A Bittersweet Battle “Life, at best is bittersweet.”
- Jack Kirby
Comic writer Jack Kirby’s quote reflects greatly upon Hester Prynne’s struggle with her punishment throughout Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel The Scarlet Letter. Kirby’s quote helps explain that everything in life is bittersweet; Hester’s punishment included. Hester in many ways rose up above her punishment and became an iconic symbol, but the guilt of her sin constantly plagued her thoughts, which resulted in defeat against her penance in many circumstances. Hester Prynne’s triumph over her punishment is deemed to be bittersweet; Hester allowed the punishment to tragically alter all the qualities that make her a woman and continued to punish herself even upon death, however; …show more content…
Hester externally proved her victory over her punishment with the cast off of the Scarlet Letter that caused the return of her radiance and womanhood. As Hester planned for a future with Dimmesdale, her punishment’s hold on her loosened as the narrator stated, “She undid the clasp that fastened the scarlet letter, and, taking it from her bosom, threw it to a distance among the withered leaves” (186). Hester’s removal of the Scarlet Letter symbolized a removal of her guilt and sin. The impulsive action of physically removing the Scarlet Letter from her chest demonstrated her triumph over her punishment. The tone of the statement is filled with impulse and passion due to this action, yet the calm removal of the symbol signified a lack of hastiness and complete control over the situation. Hester did not simply let go of the symbol; she tossed it a great length, exemplifying an extreme force being forced upon the symbol. This revealed Hester’s true feelings towards the symbol, as if she is hurling her punishment and sin away from her. The shriveled leaves represent all the immoral punishments that have been built up there; Hester’s sinful penance is now amongst them. After the removal of her symbol, Hester also removed the cap that imprisoned her luxuriant hair and the narrator stated, “Her sex, her youth, and the whole richness of her beauty, came back from what men called the irrevocable past” (186)… Once Hester’s guilt for her punishment vanished, everything that made her woman returned. The repetition of a possessive pronoun indicated a personal tie to every term following the pronoun and emphasized the qualities that come back to Hester. The tone of the statement is filled with joy and the imagery can be seen as Hester surrounded by a guiltless
- Jack Kirby
Comic writer Jack Kirby’s quote reflects greatly upon Hester Prynne’s struggle with her punishment throughout Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel The Scarlet Letter. Kirby’s quote helps explain that everything in life is bittersweet; Hester’s punishment included. Hester in many ways rose up above her punishment and became an iconic symbol, but the guilt of her sin constantly plagued her thoughts, which resulted in defeat against her penance in many circumstances. Hester Prynne’s triumph over her punishment is deemed to be bittersweet; Hester allowed the punishment to tragically alter all the qualities that make her a woman and continued to punish herself even upon death, however; …show more content…
Hester externally proved her victory over her punishment with the cast off of the Scarlet Letter that caused the return of her radiance and womanhood. As Hester planned for a future with Dimmesdale, her punishment’s hold on her loosened as the narrator stated, “She undid the clasp that fastened the scarlet letter, and, taking it from her bosom, threw it to a distance among the withered leaves” (186). Hester’s removal of the Scarlet Letter symbolized a removal of her guilt and sin. The impulsive action of physically removing the Scarlet Letter from her chest demonstrated her triumph over her punishment. The tone of the statement is filled with impulse and passion due to this action, yet the calm removal of the symbol signified a lack of hastiness and complete control over the situation. Hester did not simply let go of the symbol; she tossed it a great length, exemplifying an extreme force being forced upon the symbol. This revealed Hester’s true feelings towards the symbol, as if she is hurling her punishment and sin away from her. The shriveled leaves represent all the immoral punishments that have been built up there; Hester’s sinful penance is now amongst them. After the removal of her symbol, Hester also removed the cap that imprisoned her luxuriant hair and the narrator stated, “Her sex, her youth, and the whole richness of her beauty, came back from what men called the irrevocable past” (186)… Once Hester’s guilt for her punishment vanished, everything that made her woman returned. The repetition of a possessive pronoun indicated a personal tie to every term following the pronoun and emphasized the qualities that come back to Hester. The tone of the statement is filled with joy and the imagery can be seen as Hester surrounded by a guiltless