Hawethorne impeccably executes the utilization of language to represent Hester Prynne's outlook on not only her own existence, but that of other woman as well through the use of tone and appeal to pathos. Analyzing the passage, Hawethorne's tone, as reflected by Hester, becomes very evident quite quickly allows his views to come across puissantly to the reader; his tone not only engages the audience, but also allows them to ponder about the subject themselves. Broadly speaking, the author's tone is recalcitrant, and this is clearly displayed through Hester's own idea about the existence of women. Take the question,"Was existence worth accepting, even to the happiest among them?", as a perfect example of not accepting society's common rule…
The Strong, Sinful Woman Hester Prynne was ostracized by the society around her for many years following the birth of her daughter Pearl. Since the day she walked out of the prison door people were calling her names and saying she should be put to death, but no matter how many hurtful names the townspeople came up with to throw at her, she always accepted them and said nothing in return. Hester’s crime of adultery went against the town’s religious morals because that strictly disobeyed one of God’s rules. The women of the town tyrannized Hester, but along with the pain and loneliness she experienced, she reacted with generous charity and tolerated isolation from the people around her. Hester Prynne was an immensely strong woman living in a repressed society because she accepted her punishment wholeheartedly, responded…
In the story “The Scarlet Letter” Hester Prynne is the main protagonist in this book, there are many ways to describe the protagonist Hester Prynne like physical description, thoughts or action, etc. I will be going through a complete description of Hester Prynne. The physical description for Hester Prynne is dark brown hair and dark brown eyes, Prynne’s description can also be summed up into something like this quotes “Her Beauty barely compares to her strength” or "Her attire...express the attitude of her spirit, the desperate recklessness of her mood, by its wild and picturesque peculiarity" (51).…
Hester Prynne’s Dishonorable Adultery Some critics argue that the character of Hester Prynne in the Scarlet Letter, written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, is a courageous and praiseworthy woman. On the other hand, how can one consider Hester lionhearted without focusing on her sinful acts in the novel? D.H.…
To shun. According to dictionary definition, shun means to keep away, from motives of dislike or caution. To purposely avoid. In a sense the meaning of shun is to be forgotten by society, and the only remembrance left being in a negative connotation. Shunning is a practice regularly used in society today and more forcefully in society in the past.…
This follows through with how woman can only succeed when they have opportunities. Women cannot succeed if she is restricted the way that she has. Hester once viewed as an object of embarrassment and guilt became known as “Able” and “So strong was Hester Prynne, with a woman’s strength”(Hawthorne 150). No longer had Hester represented adultery in her village of Salem, the ultimate sin. Though Hester only achieves her freedom through her sin, Hester was a start to a “heroic” view of women.…
Hester Prynne can also be called steadfast by being loyal to her family and also by doing her penance of her sin, adultery. Hester committed this sin with her secret lover, Arthur Dimmesdale, Hester acknowledged her sin but Dimmesdale didn’t which allowed Hester to get stronger but Dimmesdale to only become weakened by this sin. Hester Prynne’s steadfast is very prominent when she stays loyal to her little daughter, pearl. Pearl is the consequence of the great sin that is causing Hester problems, these problems are the death wishes and hate she is receiving. Governor Bellingham wishes to take little pearl away, but Hester stays loyal to her family and pleads to keep her daughter, “quote about governor wanting to take her away”.…
What does it mean to be a modern American woman? It means your resilient, your independent, you define yourself by your actions and not the projected perceptions of others, you make your own choices, and you are not controlled by a man. It took many centuries for the average woman to demonstrate these characteristics, yet Hester displayed all these far before her time. It was extremely controversial to be so progressive, especially at a time when women were treated appallingly. Hester birthed a child out of wedlock, she raised the child, and was able to provide for the child while being discriminated against.…
Hester Prynne represents strength, she had her sin lifted off of her chest which helped her control the guilt. Arthur Dimmesdale represents weakness, he left the sin deep inside of him which destroyed his mental and physical health. A lesson that can be learned from this novel is to be more like Hester, let the badness out in the open and build from it.…
The Struggles and Strength of Hester Prynne In the mid 17th century, Puritans exercised control over the Massachusetts Bay Colony in the US, where they practiced their strict religious beliefs. To the Puritans, a good and admirable person followed the Bible exactly, and never sinned or made any big mistakes. In The Scarlet Letter, Nathanial Hawthorne writes about Hester Prynne, a woman who committed the sin of adultery, but still constantly attempts to redeem herself and atone for her sin. Even with a constant stigma of impurity following her and classifying her as a mere sinner, Hester keeps on fighting to follow the word of God despite of her mistakes.…
Hester Prynne both accepts and rejects the traditional gender roles. By doing this she reinforces and undermines the patriarchy ideology, which is the system of society in which the male is head of the family and descent is traced through the his line. This is important throughout this novel because it was written during the time period of women's suffrage. "Women were challenging the established patriarchy" and because Hester did this, she stood as an example of feminism (resource material). Hester accepts the traditional gender roles in multiple aspects.…
Despite the negative way in which she is viewed within the community, Hester does not falter in her self-confidence. When coming out of the prison, Hester is described by Hawthorne as having a “burning blush and yet a haughty smile, and a glance that would not yet be abashed” (54). These attributes of Hester Prynne, as described by Nathaniel Hawthorne, illustrate her self-assurance and create a very powerful character within Hester Prynne, showing that she does not judge herself on the opinions of…
Hester’s obvious sense of independence depicts feminism as she overcomes adverse circumstances without appealing to a man or God. Hester regards Puritan women as dependents upon men in their religious society, resulting in a lack of respect for all females. Hester acknowledges the noble principles of self-reliance, and insists that women must overcome society’s perception of the “right” or “perfect” woman/wife when she preaches, As a first step, the whole system of society is to be torn down, and built up anew. Then, the very nature of the opposite sex, or its long hereditary habit, which has become like nature, is to be essentially modified, before women can be allowed to assume what seems a fair and suitable position.…
In the second chapter when Boston is waiting for Hester to emerge from the jail a group of women are gathered to gossip in the town square. These women are the epitome of how females are expected to act in Puritan society, modestly dressed and married, and yet Hawthorne describes them as being separated by their “...fair descendants” by “...six or seven generations” (Hawthorne 38). Hester on the other hand is “...a figure of perfect elegance” (Hawthorne 40). This imagery shows Hawthorne’s favoritism towards Hester and how he believes that she was wronged and simply a victim of the male-dominated society that she lives…
Through the process of Hester’s success of becoming a well-thought of being, Hawthorne portrays women of possessing great fortitude. Hester was an outcast in her society whom was publicly shamed for her sin but remained to be self-confident and strong-willed. Walking down the streets, she would be pointed at and whispered about. Nobody wanted to be a friend or even talk to her because they feared being associated with such a sinful person. Despite the judgment from her society, Hester kept her head held high.…