The Scarlet Letter: The Outcast

This quote clearly shows how there was a major change in the meaning of the scarlet letter and how the townspeople or society is seeing a different person now. They saw how genuine Hester was since she was such a helping hand and she helped a lot. Especially, with the poor since she did not really have to help them out, so therefore they believed that the letter “A” has a different significance which is “Able”. This meant having considerable skills and since this represented Hester this new meaning of the scarlet letter became to be the symbol of her

In the beginning of the novel, Hester refuses to let her sin define her, which her subtle, beautiful, yet defiant nature displays. With all eyes on her as she walks out of the jail, the townspeople notice “On the breast of her gown, in fine red cloth, surrounded with an elaborate embroidery and fantastic flourishes of gold thread, appeared the letter A” (Hawthorne 46). This embroidered A serves as a punishment of her sin and is supposed to be a disgraceful, ugly reminder to her and everyone around her. If she had succumbed to her punishment and the persona that went with it, then it would be an ugly A, but she makes

The scarlet letter in the novel serves as a prominent symbol. The puritans see the red "A" as dishonor, sin, shame, indignity and more. Hester has brought all this onto herself because of her actions. She is sentenced to punishment because of being an "adulterer."A quote from Hester says "The "A" in scarlet... To assure herself that the infancy and the shame were real." (Hawthorne, 56) She knows of all that will come because of her actions. They use it as a way to exile her to the edge of the community. In the book she goes to Governor Bellingham and she sees herself in the armor, the letter takes up most of her image and this is basically a symbol of how she feels in life. (Get Quote for this) Although the "A" seems like the worst punishment she could have, it actually is not. What makes it so horrible is

In the beginning, the townspeople condemn Hester to wear a scarlet A on her chest to atone for her sin, hoping to shame her. The A is meant to represent “adulteress,” but Hester will not let the scarlet letter define her. The townspeople forgave Hester for her mistake. They began to see the scarlet letter, not to represent her sin, but of her good deeds since (Hawthorne 116). The A not only stands for adulteress, but it stands for many other words as well.

Her intelligence and commitment is shown by turning the other cheek to ridicule and continuing on with her life the only way she knows how. She also has to be selfless now that she has a child to care for and hope to have a better life. “More often the result of impurity, imputed or otherwise, is either a lifelong penitence, as with Hester Prynne” (Onderdonk) but she takes her penitence with courage and grace by continuing with her life and making a living for herself so she does not have to be dependent on others. Although she agrees to play by the rules Hester demonstrates her independence by creating her own line of work so she is not relying on those that rejected her. Her skill in embroidery were

In the beginning of the novel, the letter “A” stood for a symbol of adultery. Since Hester has worn this letter, she now has a what seems permanent, sinful, label on her. Once Hester reveals the scarlet letter planted on her to the townspeople many are astonished that her beauty still shines with the big, bold, sinful letter plastered on her chest. As the book progresses, its prevalent how the meaning of the A switches for the better. In previous chapters, the A has had a negative connotation; however, Hester now interprets it to mean able.

In The Scarlet Letter, an example of sin and its consequences occurs to Hester Prynne. She commits adultery with Arthur Dimmesdale, becomes pregnant, and her sin is discovered by the town. The town thinking they let Hester off with a light punishment, makes her stand on the scaffold for three hours with her infant and then condemns her to display a red scarlet “A” for the remainder of her life. Hester “self‐protected from guilt by a refusal to look inward” (Bercovitch 580). Hester’s sin cost her the whole potential of what her life could have been, “...there was the taint of the deepest sin in the most sacred quality of human life, working such effort, that the world was only the darker for this woman’s beauty, and the more lost for

Throughout the book, the villagers view of the scarlet letter changed. It’s original meaning was to punish Hester for having an affair, but as the book goes on, the “A” no longer stands for “Adulterer”, it stands for “Able”. For example, in chapter two, Hester is

There are many words that have a negative connotation, one is outcast. In The Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne is considered an outcast on the grounds that she committed adultery in a Puritan society. This is a heinous act, as the Puritans live in a holy society based on Christian values. In such a strictly religious society, some need room to express themselves. The forest provides the ample setting for this need.

The first variation of the letter “A” that Hester wears is used to describe adultery. She is made to wear this letter on her chest to show other people that she is sinful and committed adultery. Despite the big red letter on her chest, her beauty still shined through. The letter “A” was meant to have a negative meaning

Through out the course of history, those who were considered sinners were often out casted from the society. This is much the case with Hester Prynne in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter. After a public trial, Hester is considered a sinner due to her birthing of a so called “devil child”. Hester is convicted to the life long bearing of a scarlet letter on her chest. The Scarlet Letter that Hester Prynne wears symbolizes the change in perception of sin through out the novel. Due to the revelations of the governor Winthrop and the reverend Dimmesdale, the way sin is perceived changes from one of shame to the idea that every one is a sinner in their own right.

In England 1629, King Charles I dissented the religious practices of Puritans and others, which were developed in England during his reign. With the many executions of Puritans in England, Puritans decided to seek a new life in the new world, which led to the Massachusetts bay colony. By letting them seek a new life, King Charles I approved by signing of the charter of the Massachusetts bay colony to the Dorchester Company. The charter states that people can choose who can govern them in the colony and the necessities the colony must have. The puritan leaders arrived and start to establish the colony based on God’s laws. “The Scarlet Letter” encloses a lot of the Charter of the Massachusetts Bay colony laws, and invokes them mostly on

As the author Nathaniel Hawthorne explains the character of Hester Prynne, we learn she is being found guilty of adultery. No matter how big or small the crime was, it was still punishable. Hester is a married woman to a man named Chillingsworth and is unhappy in her marriage. She decides to have an affair with Dimmesdale and that's when everything turns around. She becomes an outcast in society. The ignorance of others is also shown as Hester, a woman, is treated poorly compared to men. As they shame her, the letter "A" is embroidered onto Esther's clothing as a reminder of her sin. On the other hand, Dimmesdale has his letter on his skin showing that he hides his sin while she accepts it. Women in the novel even discussed death as being better than wearing the "A", showing the intensity of it. Hester's child also adds to her "crimes" and is viewed as unorthodox. Hester's actions lead to her punishment by society and separation from

In Scarlet letter Hester sin stood out the most because the town’s people believed adultery her sin, to be one of the worse sins, which all humans can agree. If one person has L on them for liar and another person has M for murderer, in human perspective the guy with the M is the worst. It’s in human’s nature to compare and Judge others some use comparing to make them feel better as a person. We are all a bunch of different looking sinners in the need of the same looking cross and the same God. To make wearing your sin better than what it is you can help others get through their sin, encouraging them by saying everything will be alright. If a person sees someone with the same sin as them, they help one another to get by knowing they aren’t

     The letter A shows up numerous times in The Scarlet Letter in many different ways. The letter is originally wonderfully