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Essay On The Scarlet Letter Hester's Transformation

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In The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, the element of change is paramount in the understanding of Hester’s personal transformation as well as her relationships with Dimmesdale, Chillingworth, and the Puritan community. Throughout the story, all three of Hester’s major relationships go through many shifts that affect the plot of the book. In the beginning, none of Hester’s relationships are benefiting to her. However, they slowly progress into either a loving relationship or relentless bitterness towards one another.
In the beginning of the story, Chillingworth is trying to find the man that Hester cheated on him with and bring him to justice, as well as keep Hester as his wife. As time goes on, his soul is slowly consumed with his …show more content…

Hester is in an emotional state that differs a lot from where it was at the beginning. At the opening of the book, Hester made the bulk of her life decisions with her heart, opposite of Chillingworth who started with making decisions with his head. An example of Hester making choices with her heart is when she made the decision to commit adultery with the Reverend Dimmesdale. If she had been thinking with her head at the time she would have known that under no circumstances would this bring anything but trouble and misery for those around her. The main consequence of her love affair with Dimmesdale was being an outcast in the Puritan society. All of the Puritans were very irritated at Hester for disrespecting their community and felt she deserved a worse punishment, “At the very least, they should have put the brand of a hot iron on Hester Prynne’s forehead,” (78). As the story progressed Hester’s decision-making process went through many various shifts. She was no longer making decisions with her heart but instead was choosing with her head. This served to be only helpful for only one thing, fitting in better with the Puritans, which was not something that Hester cared deeply about. The Puritans were raised on the morals of the head before the heart, anyone who did otherwise was not considered to be a true participant in their

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Other examples of Chillingworth's villainous acts consist of his hidden identity, his guilt trip use towards Hester, and overall his relentless pursuit for revenge. In the actions taken by Chillingworth he swayed the outcome of the novel. Chillingworth is the long lost husband of Hester Prynne. Hester's affair during his time away, forced him to make a secret identity. Chillingworth's identity affects the way a lot of things happen in the novel.

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Hester knew everything would come down to this. She was born and raised just like most Puritans, she knows what is against her religion. She knows very well what she would get herself into committing certain sins. She has gone against people of her kind. “This woman has brought shame upon us all, and ought to die; is there not law for it?

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This is giving her a chance to get away from the embarrassment that Hester must carry with her based upon the idea that she is still young and they can somehow find a way to save her. In addition to the human emotion conflict, while the women are unrightfully gossiping about Hester, one woman says, “Her husband may be at the bottom of the sea- they have not been bold to put in force the extremity of our righteous law against her.” (59) This is informing the reader that the punishment Hester received was considered lighter in that her husband, Roger Chillingworth, was presumed dead. This is letting sorrow and pity fall into place of Hester’s punishment, inevitably making it worse than previously

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Her lover, Dimmesdale, her husband, Chillingworth, and the town's Governor, Bellingham. Each of them exhibited their control over this poor woman in a different and shocking way throughout the story, and she unfailingly obeyed whatever she was lead into by them. Part of the reason Hester let herself be controlled--when she was being told what to do by Dimmesdale, Chillingworth, and Bellingham--like that probably had something to do with her past, which was not adequately covered by the book, so one may never know what would possess such a strong willed creature to bend so easily. In the chapter, "The Elf-Child and the Minister", Hester is in the presence of all three of the men who control her blatantly, and as one would expect, a fair amount of control is exhibited. The governor and his cohort, Mr. Wilson, verbally abuse and criticize Pearl to no end, while Hester stands in the background and says nothing to stop them.

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The narrator portrays him as an intelligent but angry old man that does not have any interest in his wife any longer unless it is plotting revenge. One theme in this chapter is something that can slowly destroy people mentally, guilt. The irony that took place in this story is that Chillingworth is trying to find the father of his wife's child. The main theme in chapter three and four is obeying the law of the people and if failed to be done it will end in punishment. Journal Entry 3: Chapters 5-6 For the rest of Hester’s life she will be forced to wear a red embroidered “A” at all times on her clothes.

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Throughout the novel, Hester is fraught by the Puritan society and her suffering is an effect of how evil society is. Hester continues to believe that the crime she committed was not wrong and she should not be punished for it. Her desire to protect and love Dimmesdale, turn her into a stronger person and become a heroine in the book. Although society still views her as a “naughty baggage” (Hawthorne 73) and is punished for her wrongdoing, Hester never thought to take revenge on them, yet she gives everything she has to the unfortunate and leaves herself with very little. She continues to stay positive no matter what society has for her.

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