How can someone’s character develop into a different, more well-rounded individual that is accepted by others? Usually, it’s to be valued as someone whose own decisions do not determine the outcome of their life, but rather by the good they can achieve. In Nathanial Hawthorne’s, “The Scarlett Letter,” a young Puritan woman, Hester Prynne, who thinks her husband Roger Chillingworth is dead or lost at sea has an adultery affair with a reverend young man, Dimmesdale. This affair resulted in Hester Prynne getting pregnant, and giving birth to her daughter, Pearl. Because of the affair between Hester and Dimmesdale, she would be punished by the strict religious Puritan Laws. She would accept her punishment by serving time in prison and by wearing …show more content…
First, there were consequences for sins by Puritan societal laws. The hierarchy of the Puritan laws deemed Hester Prynne guilty as a sinner for the unlawful act of adultery. She had to wear the Scarlet Letter A on her chest, symbolizing adultery, for the rest of her life as part of her punishment. “With a burning blush, and yet a haughty smile, and a glance that would not be abashed, looked around at her townspeople and neighbors.” (Page 6, Hawthorne) This shows that she feels shame as she is outcasted before her community, but it also shows her strength because she can look at them. The Puritan community viewed her sin as unforgivable when one townswoman said, “Let her cover the mark as she will, the pang of it will always be in her heart.” (Page 5, Hawthorne) This expresses how the community views Hester’s character and the shame and guilt that she will have to face for her actions. Her character is in the beginning stages of transformation as she faces her humiliation and endures the guilt in her heart as she is shunned by her community. Is repentance a way for a person to reinvent themselves to be more accepted by