Imagine a woman that is always quiet and does her work alone. She keeps to herself and does not talk to many people, but when faced with a problem, she is given the opportunity to speak out for what she believes in. That woman is Hester Prynne, in the novel The Scarlet Letter. Hester Prynne has come over much controversy, the largest point being how she is conveyed and seen as a character. Although many literary critics argue Hester’s character is unable to agree that her deed was wrong and threatened the destruction of society, she can be best be described as a dynamic heroine because of the changes she undergoes, her array of emotions, and the way Hawthorne presents Hester as a protagonist throughout the novel.
Firstly, though some …show more content…
In the novel, it says that when Hester and Chillingworth are talking towards the beginning, she is very depressed because of how their relationship played out. It says, “ ‘Thou knowest,’ said Hester-for, depressed as she was, she could not endure this last quiet stab at the token of her shame- ‘thou knowest that I was frank with thee. I felt no love, nor feigned any’ ”(71). This evidence shows that Hester felt remorse towards Chillingworth because she did not love him. Hester felt that is was her fault she had an affair and was not trying to manipulate Chillingworth at all, and so, was not trying to get him to help destroy society. She was just merely stating her feelings and emotions toward him. Another piece of evidence is how Hester shows her love for Pearl. The text states, “The thought occurred to Hester that the child might really be seeking to approach her with childlike confidence, and doing what she could, and as intelligently as she knew how, to establish a meeting point of sympathy” (170). This shows that when Pearl asks what the scarlet letter means, Hester cares and loves Pearl enough to not tell her about the true meaning. Knowing her deed was wrong, Hester wanted to shield her daughter from the shame and guilt of what she has endured and, therefore, did not try to recruit her daughter to help her destroy society. She knew Pearl was still a child, and wanted to leave her as innocent and free for as long as she could. Finally, Hester is best described as a dynamic character because of the emotions she has herself and the emotions she has towards the other characters in the
Firstly, though some …show more content…
In the novel, it says that when Hester and Chillingworth are talking towards the beginning, she is very depressed because of how their relationship played out. It says, “ ‘Thou knowest,’ said Hester-for, depressed as she was, she could not endure this last quiet stab at the token of her shame- ‘thou knowest that I was frank with thee. I felt no love, nor feigned any’ ”(71). This evidence shows that Hester felt remorse towards Chillingworth because she did not love him. Hester felt that is was her fault she had an affair and was not trying to manipulate Chillingworth at all, and so, was not trying to get him to help destroy society. She was just merely stating her feelings and emotions toward him. Another piece of evidence is how Hester shows her love for Pearl. The text states, “The thought occurred to Hester that the child might really be seeking to approach her with childlike confidence, and doing what she could, and as intelligently as she knew how, to establish a meeting point of sympathy” (170). This shows that when Pearl asks what the scarlet letter means, Hester cares and loves Pearl enough to not tell her about the true meaning. Knowing her deed was wrong, Hester wanted to shield her daughter from the shame and guilt of what she has endured and, therefore, did not try to recruit her daughter to help her destroy society. She knew Pearl was still a child, and wanted to leave her as innocent and free for as long as she could. Finally, Hester is best described as a dynamic character because of the emotions she has herself and the emotions she has towards the other characters in the