Hester Prynne In The Scarlet Letter

Living in a community that prides itself on holy perfection, Hester becomes the town gossip as her private life is torn apart at the pleasure of those who feel she is not morally right. The women in the town belittle Hester and attempt to make her an ugly individual who should feel ashamed and have little value over her own life. Hester, however, resolves not to be the person that the community wants her to be. In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne paves her own path with her strength, compassion, and loyalty and goes against the Puritan lifestyle.
Hester, the adulterous woman, is a strong person. Hester lived up to the punishment of her sin and accepts that she has done wrong, making her a stronger woman. She endures the pressure of the strict Puritan and as part of her …show more content…
There she withstands the humiliating criticism of the townspeople. Hawthorne explains that Hester's punishment "doomed Mistress Prynne to stand only a space of three hours on the platform on the pillory, and then and thereafter, for the remainder of her natural life to wear a mask of shame on her bosom" (Hawthorne 59). Hester must wear a scarlet letter "A" embroidered on the front of her clothing. While on the scaffold, Hester shows strength by battling the rude and harsh comments of the by-standing women. She stands locked up by the grasp of the pillory and ignores the women, showing her mental fortitude when put in a difficult situation. Hester also has to deal with always being ignored by people because of the mark that stays on her chest. This is just one of the many reasons Hester is a