Hester Prynne is punished in front of the whole Puritan community, with her daughter Pearl. Together Hester holds baby Pearl in her arms while being publicly ridiculed on a scaffold in the center of the town. To escape the constant mockery from the society, she can easily leave and move to a place where no one knows her sin, and where she would be free to live without punishment. Hester knows she has done wrong though, so she decides to stay where her sin takes place and where her punishment is established. Hester believes “The torture of her daily shame would at length purge her soul and work our another purity than that which she had lost.”
To begin, Nathaniel Hawthorne utilizes pathos throughout his writing to imprint the importance of individual conscience into the reader 's mind. Hawthorne begins the book by having the reader pity the main character, Hester Prynne, as she is a young, husbandless, mother in a society that shames her for her unfortunate circumstances: “haughty as her demeanor was, she perchance underwent an agony from every footstep of those that thronged to see her, as if her heart had been flung in the street for them all to spurn and trample upon” (Hawthorne, 53). The consistent misfortune of Prynne evokes emotion in the reader and stresses the weight of her decisions. Prynne manages her way through such a hostile society -“Happy are you, Hester, that wear the scarlet letter openly on your bosom” (Hawthorne, 188)- in a way that is metaphorically applicable to the real world, allowing the reader to truly connect and understand the character for who they are.
Hester’s undeniable ability to overcome hardships is what keeps her stable throughout the events dramatized within the novel. When the author mentions, "[t]hey said that it meant Able; so strong was Hester Prynne, with a woman's strength," he is allowing the reader to recognize Hester's ability to care for others while ,on the other hand, no one cares for her (Hawthorne 124). Her true ability to conquer troubles without any additional help made the people reconsider their views on Hester. She is belittled and neglected by the Puritan people, but her strength allows her to carry on. With her courage, Hester Prynne learns to accept that her sins are part of her.
The society believed that whoever wasn't following the Puritan way of life were sinners and they should be punished. The
Make the Most of It Malcolm Gladwell’s David and Goliath and Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter house a similar theme; impediments exhibit an individual’s resiliency. Although it is effortless for the “underdog” to sympathize with themselves and play the victim card, Hester Prynne surprises us. She owns up to the humiliating punishment that comes with her personal choices, but with bounteous pride.
Unlike Dimmesdale, Hester Prynne is able to be comfortable with the distance created between her and the Puritan community. She does not allow her status as an outsider erode her personal connection to the community nor does she completely lose her
Puritanism is a way of life that was first introduced in the 16th and 17th century. It was very strict, and dignified, including harsh discipline and important moral values to follow, as well as a united religion. Everyone had to lookout for one another and was opted to come forth if one was not following the Puritan way. The superstition that many Puritans believed in is represented through Reverend Parris. He insists to Abigail that “if you trafficked with spirits in the forest I must know, for surely my enemies will, and they will ruin me with it” (Miller 11).
Hester not only serves punishment upon the scaffold, but she also completes charitable actions, leading the townspeople to think highly of her. They found a “. . . helpfulness. . . in her. . . [with] much power to do, and power to sympathize. . .”
Hester Prynne is guilty as charged for committing a sin towards her Puritan religion, committing adultery, and refusing to give up the identity of Pearl’s father. Hester deserved the punishment she was given. She knew what cheating would turn into, and the consequences of it, but she did it anyway. Thank you for taking the time to read this
The Puritan society openly scorns her for her sin. Hester Prynne, portrayed as a symbol of sin within the puritan society, is an illustration of solidity through her determination, seclusion with the scarlet letter, and hard work ethic. Through all of the mocking and humiliation caused by the colony’s response to Hester’s sin, Hester continues to show strength for Pearl’s sake. “When the young woman--the mother of this child--stood fully revealed before the crowd, it seemed to be her first impulse to clasp the infant closely to her bosom; not so much by an impulse of motherly affection, as
The town is made up of a series of guilty, hypocritical individuals. Many of the townspeople, although unproclaimed sinners themselves, judge Hester Prynne for her sinful behavior. Within the town, leaders closely monitor the citizens, never allowing them to step out of line. Although this may appear to be a miserable existence, the text provides many clues as to why people remain in this seemingly negative situation. Throughout the novel, the narrator introduces the idea that one should stay at the scene of their crimes for the duration of their punishment.
In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s, The Scarlet Letter, the protagonist, Hester Prynne is a Romantic Hero. Throughout The Scarlet Letter, we see Hester Prynne’s struggle in Colonial America after she is condemned by the Puritan society. She is sent to America by her husband, but he never returns, and Hester later conceives a child with the local minister. She is convicted with the crime of adultery, but refuses to identify the father, she is then forced to wear the Scarlet Letter. The novel captures her experience as she struggles to survive the guilt, sin, and revenge.
In order to fully understand the connection between these two seemingly unconnected occurrences, you must first know the basic background knowledge of each of the events to know how and why they happened. The Age of Enlightenment was the era in history between around 1685-1815. It was a time where thinkers began to question the way that people traditionally thought and how humans traditionally acted. This period in history is responsible for giving us some of the greatest scientific discoveries, books, inventions, and laws of our time. It also helped shape the world through several wars including the American Revolution and the French Revolution.
This effects her every day life going out in public and getting ridiculed by all the towns people she is surrounded by. Hester Prynne doesn’t just have to live with a mistake right on her shirt, but people also help her remember past. She does have her daughter or her “sole treasure.” The young girls name is pearl and she is not exactly like the others. It isn't easy because her and her mother are considered different in the community so she is lonely but very
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.
