Who Is The Strongest Character In The Scarlet Letter

The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne has many people fighting against the devil. The Scarlet Letter introduces amazing and talented characters, some are extravagant and others are monotonous. One of the characters in this book represents the idea of the strongest character; to have strength means to have “the quality or state of being physically strong or the quality that allows someone to deal with problems in a determined and effective way” (Webster Dictionary). Hester Prynne is the strongest character in The Scarlet Letter because every single day she has to constantly fight the nay-sayers physically and mentally while keeping her little daughter, Pearl, safe. Hester physically shows her strength when she walked up onto the scaffold with baby Pearl, looking as if she was as confident as 1000 boots marching into a conquered city. Hawthorne describes the scene by saying “in a moment, however, wisely judging that one token of her shame would but poorly serve to hide another, she took the baby on her arm, and, with a burning blush, and yet a haughty smile, and a glance

Andrea Seabrook says that “Hester Prynne is the protagonist of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s magnum opus “The Scarlet Letter.”” Any serious literary scholar will tell you that Hester is one of the first strong women in American literature, and is still among the most important. Professor Jamie Barlowe of the University of Toledo comments that Hester is veiled, complex, and deep, so much so “that her character is much bigger than the book itself” (NPR website 1). I agree with Andrea Seabrook because Hester continues to manage and keep Pearl and herself safe and out of trouble with all of the mental pain and torture she suffers. Hester is a true role-model that represents strength and inner-power because throughout the suffrage, pain and hate in her life, she stays mentally strong and keeps the will to move