The evolution of character is a large concept in the novel, The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne; it not only shows the ability of growth that every person has, it also suggests that there may be a hidden meaning behind this development. Hester Prynne, Arthur Dimmesdale, and Roger Chillingworth are the three most predominant changes of character in the novel. Each character grows in a different way, two out of the three being a change for the worst, while one character prospers.
Hester Prynne develops in many ways during the novel. However, in some ways, she stays exactly the same. At the start of the novel, she is introduced as a woman being questioned in front of the whole town. One of the men leading her towards her judgement says,
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She is seen as a criminal in some ways because that is how she is made known. However, as the story goes on, she is given a face and a story. She is being shamed for adultery, but chooses to never reveal who committed the act of adultery with her. With this choice, she shows integrity, courage, confidence. Along with these traits, she has a newborn child. Pearl, Hester’s daughter, is eventually tossed into the shame and judgement that is placed upon Hester, and for this reason, they are both outcasts in their society. The town sees that Pearl is a daughter of sin and an outcast, so they they call her names and taunt her publicly. On one of Pearl and Hester’s outings, children from town yell, “Moreover, there is the likeness of the scarlet letter running along by her side! Come, therefore, and let us fling mud at them,” (Hawthorne 91). Yet again, she and her daughter are being publicly ridiculed for a crime that isn’t dispensing any harm to anyone around them. With this in mind, Hester never lets her guard down. She lets the town scorn her over and over, even though she could reveal in a heartbeat who the father of her child is. Because of this, she