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Hester Prynne How Does The Scarlet Letter Change

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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. Accordingly, questionable to how does Hester feel in the beginning of the story when everyone has taken sight of her with the letter, what does the Dresden letter symbolize to her and how has she changed her views on it towards the end. In the beginning, Hester has the letter on and she feels ashamed, she was publicly humiliated standing in front of the whole town knowing that they are consciously judging her. Although with the letter, the people of the Puritan village were astonished that even with the letter, they expected her to be obscure and tarnished from her being in prison. Instead, it was the …show more content…

The negative energy had been executed and she felt different, alive even. It is like she is two different people with and without the letter on. She has worn it for a long time and that caused it not to be a stigma for her anymore. To her, the letter represents good and bad. She became stronger, in the end, thought differently on the letter and what it means to her. She did good deeds towards the sick, so comfortable to the people. “The tendency of her fate and fortunes had been set free. The scarlet letter was her passport into regions where other women dare not tread” (208). Hester is a daring woman who has the courage and who has taken risks that could have destroyed

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Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter takes place in the Massachusetts Bay colony during the 17th century. The story revolves around a young woman, named Hester Prynne, who is forced by her community to bestow a scarlet “A” on her chest for the rest of her life in order to remind her of the adulterous sin and crime she has committed. As her punishment, in the form of public humiliation, Hester is constrained to stand upon a scaffold in the town square while holding her illegitimate baby, Pearl. In the midst of the townspeople, she recognizes a familiar face; her long, lost husband who had been presumed dead at sea.

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Everyone makes mistakes, but it is what people do with their lives after the mistake that define them. In The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Hester Prynne changes throughout the novel physically and mentally. The letter “A” on Hester’s chest helps Hester grow into a better person. The “A” gives Hester Prynne confidence; she does not let her mistake define her. The “A” gives her courage because she stays in Boston even though everyone hates her.

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While her punishment changes her physical appearance, it has a far more profound effect on her character. Hester seems much older and worn down with the scarlet letter on her bosom. To Hester, the scarlet letter is a

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This act caused the meaning of the letter to change and Hester became a legend in the society. Publicly wearing the letter caused Hester much suffering, but her inner strength raised above the sin as she was able to turn the meaning of the symbol

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People think that she can see their sins. People don’t look down on her as much as they did before, because she is changing. "The letter was the symbol of her calling. Such helpfulness was found in her-so much power to do and power to sympathize-that many people refused to interpret the scarlet "A"; by its original signification.

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Although the community originally knew Hester as a disgrace, the town’s opinion of her changed over time as she began to do work for the poor and needy. After this shift in the town’s view of Hester, “many people refused to interpret the scarlet [letter] by its original signification” (111). Instead of Hester’s scarlet letter serving as a reminder of her scandalous sin, her peers “ had begun to look upon the scarlet letter as a token . . . of [Hester’s] many good deeds” (111). She became known for her charity and generosity, which caused the civilians to overlook her sinful behavior.

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Yet, despite the heavy burden she has to bear, she acts more civil than most of the characters do in the entirety of “The Scarlet Letter”. Instead of her guilt and shame tearing her down, she chose to rise above it as seen in this quote; “she [Hester] repelled him, by an action marked with natural dignity and force of character, stepped into the open air, as if by her own free will.” (50 Hawthorne) No doubt at this time, Hester’s heart is filled with pain and worry. After all, these were people she has known for some time and perhaps has even befriended.

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The scarlet letter “had the effect of a spell, taking her out of the ordinary relations with humanity, and inclosing her in a sphere by herself” (48). Her sin now defined

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In The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne portrays how a young woman, Hester Prynne, is forced to live with the scarlet letter “A” on her breast to mark her shame of adultery. Hester commits the appalling crime with the well known Puritan minister, Arthur Dimmesdale. Being punished to wear the scarlet letter brings about a change among Hester’s character due to the ridicule from the public, the constant reminder of her sin from her illegitimate child, Pearl, and becoming secluded from society. Knowing his reputation and importance to the town, Dimmesdale is forced to bury his sin, bringing about an increasing amount of guilt throughout the years. Along with Hester and Dimmesdale, the letter affects Pearl’s life, as her main purpose is to function

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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.

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She is a beautiful, young woman who has sinned, but is forgiven. Hawthorne portrays Hester as "divine maternity" and she can do no wrong. Not only Hester, but also the physical scarlet letter, a sign of shame, is shown as a beautiful, gold and colorful piece which

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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

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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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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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