Hester Prynne In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter

Many who have studied The Scarlet Letter believe that Hester Prynne is a headstrong woman who faced many arduous challenges on her own. Throughout the novel she is faced with difficulties with virtually no help. Hester continuously gives effort to try and redeem her sin by being a good person. In Hester’s times of peril, she overcame with great strength. Even when she had nothing, she made the best of what she did have. Feminism, by definition, is the advocacy of women’s rights on grounds of political, social, and economic equality of men, which Hester represents exceptionally. Hester Prynne is a woman who challenges societal norms because she was tenacious. tried to redeem sin, and is honest.
Especially during the 1640’s, women were not considered on any level equal to men. So as a single mother with a newborn child, it was especially difficult for hester Prynne. On top of all of these difficulties, Hester also had the scarlet “A” sewn to her chest on her clothes notifying everyone she crossed of her deadly sin. Even from the very beginning of the book, she was continuously mocked from the people of Boston, especially gossipped by the women. This can seen in the following quote, “. . . It would be greatly for the public behoof if we women, being of mature age and church-members in a good repute, should have the …show more content…
tried to redeem sin, and is honest. Hester’s tenaciousness lead her to be a strong feminist woman in a time where women were considered subsequent to men. Since Hester tried to redeem her sin, it shows her true morals and revelation of character in a way that the Puritan society begins to forgive her for what she had done after a long time. Hester’s honesty and openness about her sin shows that she is sorry for her sin, and wants to make up for it in any way she is able to. Overall, Hester is a strong feminist that defies the norms of a seventeenth century Puritan