Defining Strength
Consequential experiences in life, be they good or bad, because of right choices or wrong, often determine who a person is or who they will become. These experiences can shape the person and either destroy them or make them more resolute. The German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche once wrote, “That which does not kill us, makes us stronger” (3). These words ring particularly true in the remarkable case of Hester Prynne. The Scarlett Letter, a novel written by Nathaniel Hawthorne and published in 1850, is a tale of sin, secrets, retribution and redemption. Hawthorne’s work follows the story of Hester Prynne, a Puritan woman living alone in the early 17th century settlement of the Massachusetts Bay Colony after the presumed …show more content…
The townspeople gather to witness her mortification as one woman proclaims, “This woman has brought shame upon us all, and ought to die” (Hawthorne 479). Many feel Hester’s penalty is not adequate, as death is an acceptable form of punishment for such a crime under Puritan law, this however, will not be her fate. Hester shows a calm defiance as she stands before the crowd and endures her punishment, all while refusing to name her child’s father, the esteemed Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale. Hester cares deeply for him and does not wish to see his life ruined, as he is a highly regarded individual in the community. The magistrate tells her she can remove the letter from her chest and absolve herself of her crime if she will only disclose his name, but still she dissents. She already has the guilt of her sin to live with and she is willing to bear the shame for them both as she states, “It is too deeply branded. Ye cannot take it off. And would that I might endure his agony, as well as mine” (Hawthorne 489). She is becoming a different woman, she is no longer the same person as before her transgression. Standing before the judging eyes of the crowd, this is the one thing Hester can and will control in this moment. Discussing Hester’s transition, in their journal article, “Individualism of …show more content…
These characteristics, while perhaps always there, materialize through her misery. In his work Hawthorn demonstrates how experiences have the power to shape a person’s very nature. The book stands as an example of how fortitude can be derived through adversity. Just as she chooses to stay and raise her child rather than leave and escape ridicule, Hester Prynne returns to her cottage home in New England, continuing to wear the symbol of her disgrace until her death. Seen as a saint in her later years of life, she is not forced to wear the letter by any outside person, rather she chooses to wear it of her own accord. She is in control of her own destiny. Hester’s ordeal does indeed define her, however, she ultimately sculpts that definition into what she wants it to be. Originally devised as a disciplinary action by others, she continues to wear the letter as a symbol of her history. She has gleaned strength from wearing the letter and it has given her a determination and boldness in a situation that would surely crumble a weaker being. The woman she becomes in the face of her anguish cannot be taken away simply by removing an insignia from her garment. The scarlet emblem is no longer simply a recognition of her early transgression, but it is a part of who she
Consequential experiences in life, be they good or bad, because of right choices or wrong, often determine who a person is or who they will become. These experiences can shape the person and either destroy them or make them more resolute. The German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche once wrote, “That which does not kill us, makes us stronger” (3). These words ring particularly true in the remarkable case of Hester Prynne. The Scarlett Letter, a novel written by Nathaniel Hawthorne and published in 1850, is a tale of sin, secrets, retribution and redemption. Hawthorne’s work follows the story of Hester Prynne, a Puritan woman living alone in the early 17th century settlement of the Massachusetts Bay Colony after the presumed …show more content…
The townspeople gather to witness her mortification as one woman proclaims, “This woman has brought shame upon us all, and ought to die” (Hawthorne 479). Many feel Hester’s penalty is not adequate, as death is an acceptable form of punishment for such a crime under Puritan law, this however, will not be her fate. Hester shows a calm defiance as she stands before the crowd and endures her punishment, all while refusing to name her child’s father, the esteemed Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale. Hester cares deeply for him and does not wish to see his life ruined, as he is a highly regarded individual in the community. The magistrate tells her she can remove the letter from her chest and absolve herself of her crime if she will only disclose his name, but still she dissents. She already has the guilt of her sin to live with and she is willing to bear the shame for them both as she states, “It is too deeply branded. Ye cannot take it off. And would that I might endure his agony, as well as mine” (Hawthorne 489). She is becoming a different woman, she is no longer the same person as before her transgression. Standing before the judging eyes of the crowd, this is the one thing Hester can and will control in this moment. Discussing Hester’s transition, in their journal article, “Individualism of …show more content…
These characteristics, while perhaps always there, materialize through her misery. In his work Hawthorn demonstrates how experiences have the power to shape a person’s very nature. The book stands as an example of how fortitude can be derived through adversity. Just as she chooses to stay and raise her child rather than leave and escape ridicule, Hester Prynne returns to her cottage home in New England, continuing to wear the symbol of her disgrace until her death. Seen as a saint in her later years of life, she is not forced to wear the letter by any outside person, rather she chooses to wear it of her own accord. She is in control of her own destiny. Hester’s ordeal does indeed define her, however, she ultimately sculpts that definition into what she wants it to be. Originally devised as a disciplinary action by others, she continues to wear the letter as a symbol of her history. She has gleaned strength from wearing the letter and it has given her a determination and boldness in a situation that would surely crumble a weaker being. The woman she becomes in the face of her anguish cannot be taken away simply by removing an insignia from her garment. The scarlet emblem is no longer simply a recognition of her early transgression, but it is a part of who she