The Symbolism Of Hester Prynne In The Scarlet Letter By Nathaniel Hawthorne

The novel The Scarlet Letter is a chronicle of how sinning, shame, guilt, and revenge affect the human psyche. Hester Prynne is portrayed as a tragic hero who battles back from her public humiliation and changes her perception in the townspeople's eyes. The plot-driving symbol in the novel is the scarlet letter “A” that Hester Prynne is “gifted” to wear as punishment for her sin of adultery. This emblem is the symbol of the public humiliation and guilt that Hester should feel. Hester takes the “gift” and is able to change both its connotation and her perception in the public eye. The gift is complex because its origins are rooted in shaming, and negative purposes, however, it helps Hester see the world in a different light and change her behaviors

At the beginning of the novel, we listen as people debate whether Hester should attempt to cover and hide the emblem or wear it with pride as it is her punishment, and she should want to feel the shame. Throughout the story the letter is personified as a vilifying and humiliating symbol by stating: “It had the effect of a spell, taking her out of the ordinary relations with humanity, and enclosing her in a sphere by herself” (Hawthorne 51). Effectively the letter isolated her from society in the “sphere by herself.” However, she did not try to escape her punishment by covering the letter or moving away to start a new life where nobody knew her. Instead, she changed the emblem and “surrounded [it] with an elaborate embroidery and fantastic flourishes of gold-thread” (Hawthorne 46). This action of taking ownership of the scarlet letter and adding her own personal touches to make it her own characterizes Hester for the rest of the

Her initial defiance to cover and hide the scarlet letter foreshadows how Hester would handle her sin for the rest of the novel. She will not give up the name of the lover who helped her commit adultery, which sparks interest and anger among the townspeople. Hawthorne slowly repairs Hester’s reputation and reveals her true compassionate nature as the story progresses. Hester initially uses her embroidery talents, which were displayed by the work she did on the scarlet letter, to earn herself many jobs for people as their tailor and seamstress. People in the town then noticed how in her spare time Hester was aiding the poor and sick with no expectation of gratitude or reward. It was stated, “Little accustomed, in her long seclusion from society, to measure her ideas of right and wrong by any standard external to herself, Hester saw—or seemed to see—that there lay a responsibility upon her,” (Hawthorne 194). By using the scarlet letter-inflicted isolation, Hester brought out better qualities within herself that did not go unnoticed. The townspeople expressed that “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” (Hawthorne 197). This dramatic shift in the story is one of