What Is Hester's Role In The Scarlet Letter

The book, The Scarlet Letter, written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, is the scandalous story of Hester Prynne and how the scarlet letter ‘A’ burns on her breast. Hester has a child who is born in adultery. She is sentenced to stand on the dreaded scaffold and endure public shaming and to wear the letter of conviction for the rest of her days. Even in her suffering, Hester refuses to give the identity of the father, the highly regarded Minister, Arthur Dimmesdale. He is a cowardly man who is permits Hester to suffer alone. Even though he confesses his sins eventually, he refuses several other opportunities; therefore, he is weak and cowardly, and in no way a hero.

In the book, The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Hester is very strong-willed and loyal. For example, when Dimmesdale tells Hester to identify the father and she replies, “I will not speak!” (51). When Hester is in front of many people; she stays strong and does not give Dimmesdale up. This is important because by not revealing the identity of the father, Hester stays loyal to Dimmesdale. Another example is when the governor tries to take Pearl away from Hester and she says, “Ye shall not take her! I will die first!” (85). Hester continues to be tough and not give up Pearl but also does not give the name of Pearl’s father. Hester continues to argue why she should keep Pearl and is willing to die before she would let someone else raise

  "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

This quote is very important to the book as it explains that the town’s perception of Hester is changing. It displays to us that the letter rather than showing sin is becoming a symbol of how mentally strong Hester is and able to overcome any difficulty. Lastly this quote explains to us that the town no longer hates Hester and that the letter really didn 't have it 's intended effect on her.

As we are introduced in the beginning of the book Hester is already an independent woman, she denies the arm of the beadle who meant to lead her through town to the scaffold. Once she gets shamed and humiliated on the scaffold for what she did, Hester begins so heal again. Hester starts to punish herself in ways that are very humbling and changes the way the community feels about her over the course of the seven years. In Characters of The Scarlet Letter, the author writes, “Her way of life suggests that she had determined so to bear her earthly punishment without complaint,” (Wagenknecht 4). Hester began helping folks, even if it was just in the dark, helping the sick and the poor even though they disrespected her and treated her poorly.

“She took the baby on her arm, and with a burning blush, and yet a haughty smile, and a glance that would not be abashed, looked around at her townspeople and neighbours. On the breast of her gown, in fine red cloth, surrounded with an elaborate embroidery and fantastic flourishes of gold thread, appeared a letter A. (6) As she walked Hester was ladylike, dignified than ever before. I presume that Hester is not proud of the crime she committed but she is willing to stand tall and accept the consequences. The author described the scarlet letter as a spell on Hester Prynne that set her out of ordinary relations with humanity, and enclosing her in a sphere by herself, thus bringing her isolation (7). Hester’s walk of shame was the worse part of wearing the scarlet letter, with crude, stark, callous eyes staring at her knowing she will never be considered a part of their society again; though Hester sustained herself as best as she could. She began reminiscing remembering her old house in England with her mother, father, and a scholar, then she realizes the Scarlet Letter will always target her as an outcast. Which leads into chapter

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 Hester’s mind, her actions are justified by the fact that she “felt no love” with Chillingworth. Even though she feels that she is innocent, she blindly succombs to the punishment and consequences of her actions. Even though throughout the rest of the novel her goal is to break away and change the typical Puritan society, in this moment, she gives in to the court. Hester accepts the letter, but will not admit that she made a mistake. It is extremely hypocritical that Hester advocates for her individualism and originality in the Puritan society, but she never once protests the letter or her ruling. Hawthorne punishes Hester’s hypocrisy by making her an outcast in society with the scarlet letter.

To start off, Hester is portrayed as a Heroine throughout the novel. One reason she is seen as a hero is because of her sacrifice. She does not tell the town who the father of the baby is, and as a result she takes the full force of the punish to keep Dimmesdale saint like reputation. She is publically humiliated and shunned for many years just to protect one man from scrutiny. Her life as she knew it is gone in a flash.

The sin of adultery she once made doesn't exist in the letter A any more. It has transformed from "adultery" into "able", "acceptable", and off course it's made Hester the woman of pride, kindness, and respect. Hester did such an outstanding evolution that no woman in her times can: expressing self-identity, proving woman strength by showing her self-reliance and independence, revealing her goodness and kindness for people, and earning respect and pride.

This ridicule has a trickle down effect on Hester as she too is banished from her own community for committing adultery. The comparison between Hester and Hawthorne defines the external struggle for the reader to fully understand the effect of opinions from society on them Although reluctant to allow Hester to leave prison, the members of the town suggest that her punishment be to wear a scarlet red letter A on her bosom, thereby allowing all to know of her crime. The scarlet letter “ was red-hot with infernal fire, ” (Hawthorne 81) and defined the state she was currently in, that being eternal hell. Though she was forced to marry an older man at a young age, her rebellion to have an affair is not seen as an internal struggle that she overcame; rather, it is merely seen as a woman who sinned, a woman who shall therefore endure the punishment for the sin, rather than a woman who was never given a say in what she wanted with her life. Time and again, Hester Prynne is seen defying society by allowing herself to stand out from societal norm just as the roses “with its delicate gems, which might be imagined to offer their fragrance and fragile beauty to the prisoner“ (Hawthorne) did. Instead, she returns to the community and is observed aiding those in need, all with seven year old Pearl by her side.

Have you ever judged someone by first sight? Nathaniel Hawthorne in the novel, The Scarlet Letter, claims that the perspective on an intimate, yet prominent object can be altered through a novel. Hawthorne supports his claim by telling the audience about how Hester, the villagers, Pearl and even Hawthorne’s diverse perspective on Hester’s scarlet letter evolves throughout the novel. The author writes in a solemn tone for the audience to take the story soberly.

Hester Prynne wears “The Scarlet Letter” in the beginning of the story proudly while it accentuates her features. Hester doesn’t hide her true feelings “with a burning blush, and yet a haughty smile, and a glance that would not be abashed, looked around at her townspeople and neighbors” (Hawthorne 50). Hester acknowledges her sin but doesn’t feel shame for what she has done. Towards the middle of the story Hester begins to change her outlook on the letter and also her whole demeanor changes as well. Hester did not use the letter to battle “with the public, but submitted,

‘The Scarlet letter’ is meant to be a symbol of shame for Hester, and instead it becomes a symbol of identity. As Hester’s character develops the Letter ‘matures” along side her . As it ages, it shifts from meaning “Adulterer” to stand for “ Able”.. Hester bonds to the letter as much as she bonds to little Pearl, by choosing to keep them both. She could have given Pearl to the minister and she could have fled New England and left the letter far behind her and moved on with her life, instead she chooses to embrace her punishments. The letter is almost insignificant beside Pearl as a symbol of the sinful act commited by Hester, and helps to point out the meaninglessness of the community’s system of judgment and punishment. The ineffectiveness of this course of action is reinforced in chapter seven “...and the bond-servant, perhaps judging from the decision of her air and the glittering symbol in her bosom, that she was a great lady in the land, offered no opposition.”

Have you ever wondered why the seasons change? Why there’s thunder? Where the stars come from? The Greeks created their own beliefs to answer their questions. Greek mythology is a belief of ancient civilizations. Greek mythology gives information on the Olympians, Heracles, origin of Greek mythology, and more. They made up stories called myths to explain why things were the way they are. They called these collections of Greek stories, Greek mythology.