Hester Prynne In The Scarlett Letter By Nathaniel Hawthorne

For years, women have been looked down upon as an object of lust, unworthy, and are not fit to speak their mind. Feminism was created to combat against these unjust accusations and labels, and to prove that women deserve to be treated equally like men in society. A feminist believes in this and tries to disprove the common terms that women are labeled as. Hester Prynne, from Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, is representative of a strong female character by going out of her way to reject the negativity associated with her from her Scarlet Letter and from just being a woman in Puritan society.  Hester showed these signs when she was first introduced in the novel. Hawthorne characterized femininity a "certain state and dignity, rather than by the delicate

Her practicality over going with expectations saved her from embarrassment. She prepared herself mentally to receive the punishment by "[fortifying] herself to encounter the stings and venomous stabs of public contumely, wreaking itself in every variety of insult" (Hawthorne 59). Instead of succumbing to shame from society, she chooses to embrace it. She stands firmly, holding her baby in her hands, rather than shedding tears and hide their face like what others would have done in that situation. Doing just this creates an atmosphere felt throughout the marketplace where people can see that she is unlike other women.  From standing against a crowd who look down upon her, she grows stronger, and hypocrisy only adds to her strength as a strong female character. After sowing and helping others in need while they feel indifferent of her, Hester "really filled a gap which must otherwise have remained vacant" (Hawthorne 86). Her work in the art of sowing became known throughout the community and was regarded for her good