inflict harsh punishment upon everyone. Hester Prynne, the protagonist, is shunned throughout the novel due to the impact of the scarlet letter. She fights the oppression imposed upon her and instead gains her own self-dependence. Hester redefines the role of women in society. My opinion on this matter is that Hester’s journey creates a greater understanding of how far she has risen above societal stereotypes. Many critics state that Salem’s community restricts Hester Prynne’s freedoms, but I believe that
Hiding a Secret The Scarlet Letter, written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, illustrates the consequences of adultery in the Puritan society. During that time, adultery was an extremely terrible sin and a crime to commit. In this novel, two main characters arise that have committed that terrible sin. Hester Prynne and Reverend Dimmesdale committed adultery with each other. Hester confronts her sin and throughout the novel, works to find redemption. She later is rewarded with coming to peace with her past
is to empower them. In The Scarlet Letter, author Nathaniel Hawthorne accounts the tale of Hester Prynne, a woman in Puritan Boston accused of adultery and forced to wear a red embroidered “A” on her chest. For the past two centuries, Hester Prynne has fascinated literary critics and readers, such as Nina Baym and Kathryn Harrison, startled by her unorthodox characterization in such a conservative and religious environment. Although Hawthorne is harsh on Prynne, he does not condemn her; rather, he
Hester Prynne evolves constantly throughout the story. This is symbolized by her scarlet letter as she is able to become a better person even though she was ostracized from Puritan society due to her sin. The scarlet letter symbolizes her change as a character throughout the novel as it stands for different meanings throughout the novel. In the beginning of the novel, Hester is seen as an adulterous and a terrible person because of her sin which makes the scarlet letter, “A”, represent adultery,
As Nathaniel Hawthorne began to pen The Scarlet Letter, the gender roles of America started to change in ways that had never been seen in its history. Just two years before the publication of Hawthorne’s novel, women from all walks of life had gathered in Seneca Falls, New York to discuss their rights. This conference served as the foundation of the feminist movement and was the culmination of years of small steps for women in their quest for further rights. This fight for additional rights started
In the Nathaniel’s Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter we see a hierarchy of sins. Roger Chillingworth’s pursuit of revenge is considered a "worse sin" than the passion that led Hester Prynne and Arthur Dimmesdale to commit adultery. All the characters recognize that sin will be punished, if not on earth immediately, than by God after death. The puritans believed many sins were punishable by death. Hester is spared execution because the Puritans of Boston decided it would benefit the community to transform
The Scarlet Letter carries many themes and one major theme is “sin”. As the three main characters carry on many sins throughout the this novel which are Dimmesdale, Chillingsworth, and Hester Prynne. These three major characters carry a big role in the society, Dimmesdale being the minister and Chillingsworth being the doctor and Hester being a housewife. In the novel Hester wears her sin on her chest the letter “A” reminding her of her sin every single day of her life. There is Dimmesdale who
Nathaniel Hawthorne published The Scarlet Letter in 1850 in a time much later than the Puritan setting. The main character, Hester Prynne, commits an act of adultery, subsequently has a child, and is forced to wear the scarlet “A” as punishment. The child produced from Hester’s sin is called Pearl. Pearl is her mother’s greatest treasure, as well as the greatest price Hester has ever paid (Hawthorne 499). In The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne uses Pearl to symbolize the Scarlet Letter; her fiend-like actions,
The scarlet letter, given to Hester Prynne as an eternal condemnation for committing adultery, is symbolic of change. While it initially symbolizes sin, the scarlet letter ultimately symbolizes the change and development in Hester over the course of the book physically and in the way that she is seen by society as she experiences cruelty from the people surrounding her. An, “ignominious letter on her breast,” the scarlet letter is initially seen as a horrible sin (41). Hester was a fine and polished
A Sign of Many Meanings An Analysis of Symbolism in "The Scarlet Letter" Early American literature holds an important part in the history of the United States. There are many legendary writers who composed very prominent novels or stories that led to the shaping of early America. These same authors didn't only help with the shaping, but they often explained it, many times exposing the evils of society and the personal experience of the victims of society. To get their point across, many of these