Sinful Mother In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter

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Sinful Mother During the colonial era, Puritan communities were common in New England and were both strict and highly religious, which was incorporated in their way as a society. In The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Hester Prynne is viewed by the public as sinful for committing adultery. Although she has been seen as sinful and defiant, Hawthorne also portrays her as someone vulnerable and tired, but not yet defeated. Because she is faced with public shame and is realizing her faults, she will try to push forward with her child, while her confidence and persistence will prevent her from revealing the father. In the first couple of scenes, Hester has already caused much to talk about. She is ridiculed by everyone on the scaffold while the clergymen and governor question her, to which she does not comply. By doing so, she shows her loyalty and willingness to protect his identity- especially since the father is the pastor. When being questioned and says that she will not say whom it was for the last time, the pastor is surprised and proclaims “she will not speak” (Hawthorne, 61 ) because most other women would have confessed. This scene also foreshadows how she will not reveal anything and most likely will not throughout the rest of the book.…show more content…
While waiting and standing in front of everyone, she suddenly remembers different things of her childhood and reflects on how she had gotten to that point. “Reminiscences, the most trifling… passages of infancy” (51). In remembering these particular scenes, she is trying to acknowledge that she had a good past and was raised well so she was still a good person. She also hopes Pearl, her daughter, will have happy memories that can be shared with her. During this scene, her softness and vulnerability is portrayed because she isn't trying to really hide anything nor is she feeling
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