hester is young, tall, elegant, beautiful, a proud woman, yet serious. She carries a baby named Pearl. She wears an "A" on her chest. The latter sets her apart from the rest of the women physically.

In order to pacify Pearl, Hester decides to put her scarlet letter back on and says, “I must bear this torture yet a little longer” (181). The letter physically and emotionally drains the life out of Hester and yet she still endures this agony to appease her child. Hester constantly puts her daughter over her own feelings and aspires to make her happy and joyful. She reveals how considerate and loving she remains by putting others’ needs above her own. As Pearl throws flowers at Hester’s letter, Hester “[resists] the impulse, and [sits] erect, pale as death…with hurts for which she [can] find no balm in the world” (83). Hester obviously suffers through this pain and torture just so her child will remain content and pleased. She clearly demonstrates her motherly nature by putting Pearl’s wishes above her own. Hester may not verbally announce her feelings to everyone, but her actions show others how kindhearted and compassionate she remains after all this

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

In the beginning of the novel, Hester refuses to let her sin define her, which her subtle, beautiful, yet defiant nature displays. With all eyes on her as she walks out of the jail, the townspeople notice “On the breast of her gown, in fine red cloth, surrounded with an elaborate embroidery and fantastic flourishes of gold thread, appeared the letter A” (Hawthorne 46). This embroidered A serves as a punishment of her sin and is supposed to be a disgraceful, ugly reminder to her and everyone around her. If she had succumbed to her punishment and the persona that went with it, then it would be an ugly A, but she makes

When Hester is released from prison, she ponders the effect of the scarlet letter and realizes, “she must either sustain and carry it forward by the ordinary resources of her nature, or sink beneath it” (Hawthorne 69). In other words, Hester knows that allowing other people to bring her down will lead to self-destruction. Through a great deal of inner strength, Hester decides to stay in her hometown and let “the torture of her daily shame . . . purge her soul and work out another purity than that which she had lost; more saintlike, because the result of martyrdom” (Hawthorne 71). Essentially, Hester resolves to learn from her “mistake” and use the situation as a growing opportunity. Decisively, Hester concludes that although she cannot change the past, she can show her strength and resolve by overcoming the shaming that is sure to occur in her town. Hester’s honesty and willingness to accept her punishment enable her to

from Hester's due to the fact that his sin remains a secret from the public.

In Hawthorne's novel The Scarlet Letter Hester is a strong dynamic character. The scarlet letter “A” upon Hester’s chest gives her confidence because she knows that everyone sins and she can learn from her own. She holds her head high during this seven years of punishment. Hester is the first one to come out and confess, which demonstrates her confidence level. Hawthorne says, “In a moment, however, wisely judging that one token would but poorly serve to hide another, she took the baby on her arm, and, with a burning blush, and yet a haughty

But in the beginning of the novel, Hester was a strong woman, but because of the public shame she endured and the everyday confrontation of a judgmental community, her perspective of life was change. (quote) she took the shameful sign to something he thought of as good or with pride. We can also see that she is a rebel because she refuses to give the ministers the father of the baby. But, as we go further into the novel, Hester loses all self esteem and lets herself fall by the shame and hate of the people (quote and quote relevance) But when Pearl is born it gives Hester a little bit of hope because maybe the product of her sin (Pearl) might “not be a punishment like men described but a blessing” (Hawthorne 74)

Mistakes are a part of being human; they are what shape, define, and transform an individual. In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel, The Scarlet Letter, out of all the characters, one undergoes the most drastic amount of change. Throughout the storyline this character’s persona changes from shameful, to one containing strength, confidence, and security of what the future has to hold: Hester Prynne. Hester changes from being ashamed of herself to accepting herself. Right from the start of the novel, Hester comes out of the prison to take her spot on the scaffold.

Shame, Despair, Solitude! These had been her teachers,—stern and wild ones,—and they had made her strong, but taught her much amiss” (Hawthorne 196). When Hawthorne says that Hester’s suffering made her “strong” reveals a tone of admiration towards Hester’s moral strength which shows that Hawthorne favors independent thought over uniform Puritan morals. Hawthorne’s admiration is a result of his perspective as a romantic writer having an effect on his morality towards the Puritan ideology of uniform perception.

She infringes upon the seventh commandment and corrupts her soul with adultery. This is exposed when “her husband is presumed dead,” yet “she still birthed a child” (1). The act of adultery is met with the branding of the letter ”A” to be sewn upon the adultists clothing. Whilst being branded and humiliated with cheating on her “presumed dead” husband, Hester’s tragic flaw of hamartia was shown. Her hamartia is pride, or hubris, and the loyalty for her sinful lover. This is confirmed when Hester herself states during her interrogation, “Ask me not,” “Thou shall never know,” referring to the identity of the man that assisted with the sinful act (64). Her hubris is her own free choice and she proves this herself when it is said that, “I will not speak” “Never” (58). Her moment of recognition is found later on when she recognizes “This badge hath taught me… lessons whereas my child may be wiser” (92). She sees that the scarlet letter has taught her a valuable lesson in which she intends to teacher her daughter Pearl. These traits that define Hester as a tragic hero not only strengthened her as a person, but ultimately prepared her for identifying the hypocrisy of her peers with the

Pearl is often accused of being a witch child, but Hester tries her best not to believe it. Hester does her best to be there for her daughter, even when she was faced with her own burdens. Even though she’s been through so much in her, Hester gives out all her love whenever she can. That proves that she’s become a pure and loyal person.

As American-British novelist Mark Lawrence once said, “We’re built of contradictions, all of us. It’s those opposing forces that give us strength, like an arch, each block pressing the next”. The aforementioned contradictions are what lead to conflicts, and in turn growth and acceptance. Nathaniel Hawthorne, in his revolutionary classic The Scarlet Letter, delves into the conflicts that the brave, yet infamous Hester Prynne has to overcome. As Hawthorne unfolds the unfortunate tragedy of Hester and her mysterious lover, the battles Hester has to face are multiple external and internal stimuli that bring about the growth of Hester as a character. The onerous obstacles that Hester must face through her life wear her out mentally, but only then can she truly grow and accept who she is.