“Virtue” is a complicated word to work with. The literal definition is simply someone who has high moral standards, is decent, or just. However, when talking about people, specifically women, it is usually just about being a virgin. But if this essay was just about whether or not Hester is a virgin, it would be less than a paragraph. Hester Prynne, by literal definition is a virtuous woman based on her physical appearance, the way she lives her life, and her loyalty. When the reader is first introduced to Hester, she is described as “...tall, with a figure of perfect elegance on a large scale. She had dark and abundant hair, so glossy that it threw off the sunshine with a gleam, and a face which, besides being beautiful from regularity of …show more content…
So, rather than leaving the town where her sin took place and starting over somewhere new, she chooses to stay and live out her punishment for the rest of her life, taking responsibility for her actions. “Here, she said to herself, had been the scene of her guilt, and here should be the scene of her earthly punishment.” She provides for herself and her daughter by making nice clothes for the upper-class people in her town. When she has extra clothing to spare, she donates it to the poor. Despite the fact that she is providing a service for people and is kind to the poor, the town continues to look down on her because of her adultery: “The poor, as we have already said, whom she sought out to be the objects of her bounty, often reviled the hand that was stretched forth to succor them. Dames of elevated rank, likewise, whose doors she entered in the way of her occupation, were accustomed to distil drops of bitterness into her heart...” Many people would try to defend themselves against these personal attacks and tell the antagonizers that they are wrong, but not Hester, because she ultimately believes that she deserves any snide remark that the town throws at her. This humbleness that she shows is another example of why she is a honorable woman.
Except for the adultery incident, Hester is very loyal. Although she was not asked to, she keeps the fact that Dimmesdale is the father of Pearl a secret to save him from punishment, and he seems to appreciate it: “ ‘She will not speak!’ murmured Mr. Dimmesdale, who, leaning over the balcony, with his hand upon his heart, had awaited the result of his appeal. He now drew back, with a long respiration. ‘Wondrous strength and generosity of a woman’s
As the book opens, Hester is brought forth from the jail and walked to the scaffold. For the first time being seen in public named an adulterer, Hester shies from the public as they mock her. However, "She never battled with the public, but submitted uncomplainingly to its worst usage; she made no claim upon it, in requital for what she suffered; she did not weight upon its sympathies." (Hawthorne 140). Soon, it did not matter what other people thought of Hester because of her sin. She chose not to live with the humiliation, but she did have to live with herself.
Hester is unwilling to be brought down by the humiliation and ridicule of other people, because she will be seen as weak and useless in society. She wants to show everyone that she will endure the punishment she receives for committing adultery, but she will not give up the dignity that she has left, even if it means continuing to stay and suffer in her town.(Wright). Hester doesn't choose to hide her scarlet “A”, she instead uses the attention to highlight her good deeds by being more involved in her town. Hester chooses to give to the poor, she knits clothes for them, she nurses them when they're sick. Despite her own poverty and despite the fact that the poor also look down on her as a sinful woman.
Hester Prynne’s sin was a very concrete sin, and was simply committing adultery. Her sin changed her throughout the book, mainly her physical appearance. The beginning of the book says, “The young woman was tall, with the figure of perfect elegance on a large scale” (46). Even though she is embarrassed of her sin, she had not been transformed of it yet. Hester doesn’t changed until later on the book. She starts to feel the pressure of the people and the pressure of her sin. She starts wearing bland clothes and putting her hair up in a bonnet. She also decides to move away from everyone by moving into a cabin in the woods. Hester becomes very depressed throughout the book, the reader sees this because she loses her light. Hawthorne says she is not the girl everyone knew she was, no one recognized her anymore. In chapter 16, she goes to the to the forest to talk to Dimmesdale. Hester’s appearance starts to
Hester is introduced as a beautiful and graceful young woman. Although she has committed adultery, she is prideful and has force of character. Her situation does not stop her to present herself in front of everyone with class. I believe that is very admirable. Although she is being disgraced and ridiculed in front of everyone she knows, she does not show she is hurt. Hester Prynne is brave not only is she judged for her actions, but so is her baby. Although the child has done nothing wrong it is seen as the offspring of adultery, and the mother’s sin. The child is used to make Hester reveal the father of the infant but she refuses, once again proving her determination and force of character. As expected the crowd does not welcome Hester.
Her being forced to wear the scarlet letter which led her to becoming a women’s advocate reflects the theme that good things come from bad. There was plenty of negative backlash to Hester's mistake, however she gained the ability to help other women struggling just like her. “They said that it meant Able, so strong was Hester Prynne, with a woman's strength” (pg 177, Hawthorne). The sin she committed and the experience gained through the aftermath of that sin, gives her insight on what it's like to be a woman who's being discriminated. Raising her daughter on her own and her saving her from harming herself reflects the theme that everyone makes mistakes. After all Hester is human just like everyone else. It is in our nature to make mistakes or even sin. “It is remarkable, that persons who speculate the most boldly often conform with the most perfect quietude to the external regulations of society” (pg 181, Hawthorne). The actions we take to reverse or to compensate for that sin is what makes us who we are as individuals. Her being alienated from society and developing an independent thinking mindset mirrors the theme that one must acknowledge their mistakes to learn from them. Hester’s society made it abundantly clear that what she did was absolutely heinous and that she needs to repent and beg for forgiveness. The isolation she suffered through helped her become an independent thinker and develop thoughts that we would consider ahead of her time. “The world's law was no law for her mind” (pg 180, Hawthorne). Being excluded socially gave her a chance to dwell in her own thoughts and gather perceptions different from that of other puritans. This decision that Hester makes is very important to the story because it mirrors many of the major themes the author tried getting across to its
The sin of adultery she once made doesn't exist in the letter A any more. It has transformed from "adultery" into "able", "acceptable", and off course it's made Hester the woman of pride, kindness, and respect. Hester did such an outstanding evolution that no woman in her times can: expressing self-identity, proving woman strength by showing her self-reliance and independence, revealing her goodness and kindness for people, and earning respect and pride.
As another form of atonement, Prynne still manages to do charity work like feeding and sewing clothes for the poor. She does this even when they are cruel to her, “Hester bestowed superfluous means in charity, on wretches less miserable than herself” shows how much she would undertake to make amends for the sin (77). Hester redeems herself by undergoing the cruel bitterness from the dreadful people of the Boston society, and by responding to the bitterness with pure virtue. Hester Prynne atones for the infidelity in which she commits by enduring the hatred of the parochial community, and bears a badge of shame upon her chest which causes her to redeem herself to becoming a valuable human being.
Imagine yourself on display in front of your whole town, being punished for cheating on your husband or wife. Today adultery is looked down on, but in reality nobody makes a huge deal out of it. Sin can affect a person in many ways, but whether it’s good or bad only time can tell. In the old days, religion and law were looked at as one, and Hester Prynne just so happened to sin, which in turn caused her to break the law. In the novel, Hester displays that how a person deals with sin has a lasting impact on the people around her, and most importantly those that are the closest to her.
Hester Prynne, through the eyes of the Puritans, is an extreme sinner. She has gone against the Puritan ways by committing Adultery. The Puritans believed that Hester was a lost soul that could only be saved by sincere and thorough repentance. For this
Hester keeps this in mind all the time and when you, Governor Bellingham, try to take Pearl away from her, as a protective mother she reacted in an impressive way. “God gave her into my keeping! I will not give her up!” (Hawthorne… pg. 169). Hester is fully aware on her decisions as a mother, she will take bad decisions because of course she is a human like anyone else, but when she takes the right decisions, everyone can see clearly that she does care, and that she will do anything that is in her power, to make things right and to have the things she love not taken away from
What is most remarkeable about Hester Prynne is her strength of character. Her inner strength and honesty and her compassion to others, even ones that have condemned her is what is brought to the reader’s attention throughout the novel. At the beginning of the novel Hester is described as a radiant beauty, however seven years later her beauty is gone and the beautiful hair that she once had is hidden underneath a cap that she wears. In Chapter 13, she removes the cap and the letter “A” and she becomes the beautiful person that she was before her punishment. I think that this is symbolic in that when she removes her cap and letter she taking off the harsh structure of Puritan society. When Pearl demands that she put back on her cap and letter “ her beauty, the warnth and richness of her womanhood, departed, like fading sunshine; and a gray shadow seemed to fall across her.” While her punishment does change her physical appearance, it has a deeper impact on her character.
A common theme throughout literature is religion and how the author feels about his or her faith. Nathaniel Hawthorne uses rhetorical devices to draw comparisons between characters and events in The Scarlet Letter and Biblical figures and accounts. A few of the devices found in this novel that connect it to the Bible are symbolism, paradox, allusions, and characterization. It is important to first look at the characters and how they are described through characterization.
Hester Prynne is a protagonist in the novel " The Scarlet Letter" She is described as a young tall women, with dark and glossy hair. So beautiful that "her beauty shone out, and made a halo of the misfortune and ignominy in which she was enveloped." Hester Prynne suffers public humiliation, forced to wear the scarlet letter for the sin she has done. She then hides her beauty and sin underneath a cap for seven years. All the people who surround her look down on her and shame her, but after a long while. People begin to feel bad for her, telling her to remove the scarlet letter. Though, Hester disagrees and keeps the scarlet letter on. Leaving her with a burden on her back reminding her and the people for what she did. Hester continues with her
For several years, Hester is prohibited from seeing her love in public. She can only meet with him privately. Even wanting to still see him represents true loyalty—after everything Hester has been through to protect Dimmsdale's secret is reason enough to be fed up with him (Swisher 53). Hester's loyalty to Dimmsdale continues until the end; she cradles him in his last dying moments on Earth. (Swisher 53) Hester keeps her loyalty to her husband, Roger Chillingworth, as well. He asks her not to reveal his identity in their first discussion of the novel, and she obliges. For many years, she keeps the secret while Chillingworth does dreadful things to Dimmsdale. Dimmsdale's deteriorating health is part due to the awful arts Chillingworth performs on his so-called “patient.” (Swisher 53) In chapter fifteen, Hester goes to confront Chillingworth about the situation. Hester argues and argues but Chillingworth
While Hester is a feminist, not only does she share the ideals but shows superiority to the town while being fearless. " It may seem marvelous, that this woman should still call that place her home, where, and where only, she must needs be the type of shame.” (chapter 5, paragraph 2) Hester does not let the shame and remorse of the sin keep her away from the town like most would do. Hawthorne even states that Dimmesdale is weaker than Hester by punishing himself and holding his heart while Hester embraces the sin and is strong while carrying the letter on her chest. She leads a self-righteous life, although she could keep what she earns, she gives most away. Even the townsfolk say Hester is "so kind to the poor, so helpful to the sick, so comfortable to the afflicted."(chapter 13, paragraph 5) Hester can be seen over the townspeople helping them although they shamed her. Hawthorne presents that Hester’s “tendency of her fate and fortunes had been to set her free.” (chapter 18, paragraph 2) With this Hester has a “radiant and tender smile, that seemed gushing from the very heart of womanhood. (chapter 18, paragraph 12) These quotes from Hawthorne show that Hester’s kindness helps her overcome her sin on her own. With Hester’s contribution to the town, “Her handiwork became what would now be termed the fashion.” (chapter 5, paragraph 6) In his research, Sacvan Bercovitch remarks that “Hester Prynne ‘builds upon the tradition of the biblical Esther -