A true contemporary of the modern era, Hester Prynne was cast into the 17th century Puritan America in The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne as a foreigner of the times. Immediately speculated as an adulteress for bearing a child with no known father in the community, Hester Prynne is expelled from society. Hester, although ridiculed and alienated, emerges as the representative of the new female image. She defies the status quo as a proponent of feminism and individuality, a product of her rebellious spirit, self-reliance, and strong mind.
To the puritan community, Hester Prynne has deliberately gone against the church values that stress purity and holiness. Hester has committed a most sinful act of passion and lust by bearing a child with an unidentifiable father. She is assumed to have committed adultery, and is condemned to wear a scarlet letter “A” on her breast as a symbol of her shameful sin. And although Hester is expected to wholly repent of her sin and adhere to the puritan standards, she silently rebels by embroidering the once dark and somber letter “A” to a decorative gold threaded scarlet letter. Her silent rebellion ensues as she refuses to give up the …show more content…
Through her suffering, Hester has transformed into a “proto-feminist mother figure to the women of the community (Wang, 897). She is able to sympathize and counsel the women whose suffering and trials she had once experienced. She has now gained respect from the women that once held prejudices against her, and her strong mind allows her to stay true to her ideals. Although her non-traditional views had once been shunned by the puritan women of the community, they now represent the current views of those around
To the puritan community, Hester Prynne has deliberately gone against the church values that stress purity and holiness. Hester has committed a most sinful act of passion and lust by bearing a child with an unidentifiable father. She is assumed to have committed adultery, and is condemned to wear a scarlet letter “A” on her breast as a symbol of her shameful sin. And although Hester is expected to wholly repent of her sin and adhere to the puritan standards, she silently rebels by embroidering the once dark and somber letter “A” to a decorative gold threaded scarlet letter. Her silent rebellion ensues as she refuses to give up the …show more content…
Through her suffering, Hester has transformed into a “proto-feminist mother figure to the women of the community (Wang, 897). She is able to sympathize and counsel the women whose suffering and trials she had once experienced. She has now gained respect from the women that once held prejudices against her, and her strong mind allows her to stay true to her ideals. Although her non-traditional views had once been shunned by the puritan women of the community, they now represent the current views of those around