How Is Hester Prynne Justified In The Scarlet Letter

Imagine that Aladdin’s genie pays you a visit and offers you a deal: he will remove all your pain if and only if you forfeit all your happiness. Would you accept the deal? In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, the governor Bellingham offers a woman named Hester Prynne a similar deal. Hester is an adulteress and even though her fellow Puritans severely chastised her for her sin, she bore a child named Pearl. As Pearl grows up, she fills Hester with painful shame, but at the same time, she fills Hester with blissful happiness. One day, Governor Bellingham proposes to remove Pearl from Hester’s care and become the child’s new caretaker. Although she constantly suffers because of Pearl, Hester will not depart with this pain if it means she must surrender the only blessing of her life. Everyone can agree Pearl needs a worthy caretaker. Some believe Hester was justified in declining Bellingham’s proposition. However, Hester should have allowed Governor Bellingham to take Pearl away due to three factors: Hester’s abilities, Bellingham’s repute, and Pearl’s needs. …show more content…
Hester sinned greatly, and with so much guilt and shame, she cannot help Pearl with her problems until she figures out how to solve her own. In fact, Pearl is the essence of Hester's shame – from her immoral origin to her passionate behavior. Additionally, Pearl tortures Hester. Hester testifies to this herself: Pearl is an agonizing reminder of her wicked passion, and Hester cannot bring herself to discipline Pearl. With all this guilt inside and around Hester and with Pearl’s behavior toward Hester’s weakness, Hester is unable to raise Pearl