How Does Hester Prynne's Character Change Throughout The Novel

Character development is often times a necessary part of any story line; just as humans shape the world around them, characters shape stories. In most, if not all, novels, characters experience change and development of their psychological and moral traits throughout the story, which can be attributed to a multitude of aspects including fate and destiny, but more importantly are the cultural, physical, and geographical surroundings of the characters. In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne goes through a dramatic series of character development as a result of both her cultural and physical surroundings, which demonstrates how hidden guilt can lead to not only suffering, but forced revelation of truth and thus, virtue.
Hester’s cultural surroundings play a …show more content…
For example, by placing Hester’s cottage in between the forest and the town, Hawthorne creates a mirror image between the physical landscape and Hester’s internal landscape. The synapse between nature and nurture is representative of the internal struggle Hester faces between passion and conformation, denial and truth. Hawthorne uses this to further convey the guilt-induced suffering that Hester deals with, but moreso to exemplify the fact that Hester is responsible in choosing guilt or virtue. Just as nature symbolizes this responsibility, it also aids in Hester’s decision. Sunlight is a motif throughout the novel and represents the truth and acceptance of said truth. This constant appearance of sunshine causes Hester to lean towards virtue over the crippling guilt she has been feeling for seven years, something she would not have considered a few years past. Hawthorne states that “thou must gather thine own sunshine,” which exemplifies the fact that an individual cannot seek virtue without first examining the cause of her