Hester Prynne In The Scarlet Letter By Nathaniel Hawthorne

“Beauty is the mark God sets upon virtue.” ― Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nature. A woman, in the eyes of the Puritans, due to her unvirtuous act, was given an unbeautiful gift. They believe she was given a demon child for her sin. Living in a strict Puritan town in the 1800’s, Hester Prynne, a transcendentalist, is forced to wear a scarlet letter on her chest for the rest of her life as punishment for her sin of adultery. Because Hester is a Puritan, she understands that she participated in a horrible sin and can never be forgiven. She wears the letter without resisting because she knows she needs the punishment. She conforms to the Puritan ways but only because she grew up Puritan. Because it is the only belief she knows, it is hard for Hester

She committed the sin in the first place, which is completely against the Puritan beliefs. Hester not only committed the sin but she then decorated the scarlet letter. When she decorated the scarlet letter it was perceived that she was mocking her own punishment. Another good example is that over time the meaning of the scarlet letter “A” began to change. “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. They said that it meant Able; so strong was Hester Prynne, with a woman 's strength” (Hawthorne146). Instead of conforming to the letter which means adulterer, the letter now means able. Hester is not the only one who does not conform. Now, the citizens of the town are also changing. What can this mean for Hester Prynne? Maybe it means acceptance or maybe forgiveness from those who surround her. One may never know the answer to that, but Hester is not only changing herself, but also those around

The next instant, back it all rushed again, with still a deeper throb of pain; for, in that brief interval, she had sinned anew. Had Hester sinned alone?” (Hawthorne 79).
She notices other women looking at her scarlet letter in shame and realizes that they are in the same position as Hester. Hester is not the only one who has committed adultery. This could be assumed, due to human nature. The Puritans might believe in perfection but it is definite that, even though she might have thought differently before, Hester does not believe that everybody is perfect. Hester not only gains intuition on strangers but also on the ones closest to her. Throughout her daughter’s life, Hester notices Pearl’s demonic traits. They are not necessarily traits of Pearls, but rather a state of being. Hester will notice that every so often Pearl will act like an imp or have an evil look in her eye. In conclusion, Hester Prynne is a transcendentalist. Hester transcends self-reliance, nonconformity, and intuition. Hester grew up as a Puritan and has been surrounded by Puritans her entire life. Hester Prynne may be a Puritan living in a Puritan society, but she is a true transcendentalist at