Hester's Character Changes In The Scarlet Letter

The New Hester The Scarlet Letter, written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, is an adventurous novel about a young lady named Hester Prynne who has to battle the embarrassment of wearing the scarlet letter; a punishment given to her for her actions of committing adultery with Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale. Even though throughout the book Hester is constantly judged and dishonored by the townspeople, she changes. Hester changes as a result of the scarlet letter in her relationship, in her actions, and in her heart. Hester’s relationship with Arthur Dimmesdale is one of the ways Hester changes as a result of the scarlet letter. Thier relationship before the scarlet letter is based on love yet changes after Hester is punished with the scarlet letter to being based on sorrow for one another because they both have to live with the guilt and shame that the scarlet letter is represented with. Dimmesdale wants to stay in Boston and confront the guilt and punishment “But thou shalt leave it all behind thee!” Hester explains to Dimmesdale, “It shall not cumber thy steps, as thou treadest along the …show more content…
Hester does many good deeds, such as feeding the poor and caring for the sick. Hester also does certain actions that she normally would not do if it wasn’t for the scarlet letter. For example, Hester and Dimmesdale decide to leave the colony and immediately you see a change in Hester such as, “There played around her mouth, and beamed out of her eyes, a radiant and tender smile, that seemed gushing from the very heart of womanhood. A crimson flush was glowing on her cheek, that had been long so pale” (185). An incredible weight was lifted off Hester’s shoulders by her decision to leave and you can see this through the choice of words. Hawthorne uses the words “beamed”, “radiant”, and “gushing” to show the immense amount of relief that Hester is