ipl-logo

Heater Prynne In The Scarlett Letter By Nathaniel Hawthorne

769 Words4 Pages

Feminism is “the advocacy of women’s rights on the basis of the equality of the sexes” (dictionary). The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne is illustrated as a feminist novel. “Heater Prynne, is a woman of strength and independence, uncommon for her time, is depicted by Hawthorne in a number of ways after her ordeal on the scaffold. (Johnson)” She goes through the pain and suffering of being an outcaste from the town living separately from them with her daughter raising her alone. They are isolated living between nature, freedom, and the Puritan village. The people wanted her to stay away because she had gone against their beliefs and committed adultery, because of that they feel just to punish her because of it. Although Hester was living in a Puritan society, she followed her own rules and …show more content…

This is supposed to be a punishment of shame and humiliation, so everyone would know and see what Hester did and she would walk around knowing it every day too and feel disgraceful that she sinned, but Hester embraced it.
“The letter was the symbol of her calling. Such helpfulness was found in her, - 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 (Hawthorne ch. 13 pg. 111).”
She walked around wearing the letter proudly on her chest and did not believe she should be punished or judged based on her decisions she makes in her life. Even after she is told that she can take the letter off her clothes Hester leaves it on and is proud of it. “You may have told me I had to wear this badge, but I will decide when I want to take it off (Johnson).” Hester is strong-minded and will not let someone tell her what to do she will wear her sin proudly because she doesn’t care what the people around her

Show More
Related
354 Words | 2 Pages

She is brave and does not deny that she sinned. She realizes that she needs to let go of the misery that the scarlet letter has brought upon her. Rather than letting it define her, Hester uses the letter. She helps out in the community. It does not define who she is.

Read More
719 Words | 3 Pages

Even though the Puritans may have designated the letter as a representation of sin, Hester’s renewed sense of pride does not want society to define the A for her. Rather Hester wants to define it herself and by doing so she develops responsibility and power over her own actions. Because Hester has the power to change who she is, she also has the power to change what the Scarlet Letter represents. By letting the letter be “embroidered with gold thread” readers are able to see how for Hester sin is not something to be fearful of; furthermore, it allows one to see how Hester has developed into an independent individual who accepts who she is and the situation she is presented with. Hester’s lover unfortunately

Read More
1148 Words | 5 Pages

She is forced into following these concepts due to a society that could not accept her. The Puritans, a group of religious dictators, claimed Hester’s love for another man besides her presumably dead husband was a sin. They forced her to wear an “A” to distinguish her as an adulteress in hopes that unending shame would teach her a lesson. Hester must learn to adapt as a

Read More
968 Words | 4 Pages

Thus, unlike the characters around her, such as the sneaky minister or the greedy lovers, Hester is the one character who lives by reality instead of appearance. The best example of this is her lifestyle before and after she is shunned. Before her exile, Hester recognizes the unjust nature of the laws around her. She refuses to follow them and present a façade of perfection and happiness.

Read More
1194 Words | 5 Pages

By choosing to have an affair even though she was married, Hester created a life for herself that was filled with “guilt, sinkings of heart, and misfortune” because of her choice to disobey her religious morals (Hawthorne 150). Although she was extremely embarrassed of her actions, believing that she was even unworthy of death, Hester forced herself to live beyond her tragic situation and use it to grow as a person and strengthen her view on standing against the Puritan probity that the town was based upon. In order to punish her, the town forced Hester to wear a scarlet “A” upon her breast, which was meant to represent a “badge of shame” (Hawthorne 150). Through the scarlet hue of the “A”, as well as it being located above Hester’s heart, Hawthorne was able to reference the symbol of a heart that he consistently used throughout the book to describe her mentality. At this point in Hester’s life, the ignominious letter upon her breast symbolized “drops of bitterness” and guilt beginning to fill her heart.

Read More
671 Words | 3 Pages

Especially in a novel set in Puritan times, Hester especially stands out and makes the story what it is by not only going against the status quo but also owning up to it.

Read More
1151 Words | 5 Pages

Hester lived in a society which believed that she had to live the remainder of her life in infamy because of the sin she had committed. Hester’s conflict against society was caused by its need to enforce its morality upon

Read More
1148 Words | 5 Pages

Throughout all of Hester’s difficulties in life, she persisted through them and used them to better herself. Hester was bold and embellished her scarlet “A” that was forced upon her chest. Instead of wearing the letter with shame and deep regret like everyone in the town wished she would, Hester shocked everybody and instead wore it proudly without the remorse attached all the way from the prison to the scaffold in the center of the village. When Hester exited the prison, “she took the baby on her arm, and with a burning blush, yet a haughty smile, and a glance that would not be abashed” (Hawthorne 50-51). Expecting her to look dismal and dull, her daring blue eyes and her shiny, brunette hair shocked the entire

Read More
880 Words | 4 Pages

This scarlet letter is his mark” (Hawthorne 168). Hester is explaining how she has seen the Black Man and/or the Devil for her mistakes; she knows what she has gotten herself into. She understands that she has to take responsibility for her actions and that sinning was also partially her fault. Even though Reverend Dimmesdale and Chillingworth are putting all the weight on her shoulders, she still continues to stand tall walking through the town and talking to other people. Hawthorne said at the beginning of the book that, “Man had marked this women’s sin by a scarlet letter, which had such a potent a disastrous efficacy that no human sympathy could reach her save it were sinful like herself” (Hawthorne 81).

Read More
903 Words | 4 Pages

From the first page of the novel, Hester is exiled, shunned, and thrown into reality. The Scarlet Letter exemplifies the battle between individuals and society containing the central theme of appearance vs reality and Hester is a prime example of someone who lives by reality instead of appearance. The best example of this is Hester’s lifestyle before and after she is shunned by society. Before being exiled, Hester recognizes the unjust nature of the laws around her. She refuses to follow them and presents the appearance of perfection and happiness.

Read More
566 Words | 3 Pages

In a state of rebellion, Hester adorns the letter to look like a large decoration on her dress rather than the symbol for an unforgivable sin. When the letter is first revealed to the townspeople, Hawthorne describes it as “so artistically done, and with so much fertility and gorgeous luxuriance of fancy, that it had all the effect of a lasting and fitting decoration to the apparel which she wore” (51). The elegant appearance of the scarlet letter distracts people from its true meaning. Hester does not feel ashamed for her sin; therefore, she is outwardly defiant toward the officials that insist on ridiculing her in front of the entire town. They truly believe the scarlet letter on her chest is the most painful form of torture.

Read More
996 Words | 4 Pages

In The Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne shows strength and the ability to overcome great trial and turmoil in her life, yet the guilt and shame sometimes overwhelms her. She is forced to wear the scarlet letter “A” at all times as a reminder of her crime. Hester’s view of her scarlet letter varies throughout the book from a shameful curse to a familiar companion. Despite all of this, Hester still chooses to stay.

Read More
1599 Words | 7 Pages

Hester seeks redemption through her charity. She begins sewing for the community, living in exile, and raising Pearl. She repents for her sins through her selfless acts of helping the less fortunate.

Read More
1404 Words | 6 Pages

Hester feels that her sin comes from the “original sexual incompatibility” between a husband and wife. (Bensick 140). This incompatibility pushed her towards an alternative way to providing for her sexual needs. Furthermore, other people in the Puritan community appear encouraged by her bold act.

Read More
936 Words | 4 Pages

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.

Read More

More about Heater Prynne In The Scarlett Letter By Nathaniel Hawthorne

Related Topics

Open Document