Hester's Transformation In Scarlet Letter

From the point during which Hester and Pearl first stood on the scaffold until seven years later when she contemplated leaving the hostile town, the scarlet letter Hester wore upon her bosom changed in meaning. The antagonistic townspeople outside the prison where Hester first stood on the scaffold were so disgusted by her sin they suggested harsh punishments including branding her and claiming she, “ought to die” (Hawthorne 36). This was the first encounter that demonstrated the society was not a forgiving one and second chances were nearly incomprehensible due to the high standards the people of the town held each other to. Because of this, the scarlet letter Hester was forced to wear represented its literal meaning adulture as this was the sin she committed. However, as time past Hester dedicated herself to charity work and helping the people of the town. Due to her newfound commitment to helping others, the people of the town began to view the scarlet letter “A” Hester …show more content…
As previously stated, the townspeople’s original harsh reaction to Hester’s sin was an indication the community was not forgiving. Despite Hester devoting herself to helping others, she was still insulted by the townspeople due to their “relentless vigor with which... [they] frowned upon her sin” (Hawthorne 57). Nevertheless, because many of the townspeople were accepting her help, they were forced to change the meaning of the scarlet letter from adulture to able. This was done in order to ensure they did not look bad by association. This shows the community was more focused on the perception of their image than their actual character. The positive side to the changing of the meaning was some people were able to recognize Hester’s “good qualities” (Hawthorne 111). The meaning of the Scarlet letter shows the community is both not forgiving and concerned about their public