The Virtuous Woman Hester Prynne
The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne focuses on the early Puritan settlement of Boston and a woman named Hester Prynne. Hawthorne has this character face having a child out of wedlock and hatred from society. In this case then, is Hester Prynne a virtuous woman or not? William Shakespeare once wrote, “Most dangerous is that temptation that doth goad us on to sin in loving virtue”. Shakespeare described the dangers of sinning due to love of goodness. Virtue is defined as behavior showing high moral standards (“Virtue”). Hester is thought to be a virtuous woman according to Proverbs 31 due to her efforts in bringing others good not harm, working with eager hands, putting pearl first, having courage and internal strength, and helping the poor.
Hester Prynne is no ordinary woman. The entire town knows of
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It would have been impossible to guess that this bright and sunny apparition owed its existence to the shape of gloomy gray; or that a fancy, at once so gorgeous and so delicate as must have been requisite to contrive the child’s apparel, was the same that had achieved a task perhaps more difficult, in imparting so distinct a peculiarity to Hester’s simple robe. The dress, so proper was it to little Pearl, seemed an effluence, or inevitable development and outward manifestation of her character, no more to be separated from her than the many-hued brilliancy from a butterfly’s wing, or the painted glory from the leaf of a bright flower. As with these, so with the child; her garb was all of one idea with her nature (238).
Pearl is decked out in this beautiful dress that describes her personality while Hester is just in a simple robe. Hester did this because she wanted Pearl to have a special dress that was perfect for her. Hester worked long and hard to make sure Pearl’s dress was unique. This shows Hester’s virtue because she worked vigorously to make a beautiful dress for her