In the novel The Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne went through an immense change. Hester changed from being a very secluded and lonely woman to an able woman who helped others. She wanted to attempt to make up for the horrible sin she committed by making clothing for poor people. This change was influenced by her surroundings including: the scaffold, the forest, and the Puritan society of the 1600s. All of these settings influenced who Hester was or came to be in the novel greatly either by teaching her a lesson or by important things happening there.
The scaffold in The Scarlet Letter was where three main and very important events in the book occurred. The scaffold was where Hester stood as punishment for committing …show more content…
The first two things they made sure were built in the book were a prison and a cemetery. “‘At the very least, they should have put the brand of a hot iron on Hester Prynne’s forehead. Madame Hester would have winced at that, I warrant me. But she- the naught baggage- little will she care what they put upon the bodice of her gown! Why, look you, she may cover it with a brooch, or suchlike heathenish adornment, and so walk the streets as brave as ever!’” (5). The women in the town while Hester was on the scaffold talked about her and how they thought that Hester’s punishment should be way worse than just making her wear an A on her bosom. This showed how strict and rude the Puritan people were towards each other, especially if they had committed a sin. “The letter was the symbol of her calling. Such helpfulness was found in her- so much power to do and power to sympathize- that many people refused to interpret the the scarlet letter A by its original signification. They said it meant Able; so strong was Hester Prynne, with a woman’s strength.” (113). In this quote it is talking about how the people now viewed Hester after a few years of her working to make things better. Hester made poor people clothes and at night some people would go to Hester and she would council them because she had been through what seemed way worse to them and she understood them and was the best person to help them because she too had been at a very low point in her