Who Is Hester Prynne's Redemption In The Scarlet Letter

Hawthorne’s message about obtaining salvation through the means of being open and true to yourself, is shaped by the contrasts of consequences the characters Hester Prynne, who publicly acknowledges her sin, and Arthur Dimmesdale, who hides his sin, face. In Hester’s case, she was publicly shamed for her sin from the beginning and was forced to wear the symbol of her sin, the scarlet letter “A” representing adultery, to isolate her from the rest of society. She had the opportunity to leave the town and begin a new life free from the scarlet letter, but she decides to stay as, if she were to run away or remove the scarlet letter, she would be admitting to the shame of her sins. Her staying, shows she wants to change the scarlet letter to not represent her sin, but her as a character.

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

Though their crime of adultery was mutual, Hester’s pregnancy forced her sin into the spotlight, and in Puritan society, the sin of having an illegitimate child was one of the worst a woman could commit. As punishment for her crime, Hester Prynne is forced to wear a scarlet letter “A” upon her chest as a sign of her wrongdoing. Because of this, Hester was forced to acknowledge what she has done and accept the repercussions of her crime, which ultimately makes her a stronger person and supports Hawthorne’s claim that it is “better for the sufferer to be free to show his pain” (Hawthorne 76). Hawthorne reveals Hester’s acceptance of her crime and her guilt the moment she walks out of the prison with her daughter in her arms, explaining that, “In a moment, however, wisely judging that one token of shame would but poorly serve to hide another, 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 neighbors” (Hawthorne 31). Because of her crime, many people expect Hester to tremble with fear upon being revealed to the town, but instead she holds her head high and embraces the punishment for her sin. This in turn allows Hester to appear stronger, more beautiful, and more dignified, and choosing to portray Hester in this way shows Hawthorne’s belief that it is better to confess one’s sin and live with it rather than deal with the

In the book The Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne is convicted of adultery and severely punished. Hester is sentenced to wear the scarlet letter 'A' on her clothes at all times. The letter “A” is a symbol that is meant to identify Hester as a sinner and an adulteress in her community. She is seen as a negative example for others not to follow. Hester is also sentenced to spend an unidentified period of time in jail; furthermore, she must also stand on the scaffold for hours in the middle of the town. Everyone sees Hester in her most vulnerable and embarrassed state. However, she handles it with dignity and grace.

They made her wear the letter “A” which stood for adultery. Hester whole life has changed just because she committed a sin. In the novel it says, “Throughout them all, giving up her individuality, she would become the general symbol at which the preacher and moralist might point, and in which they might vivify and embody their images of woman's frailty and sinful passion. 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. And over her grave, the infamy that she must carry thither would be her only monument” (Hawthorne 3).

Hester was first viewed by the community as someone who was far worse than a witch by committing adultery. The punishment for engaging in this sin was for a Scarlet A to be placed upon her chest. Once Hester had her child, Pearl, she was scrutinized for raising that “sin” of a child. With the Scarlet letter upon her bosom, and the mischievous behavior of Pearl, the town viewed her as an evil sinner. But through the work of charitable acts, Hester was soon able to be viewed as a sound citizen. The attitude of the town changed drastically over the course of seven years not only towards Hester, but the Scarlet letter as well.

During the time of Nathaniel Hawthorne and the puritans, just about everything labeled as a crime in the Bible was punished. Many of these sins are in The Scarlet Letter, although not all of them are punished. In fact, Hester Prynne’s sin is the main focus throughout the entire book, leaving most of them alone. Hawthorne portrays Hester’s punishment as a lot less harsh than the reality for many Puritan women who were accused of this crime.

Hester committed a sin that changed her life forever, this sin would make her grow stronger and gain peace through her suffering. She became a single mother to a baby girl that wasn’t her husbands. The father of the child never came forward until the end of his life when dies consumed by his own hatred and regret, he spoke to Hester knew the baby was his, and watch Hester be tormented by the town. Hester was able to be a strong independent woman who did not seem to care what society labeled her as. Hester refuses to tell the town the father of her baby's name, at the end they all stand together in front of everyone.

As Chico Xavier once said, “Though nobody can go back and make a new beginning... Anyone can start over and make a new ending.” Hester did indeed have a horrible beginning; locked up and condemned to humiliation, Hester lost her will to live at times and nearly went mad. But the very Symbol she was forced to create helped her to escape her misery. In Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, the symbol of the letter A on Hester’s clothing serves as a constant reminder to Hester and the townspeople of her sin; however, this constant reminder develops Hester’s self-worth throughout the novel.

Many of us commit sins, yet won’t admit it due to the fact of people judging us for being imperfect. Nathaniel Hawthorne poses this statement in his novel The Scarlet Letter including valuable and important symbols. During the 17th century, Hester Prynne lives in a Puritan community in Boston, she is known for committing adultery and treated as an outcast. Nathaniel Hawthorne uses the scarlet letter “A” to symbolise shame, torture, guilt and evilness to Hester's sin of adultery, who Puritan society thinks it's wrong; however, the meaning behind the scarlet letter changes throughout the novel. To inaugurate with the novel, the red letter “A” in Hester's bosom represents the “sin” that she commits when Chillingworth, Hester's husband, was captured

The classic novel of The Scarlet Letter is written by Nathaniel Hawthorn. The novel takes place in the middle of the seventeenth century in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, which was a very strict Puritan society at the time. The story begins as Hester Prynne is led out from the entrance of the town prison carrying her newborn daughter, Pearl. The crowd, who is gathered to witness her public punishment, instantly observes and recognizes the scarlet letter “A” on her breast.

Hawthorne this theme is shown. Hester Pryne is a woman who committed adultery with Arthur

Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote his great, philosophical novel, The Scarlet Letter, not only in the literal sense, but also symbolically to instill his strong ideas into the minds of his readers. The letter ‘A’ is more or less about the consequences of breaking the moral code, or in this instance moral law. It is about giving into the power of free will and giving into the human nature of sin. It is about the hypocrisy of certain individuals of a community who refuse to acknowledge that each of them is just as human have the same temptations, and are just as vulnerable to the similar passionate feelings as the women they label an adulterer. And the list goes on.

“Individuals...had quite forgiven Hester Prynne...It is our Hester, the town’s own Hester, who is so kind to the poor, so helpful to the sick...” (149). Hester is protected from all evil that might be around her, and “had the effect of the cross on a nun’s bosom” (149). The letter became a symbol of love and respect, and meant something good. Hester is able to deal with the townspeople, and they see her and have a new liking for her. They seem to forgive her for everything that she has done, like it doesn't matter, or it never happened. If Hester ran away from Boston, it would have shown her weakness. It would have shown that people of the town had power over her, and could make her feel guilty. Running away would show everybody that she was ashamed, and wasn't really good enough to live among them. Staying in Boston showed the townspeople that she was able to overcome her shame and that adultery is a part of who she is as a person. By accepting her adultery Hester is able to move on, having learned from her experiences. At one point Hester says: “Were I to be quit of it, it would fall away of its own nature, or be transformed into something that should speak of a different purport” (155). This foreshadows that the letter A might show up in new ways.