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Hester Prynne In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter

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Is Hester Prynne the best citizen of Boston? I believe she is one of the best citizens of Boston if not the best citizen. In the novel of The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Hester gives back to the community by donating the extra money that she earns from sewing articles of clothing. She is looked upon for advice when she returns from Europe. She has been given the scarlet letter as a punishment, but this also keeps her from misbehaving. I believe, even though Hester has made mistakes, she is still the best citizen of Boston. Therefore, the first reason to why I believe Hester is the best citizen of Boston is she gives back to her community by donating the extra money that she makes by being a seamstress. She graciously donates her …show more content…

Hester, after she returned from Europe, was greatly looked upon for advice because all that she had been through. People would come up to her with great problems and ask her advice because she had been in that situation before. It was stated in the novel that, “And, as Hester Prynne had no selfish ends, nor lived in any measure for her own profit and enjoyment, people brought all their sorrows and perplexities, and besought her counsel as one who had herself gone through a mighty trouble.” (239) This shows that even though Hester wasn’t living in any type of luxury since her return from Europe, people still brought their problems to her. They brought their problems to her because they knew that she had experience with these problems and she knew what advice to give to them. Similarly, Hester is also kept in check by Pearl. An example of this is, “But here – if we supposed this interview betwixt mistress Hibbins and Hester Prynne to be authentic, and not a parable – was already an illustration of the young minister’s against the sundering the relation of the fallen mother to the offspring of her frailty. Even thus early had the child saved her from Satan’s snare.” (108) Pearl kept her from misbehaving because if she would happen to misbehave, though she never did, Pearl would be taken from

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Hester's True Side In committing an act of adultery, Hester Prynne, the primary character in The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, finds herself a victim of harsh judgement and ridicule by her Puritan community. She becomes isolated as a result of this scandalous behavior and becomes emotionally involved in a love triangle between her husband and her lover, Arthur Dimmesdale, who is the town minister. As a result of her shameful history, the townspeople attempt to destroy and embarrass her by socially neglecting her and labeling her as an outcast and loner. Though the people of the community pursue several attempts to shame her, Hester Prynne's beauty, selflessness, and strength help her overcome this rejection from the townspeople and

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Prompt 1: Don Marquis argues that abortion is prima facie wrong because it deprives fetuses of futures of value. What is an objection that one could make against Marquis's argument? How might Marquis respond to that objection? I'd like to say this up front: I am very pro choice. As such, I disagree with many different components of Don Marquis' argument.

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On the other hand Hester doesn’t want or try getting attention through her actions. Also she becomes an outcast of the Puritan community and she slowly finds her way back through hard work and showing she cares. Secondly the way the two characters

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There are various reasons for the development of the Democratic Republic ideals that led to the American Revolution. The structures and ideas that were in place in the British colonies from 1607-1754 set the foundation for these Democratic Republic ideals and were instrumental in the American Revolution because of John Locke, Mercantilism and the Great Awakening. These 2 major events in history and 1 very influential person caused a change in the ideas and beliefs amongst the colonists and paved the way for revolting against Great Britain. John Locke was a philosopher who is considered “The Father of Democracy.” Mercantilism was when people were being over-taxed.

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941 Words | 4 Pages

Her defiance becomes stronger and will carry her through different hardships. Her determination and lonely stand repeats again when she confronts Governor Bellingham over the issue of Pearl’s guardianship. When Bellingham wants to take Pearl away from Hester, Hester reply’s with, “God gave me the child! I will die first!”(Ch.). When also pressured even more for the child’s care, Hester pleads, “God gave her into my keeping.

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791 Words | 4 Pages

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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1980 Words | 8 Pages

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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972 Words | 4 Pages

Hester Prynne is the heroine of “The scarlet Letter”, and it is possible for us to fully sympathize with her because Through reading the text “The Scarlet Letter” we can find out Hester Prynne had a difficult life and had been suffering very much comparing to other characters because she handles her situation by keeping Dimmesdale a secret even under pressure refusing to let them take her daughter Pearl from her and not hiding from the public after her sin of adultery is revealed and she is punished. Though Hester Prynne does faced her situation better than the other characters it is still she who sufferers the most. The another reason which compel the reader to sympathize on Hester Prynne is because she had to under gone the worse consequences of her sin that she must live with her relationships and interactions with Chillingworth and Dimmesdale, and the way she deal with her sin and the results of it.

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665 Words | 3 Pages

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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445 Words | 2 Pages

Enough evidence was given in the book that Hester deserves the punishment. To prove that she does, Hester was raised as a Puritan so she knew what would be the consequences she has committed adultery and is left with a baby alone to raise without a father role model. As well she is not suited to be a mother. She can’t keep Pearl.

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Hester Prynne is the very embodiment of feminism because of her refusal to adhere to the societal norms, her independence in thought, and how the view of the society around her changes through the novel. One of the main reasons why Hester Prynne is an important and progressive feminist character in The Scarlet Letter is her refusal to follow societal norms or to be put down by her peers. A primary example of her refusal to be put down by her peers is when Hester brandishes her

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A while after the crime, she became a seamstress and she worked hard to take care of his daughter. Hester proves to be very skilled in her craft, and people often request her skills for their clothes. Though this is one situation where she's been held back by the people around her. She's unable to create a veil for a bride that will cover “The pure blushes of the bride,” ( Hawthorne pg 54) She cant work on any clothes for weddings, because she would make them impure due to her crime.

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601 Words | 3 Pages

Hester Prynne, the Worst Sinner Three different people, all with different stories but all have something in common; they’re all sinners but the question is who is the biggest sinner? In The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, many characters are portrayed as sinners like Dimmesdale, Hester, and Chillingworth. But overall the biggest sinner in the story was Hester Prynne and there are many reasons for it. Obviously the reason for the scarlet letter, she was an adulteress. Hester caused many problems with people in the town including the most holy man Dimmesdale and a man that should've never been involved, Chillingworth.

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743 Words | 3 Pages

Some of the differences between these two characters are also what makes them alike, as well as setting them apart from the rest of the characters in the book. Hester and Dimmesdale’s need to repent and face their punishments in their own ways leads the reader through the book with surprises at every turn. The characters face challenges from holding in a secret, and facing a punishment all relating to the same actions taken before the book begins. Hester, the mother of Pearl ,as well as the main character, was

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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.

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