Hester As A Role Model In The Scarlet Letter By Nathaniel Hawthorne

When someone thinks of a good role model they think of a person that has great success and can be emulated. However that is not always true, Nathaniel Hawthorne views a role model in a different aspect. In The Scarlet Letter there was a lot of hate and suffering in the community of Boston. Throughout Hester’s life she has changed dramatically, coming from insults and insecurities she has become a great role model. From being a heinous adulterer to a very wise women she has changed the views of people. Living in the Puritan society was very strict. Once Hester committed her crime she was publically shamed and forced to wear the scarlet letter. Each day she had to stand on the cold scaffold for three hours a day as people would laugh and gossip about her. It would follow Hester like a shadow, always living a life of regret, she would never be able to escape. In the Scarlet Letter it mentioned how much of regret Hester felt and the torture she had to suffer. “She turned her eyes downward at the scarlet letter and even touched it with her finger to assure herself that the infant and the shame were reality” (57). Hawthorne …show more content…
Throughout town she helps those who are in need. However the town still scornful of Hester, even the poor insult her. This showing Hester being a patient and caring to all, her reputation begins to change as she comes from being an adulterer to an abler. In The Scarlet Letter it mentioned how there was a big “A” in the sky and this was a sign to the people of Boston that Hester was more than an adulterer but a disciple of God. “Many people refused to interpret the scarlet “A” by its original significance. They said that it meant “Able” so strong was Hester Prynne, with a woman's strength” (158). The people of Boston began to realize that Hester was so much more than a face of sin. Eventually people started to talk to Hester and turn to her for advice and