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Hester Prynne Character Development

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The Scarlet Letter is a fictional story written by Nathaniel Hawthorne. The story shows excellent character and development through the use of the unique concept surrounding the idea of hiding sin, like Reverend Arthur DImmesdale, and being publicly humiliated for it, like Hester Prynne. The book takes place in colonial Boston during the 17th century, revolving mainly around Hester Prynne, a new mother. The story opens with Hester standing in front of the colony on a pedestal of sorts, holding her newborn baby girl, Pearl. It is revealed that the baby was born as an act of adultery after Hester’s husband was presumed to be dead at sea. Hester is forced to wear the letter ‘A’ as an indicator of her acts to let everyone around them know of her sin. Whether people would like to admit it or not, this act is an act of …show more content…

Her husband then entered the cell as her doctor and confronted Hester about her sin. This resulted in the two engaging in an argument. him swearing to find the father before exiting the cell, leaving the two behind. After a few days, Hester was released from prison and left to go to her cottage in the woods where she spent her days making clothes for the homeless. She dressed Pearl in the finest of fabrics and clothed her in red just like the letter embroidered on her chest. Being one of the first things Pearl saw coming into this world, and it never leaving her sight, Pearl uses the embroidered ‘A’ as sign of recognition towards her mother. When she would be held by Hester, Pearl would often grab the letter and gaze into her mother’s fearful eyes. Hester believed this to be an indication that Pearl was a result of great sin and Pearl was to torment her as a form of atonement. Later, Hester was requested to visit by the Mayor and Reverend Dimmesdale himself to speak about Pearl, as Hester has still refused to exploit the father and he has not shown his

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Scarlet Letter Pearl Alienation Quotes

570 Words | 3 Pages

Much to the surprise of the townspeople, Pearl has become a comfort and vindication for Hester. Pearl has found fascination in the letter making it less of a penalty for Hester. She hasn’t been able to be understood by the townspeople because she is seen as a creature of heaven and therefore not understood by those who have impure motives. But Hester also sees Pearl as a burden of her past because without the pregnancy of Pearl her affair would never have been discovered and she would’ve remained as a part of the town instead of an outcast. She gave Hester a lot of grief because she had such an uncontrollable attitude, she was strong willed and crated many annoyances for her

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Hester Prynne Isolation Quotes

1113 Words | 5 Pages

(103). Hester believes that with social isolation there is no point to this life she lives in anymore. She has nothing to live for, if it not be her baby, who was a result of her sin, and she begs that they allow her to keep the only thing in the world, in life, that she has left. She believes that her child is the only thing that gives her strength to live through her punishment rightfully, and without her there would be no point in her living in the world. Avoiding the tragedy of losing Hester, who is still thought to be a very vital member of society, the governor and priest both decide to allow her to keep Pearl.

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Scarlet Letter Pearl Symbolism

1051 Words | 5 Pages

“Again, as if her mother’s agonized gesture were meant only to make sport for her, did little Pearl look into her eyes, and smile!” (p 82). Pearl herself being the product of sin, is a constant reminder to her mother that the scarlet letter cannot be neglected. Hawthorne shows this symbolism various times throughout the story. In Chapter two, during the first scaffold scene when Hester tries to hide away her scarlet letter with Pearl, Hawthorne indicates how useless that would be, considering that Pearl is the personification of her sin.

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Perfection In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter

1581 Words | 7 Pages

She vows to never reveal the name of Pearl’s father, however it is later revealed that he is the ever-so-respected town Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale. Hester is more than aware of her exclusion from the groups of the colony, even though she was working to rebuild her name by working and keeping busy, “In all her intercourse with society, however, there was nothing that made her feel as if she belonged to it. Every gesture, every word, and even the silence of those with whom she came in contact, implied, and often expressed, that she was banished, and as much alone as if she had inhabited another sphere, or communicated with the common nature by other organs than the rest of human kind” (page 108). The judgmental community that Hester is a part of, ceases to affect her actions. She refuses to leave, and raises her daughter the best that she can- with love, respect, without revealing to Pearl what makes her different.

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Who Is Dimmesdale's Mental Strength In The Scarlet Letter

872 Words | 4 Pages

The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne opens in a Puritan settlement, where Hester Prynne is being publicly shunned for adultery, in which she has to stand in front of a crowd for overt punishment and wear a scarlet ‘A’ on her chest. She holds her child, Pearl, who symbolizes her inability to hide her own past and her sins from the judgment of her settlement. The novel progresses in a way that further defines her mental strength and ability to endure this judgment. However, Arthur Dimmesdale, the town’s pastor, demonstrates a differing method in which he deals with his own personal judgment and fear of alienation. As The Scarlet Letter advances, his mental strength corrupts with the help of Chillingworth’s methods of trickery and Dimmesdale’s

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514 Words | 3 Pages

Hester sensed the sign as well. Hawthorn stated in paragraph 6 of page 75 “ Pearl would frown, and clench her little fists and harden her small features into a stern,un-synthesizing look of discontent.” Pearl would also need her mother to show her new lessons in life, such as; sewing, cleaning, and just how to live life as a puritan. Hester needs Pearl, as she is all Hester has, and Pearl needs Hester because no one is going to take her in, and every child needs their mother.

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Hester Prynne How Does The Scarlet Letter Change

814 Words | 4 Pages

The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne takes place in a Puritan community where there lived a courageous woman, Hester Prynne and her young daughter, Pearl, who was conceived when her mother was in the state of infidelity. Hester Prynne was incarcerated, for she had committed adultery and was obligated to bear the scarlet letter A upon her clothing, near her bosom. Throughout the novel, Hester progresses but struggles to understand the symbolic meaning of the scarlet letter she wears. The letter was very elaborate with embroidery and gold thread that flourished it.

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789 Words | 4 Pages

The Scarlet Letter is a book written in the 1800’s by Nathaniel Hawthorne. It is set in a puritan town in the 1600’s. The book follows a young woman named Hester Prynne and her struggles in life, due to one sin she committed, adultery. Nathaniel Hawthorne is the nephew of John Hathorne, Nathaniel Hawthorne is an anti-transcendentalist. An anti-transcendentalist is someone who believes that people are mostly bead.

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As Hester stands upon the scaffold awaiting hertrial, the narrator states, “In a moment, however, wisely judging that one token of her 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. On the breast of her gown, in fine red cloth, surrounded with an elaborate embroidery and fantastic flourishes of gold thread, appeared the letter A" (Hawthorne 14). Hester is on the scaffold, being publicly embarrassed for her act of infidelity and she realizes how contradictory it would be to hide the embroidered A with Pearl, her baby. Hester does not want to be viewed as shy or afraid and with pride and courage, emposes the A for the town to see. She is accepting to the blame and guilt and refuses to surrender to the biased views of women in a sexist society by the people in her town.

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Stress In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter

448 Words | 2 Pages

The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne takes place in seventeenth century Puritan New England. A young woman by the name of Hester Prynne is found guilty of adultery and must wear a scarlet A as punishment to mark her infidelity. Because of her refusal to reveal the father’s name Hester endures hours of public ridicule. While standing on the scaffold, Hester recognizes a figure standing in the crowd as her husband who had been presumed lost at sea. Upon seeing his wife’s shame he vows to find the child’s father and vows to seek revenge.

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Pearl is the result of the sin of adultery between Hester and her lover. Pearl’s darkness or immorality could be the consequence of having her. Even with all of this, Hester still views Pearl as her world. She loves Pearl very much and doesn’t know what to do without her. Hester gave up everything she had for Pearl.

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796 Words | 4 Pages

In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s, The Scarlet Letter, the protagonist, Hester Prynne is a Romantic Hero. Throughout The Scarlet Letter, we see Hester Prynne’s struggle in Colonial America after she is condemned by the Puritan society. She is sent to America by her husband, but he never returns, and Hester later conceives a child with the local minister. She is convicted with the crime of adultery, but refuses to identify the father, she is then forced to wear the Scarlet Letter. The novel captures her experience as she struggles to survive the guilt, sin, and revenge.

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1142 Words | 5 Pages

The Scarlet Letter, written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, was published in 1850. It focuses on the life of the main protagonist, Hester Prynne, living in a Puritan community. Both Yamin Wang and Maria Stromberg offer insight into The Scarlet Letter and analyze multiple aspects of the story.. Both Wang and Stromberg claim that there is an underlying ideology hidden in the texts of the book. Wang approaches the story from a feminist approach and states that Hester represents the feminism in the Puritan community, and she analyzes the Puritan’s outlook on women in their society.

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574 Words | 3 Pages

Hester utilized her skill of embroidery to help her and Pearl survive. Hester also used it a way to recover from her sin and attempt to be accepted normally back into society. As Hester progressed throughout the book, she developed into a strong minded person as a result of her learning from her sin. “The scarlet letter was her passport into regions where other women dared not tread. Shame, Despair, Solitude!

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