The Role Of Hester Prynne In The Scarlet Letter

As the novel progresses the meaning of the symbolism of the letter “A” starts ti blossom into a new meaning. Toward the climax of the novel Hester Prynne’s appearance is altered to where she is no longer viewed as a sinner. The meaning on the symbol changes from of the devil to a some what vague symbol, as if it has lost its initial connotation. Society now views her a symbol that differs whom she really is, she is viewed as a strong woman through all the torment that is put in a unfortunate situation. At this point Hester has already learned how to dealt with the burden of the scarlet letter. Withstanding the pressures of society boiling down waiting patiently for Hester Prynne to crack, she does not, she grows into a stronger woman. A woman that has gone through hell and back and continues to thrive in her society even under the circumstances she lives in. The scarlet letter “A” meaning has changed, “ hatred, by a gradual and quiet process, will even be transformed to love, unless the change be impeded by a continually new irritation of the original feeling of hostility” (Hawthorne 147). Slowly Hester’s hard feelings toward the letter, and to the situation itself, begins to diminish. However, it is

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

The character of Hester Prynne changed significantly throughout the novel "The Scarlet Letter" by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Hester Prynne, through the eyes of the Puritans, is an extreme sinner; she has gone against the Puritan ways, committing adultery. For this irrevocably harsh sin, she must wear a symbol of shame for the rest of her life.

  "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

Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote the fictional story of Hester Prynne and her public humiliation as she is forced to wear the letter A on her chest due to her having a child with someone else other than her husband. The scarlet letter “A” stands for many things in the book but the initial meaning is that of adultery. The baby is Pearl and the name itself is given to her because she is worth so much to Prynne as in “her mother’s only treasure!” The beginning of the story sets the stage to what Prynne and Pearl will go through this tale, setting up the state of puritan utopia and why Prynne holds Pearl so close to her. The scarlet

Roger Ebert said, “If you have to ask what it symbolizes, it didn't.” There are many “symbols” in The Scarlet Letter. The most known one was the letter itself. The meaning of the letter appears clear at first but as the book progresses you see the letter’s meaning shift with Hester’s character. The magistrates intended the letter to represent the sin of adultery. And while of course, people did shun her at the very beginning, the “shaming” technique could not weather the test of time. The “A” soon began to lose its shameful meaning and instead become a symbolic example of Hester’s courage and show that public shaming cannot compete with one’s own means of self torture.

Consequently, she must be punished by having an embroidered (‘ ‘) “A”, which stands for adultery, worn upon her chest for the rest of her life. As a result, her consequence forces her to overcome her past, even though there are many problems and distractions between her husband and the father of her child. Hester grows from her mistake into a better person. Nathaniel Hawthorne shows how Hester Prynne

When the book starts, Hawthorne tells the reader that the letter “A”, on Hester’s chest, is a symbol of adultery. Hester is forced to wear this letter “A” because she has committed the sin of adultery with a fellow townmate. Hester gave birth to a child named Pearl, with somebody besides her husband Roger Chillingworth. Now that the letter has concreated itself on her chest, she is labeled as sinful. Hester is forced on a scaffold where everyone in the town can see what is on her chest, “When the young women - mother of this child - stood fully revealed before the crowd…

Hester being a woman, is more responsible for the punishment than the man involved. The father of the baby has a high status in the community,he's a Puritan minister, she takes all the punishment. The novel The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne the “A” symbolizes her mistake in society eyes such as adultery, also her abilities,her will of doing the right thing. In Hester’s eyes she made herself independent. Hester Prynne was forced to wear the scarlet letter “A” on her body as punishment for her adulterous affair with Arthur Dimmesdale, the town minister.

The letter A went from meaning a bad thing to meaning something really good. Amazing as it is, the scarlet letter came to mean many different things to the people of Boston. (pg. 148) “... that many people refused to interpret the scarlet A by its original signification. They said that it meant Able; so strong was Hester Prynne, with a woman’s strength.” Hester was a needle worker who was able to make enough money to support her and Pearl, so therefore the people of Boston said that the A now meant “Able”.

In the Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne critiques Puritan ideology by using hypocrisy. Throughout the novel, symbolism gives a deeper meaning to his words and obvious tones of criticism if not mockery of Puritan beliefs. One way to critique Puritan ideology, Hawthorne uses the letter “A” in scarlet color that Hester Prynne, a main character, wears as a symbol of a sin that over time changes the characters in the novel. The scarlet “A” that Hester Prynne bears changes her through the novel many times. The scarlet “A” also leads Dimmesdale, who is a clergyman and minister of the Puritan church, to complete destruction.

“Throughout the Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, the effects of sin on the mind, body, and soul of Hester”(Smith). As Hester commits these sins she thinks that what she did was not a very big deal, but when society finds out she gets put in prison and gets in very big trouble. Hester was fighting her own identity by her trying to keep the Puritan society from finding out about that sins that she had committed but once her religion find out they view her in a whole different way. The Puritan religion viewed her as a very sinful person, and they also viewed her as a promiscuous person. In the novel The Scarlet Letter, written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, the letter “A” changes from adultery, to ability, to angel, and to the living persona of Pearl.

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.

“ She had not known the weight until she felt the freedom”( Hawthorne p.134). In the beginning of the book every character upholds a strict understanding with Puritan beliefs. They view the sin Hester commits very offensive and think she should receive a harsh punishment. The letter “A” represents her sin called adultery, but by the end of the book the letter “A” changes meanings. The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne presents many symbols representing multiple characters and locations in the book. Throughout the book the meaning of the letter “A” starts to gradually change.

The scarlet letter could also be looked as a quality of Hester's character. This quality defined the views of the townspeople regarding Hester, and in time also changed in meaning. It was at the beginning of the book that the letter embroidered on her bosom only stood for adultery, and the common consensus of the people, in respects to Hester's actions, was "this woman has shamed us all and ought to die" (50). In time, and through the actions of Hester Prynne, the letter 'A' upon her chest was understood to be something different, and "many people refused to interpret the