The Unique Character of Hester Prynne from Nathaniel Hawthorne’s Scarlet Letter

An early example of this is how she handles her service to others. Even while being harassed by the general public, Hester Prynne continues to make these sacrifices which are only rewarded with hatred and insults. Hester foregoes her own pleasures, except for the lavish “decoration of her infant,” and bestows the rest of her wealth “on wretches less miserable than herself” (Hawthorne 75). She even continues to aid the poor despite the fact that they “not unfrequently insulted the hand that fed them” (Hawthorne 75). Despite the fact that it was in Hester’s best interests not to aid those around her, she continued to do so. This evidences her sheer strength of character as the heroine of the novel. Hester’s loyalty is also magnified by her selfless nature, as her willingness to sacrifice lends itself well to remaining loyal to others. Hester also selflessly bears the burden of the entire community’s sin. Hester “perceives the ‘hidden sin in other hearts’ around her” and because her sin has been uncovered, “she alone bears the penalty for deviancy” (Taylor). A prime example of this is once again her refusal to reveal Dimmesdale as her child’s father. In resisting their efforts to uncover him, Hester states to the clergy: “I might endure his agony, as well as mine!” (Hawthorne 63). Here, her loyalty is greatly supplemented by her willingness to suffer in place

Hawthorne's Hester Prynne is the underdog protagonist that the reader cannot help but want to succeed. She is flawed but her flaws are outshone by her good heart and spirit. This shamed and humiliated woman is the one the reader, with the help of Hawthorne’s descriptions, wants to support. This sinful woman, with a child from wedlock, a diabolical “husband”, and a secretive lover is the motivating force that drives the reader to continue on with The Scarlet Letter. The language, descriptions, and plot of The Scarlet Letter show that Hawthorne believes the reader should look past gender stereotypes because not everything is what is

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

Hester proves that she is strong by not letting the punishment or her sin hinder her from living a successful life. Despite having to wear the bright “letter A” at all times wherever she goes she still manages to raise Pearl and make a living all by herself. Hester shows her strength in many ways, one being when she shouts to the governor, “God gave her into my keeping… I will not give her up!”(Hawthorne 90). When the governor saw Pearl and Hester he tries to take Pearl from Hester because he thinks that Hester is not fit to raise her. She stays strong the whole time that Governor Bellingham argued that Pearl should not be in her care. In this moment she is very impulsive, and she shows her true strength and love for Pearl by fighting to keep her. She also shows strength by bearing the burden of the letter as if it were not there, Hawthorne writes, “She had not known the weight, until she felt the freedom!”(Hawthorne 159). When Hester finally took the scarlet letter off, she immediately felt a huge weight lifted off her shoulders, but she is so strong that she did not even notice it. When she called Pearl however, Pearl would not come because she did not recognize her without it on her and she had to put it back on. Once she put it back on, all of the freedom

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

The Scarlet letter shows hester as a humble person. She had to suffer a lot in the beginning. I tried to convey this with her distaste of the town shaming her. I also made sure to highlight her persistence to protect herself and her child. That’s the one thing Hester always did, protect Pearl. I decided

She had such a kind nature and willingness to assist others that the fact that those whom she fed often returned the generosity with nothing but insults did not cause her to cease in her endeavors. Then, towards the end of the novel, after returning from Europe to the New England town in which she had sinned and repented numerous years before, Hester began to counsel other unfaithful women. For example, "Hester comforted and counseled them as best she might. She assured them, too, of her firm belief, that, at some brighter period, when the world should have grown ripe for it, in Heaven's own time, a new truth would be revealed, in order to establish the whole relation between man and woman on a surer ground of mutual happiness." This also demonstrates Hester's generosity and helpfulness. Although the New England town harbored such unpleasant memories for her, she was willing to return in order to assist others in need. She was willing to relive her own pain and absorb the pain of others in order to benefit future generations, and she was willing to give back to a society which had given nothing to her.

First of all, she was terribly ashamed of herself. Everywhere she went, people mocked her and told her that she was the biggest sinner of them all. Hester felt completely bound to the letter she wore, but she learned a few things from it. She grew in wisdom and gained an understanding of guilt; she could see the sin and hypocrisy in the community around her. She also grew in strength, as she decided not to let her shame bring her down. Hester was very talented at sewing, and she used that skill to make clothes and linen for the townsfolk. She was very generous with her money and sewing, often giving food and clothing to the poor of her town. Over the years, she became known for these deeds. As she walked through town, the people began to view her with respect. They even viewed the scarlet letter A differently, theorizing that it may mean “able.” While Hester managed to purge the pain and guilt out of her, she did so at the expense of her womanhood and beauty: “All the light and graceful foliage of her character had been withered up by his red-hot brand, and had long ago fallen away, leaving a bare and harsh outline, which might have been repulsive, had she possessed friends or companions to be repelled by it. Even the attractiveness of her person had undergone a similar change. It might be partly owing to the studied austerity of her dress, and partly to the lack of

To this Hester replies, "I must tarry at home, and keep watch over my little Pearl. Had they taken her from me, I would willingly have gone with thee into the forest, and signed my name in the Black man's book too, and that with mine own blood! " (Hawthorne 107) Thus, one can see that Hester's sense of duty and love toward Pearl saved her from succumbing to the temptation that her natural desires would otherwise have driven her to give in to.

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.

Hester Prynne exemplified this as she transfigured from her fallen, sinful state to an elevated,-even saintlike being. Though Hester committed a very serious sin, I think she repented of it and changed. Upon the minister attempting to take Pearl away, Hester cried, “She is my happiness!- she is my torture, none the less! Pearl keeps me here in life! Pearl punished me too! See ye not, she is the scarlet letter, only capable of being loved, and so endowed with a millionfold the power of retribution for my sin?” (pg 112) Pearl was both a blessing and a curse, and I think the fact that Hester still wanted to hold onto the person that caused the most pain, shows that Hester had changed and become a better person. Additionally, Hester became an addition to her village. She had a knack for embroidery, and would embroider the most beautiful clothings. Though she did do this for financial support, she also did it because she found joy in her work. Not only did she embroider, but she also served the people in the village and helped out wherever possible. “-she was quick to acknowledge her sisterhood with the race of man, whenever benefits were to be conferred. None so ready as she to give of her little substance to every demand of poverty; even though the bitter-hearted pauper threw back a give in requital of the food brought regularly to his door, or the garments wrought for him by the fingers that could have embroidered a monarch’s robe.” (pg 155) Hester’s “A” soon turned from meaning “adultery” to being “able” or “angel”. Hester also showed her change of heart when she showed mercy to Dimmesdale and told him about Chillingworth. Hester could have been happy with Dimmesdale’s pain because he never confessed of his sins. He never had to bear the scorn of the “A” or stand on the scaffold, but she was kind and took compassion on him. Hester did wrong- that much can be agreed on,

Nathaniel Hawthorne’s purpose for Hester Prynne is to show that even when the weight of sin and guilt is bearing down on your shoulders, just put it all behind you and do whatever you can to live a normal life. Hester lived the most normal life she could manage, yet she walked around the colony a living testimony. She was the contradiction in the so called “perfect” world the Puritans created. They told her that she was

While Puritan women are weak and dependent upon their husbands, Hester Prynne is empowered and self-reliant. A character designed by Hawthorne to show 19th century women that women’s work could be valuable, Hester supports herself and her daughter by needlework. “For, as the novel unfolds, the letter, intended by the Authorities to signify harsh but just condemnation, is made by Hester to signify something entirely different—able, admirable.” (Bell 109) All aspects considered, the ability of Hester, a woman who committed sin and was publicly punished for this crime, to manipulate this punishment into a virtue

While Hester is a feminist, not only does she share the ideals but shows superiority to the town while being fearless. " It may seem marvelous, that this woman should still call that place her home, where, and where only, she must needs be the type of shame.” (chapter 5, paragraph 2) Hester does not let the shame and remorse of the sin keep her away from the town like most would do. Hawthorne even states that Dimmesdale is weaker than Hester by punishing himself and holding his heart while Hester embraces the sin and is strong while carrying the letter on her chest. She leads a self-righteous life, although she could keep what she earns, she gives most away. Even the townsfolk say Hester is "so kind to the poor, so helpful to the sick, so comfortable to the afflicted."(chapter 13, paragraph 5) Hester can be seen over the townspeople helping them although they shamed her. Hawthorne presents that Hester’s “tendency of her fate and fortunes had been to set her free.” (chapter 18, paragraph 2) With this Hester has a “radiant and tender smile, that seemed gushing from the very heart of womanhood. (chapter 18, paragraph 12) These quotes from Hawthorne show that Hester’s kindness helps her overcome her sin on her own. With Hester’s contribution to the town, “Her handiwork became what would now be termed the fashion.” (chapter 5, paragraph 6) In his research, Sacvan Bercovitch remarks that “Hester Prynne ‘builds upon the tradition of the biblical Esther -

The emotions of Hester also fail to obtain a true form during the course of the novel, and a warm, passionate, charming, and tender Hester is eventually molded into a cold, overly thoughtful, and plain woman. Examples of this in the text include "much of marble coldness of Hester's impression…from passion and feeling to thought" (141) and "Hester Prynne whose heart had lost a regular and healthy throb" (143). Both of these quotes provide clear citations to the apparent change in Hester, and are just more evidence of the pain that the scarlet letter has indirectly brought about.