Hester's Sin Exposed In The Scarlet Letter By Nathaniel Hawthorne

When Hester begin to wear the scarlet letter, the townspeople realize her sin and cannot see her as anything but that sin. As soon as Hester steps out of the prison, a crowd gathers around her—some people are “sombre and grave” (59) while others choose to gossip rudely about Hester. A group of women standing nearby criticize her shameful misconduct and argue that her punishment should be more severe. One woman demands, “they should have put the brand of a hot iron on Hester Prynne’s forehead” (53), and another woman suggests that Hester should die for humiliating the Puritan town. By describing how the Puritans treat Hester’s punishment as entertainment, Hawthorne emphasizes how they readily criticize others for having faults, even though they refuse to look at their own sins. Soon, Hester becomes a representation of sin throughout the community. Wherever she walks in public, …show more content…
The Puritans leave Hester friendless and view her as the “common infamy, at which all mankind was summoned to point its finger” (81). The townspeople attempt to chastise Hester further by using her as a bad example for the younger girls. The Puritan children recognize her as the consequence of “sinful passion” (82). She loses her individuality and becomes nothing more than the town image of sin. Hester fears that she will die with that stain upon her reputation, without ever being given a chance to repent. Additionally, even Hester’s cottage at the outskirts of town inspires dread in the townspeople. Hawthorne describes how the Puritan children “would scamper off with a strange, contagious fear” (84) when they saw her home. The location of Hester’s home represents her position in society: she is an outcast. Throughout the beginning of the novel, the ignominy surrounding the scarlet letter defines Hester’s character and leads the townspeople to disrespect