Scarlet Letter Essay
In the sixteenth century Puritans traveled to the new world from England to escape the shackles of British rule. When the Puritans had finally arrived, they were able to begin a new chapter of their lives along with openly practicing their Puritan religion. Nathaniel Hawthorne, a nineteenth century writer, used his opinions and curiosity of these people to write The Scarlet Letter. In this novel Hawthorne illustrates the austere punishment and beliefs of the Puritan society; he does so through the protagonist of the story, Hester Prynne. She proves to be an extremely dynamic character throughout the novel due to the many events and changes she faces. Hester undergoes three main changes, from being a chastised woman, to …show more content…
Over a course of seven years Hester has finally changed for the better. She has become incredibly humble and simply does kind acts, such as nurse the sick, because of her improved human nature. The change of view that the townspeople have of Hester is shown in this quote, “The letter was a 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 scarlet A by its original signification. They said that it meant Able; so strong was Hester Prynne, with a woman’s strength” (Hawthorne 134). In this quote Hester makes her final transformation from “able” to a rehabilitated and permanently changed woman who has accepted all of her sins and learned from her mistakes. The transformation of Hester Prynne is one of the largest in The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Hester converts from and originally chastised woman, to an “able” woman, and lastly a rehabilitated woman. As a reader one observes her timid embrace alter to a courageous embrace of her sin and the events that allow her to develop in such a way. Hawthorne also uses Hester as a contrast to Dimmesdale in a comparison of admitted and hidden sin. The contradiction of these two manners of coping with sin shapes the characters and their roles in this brilliantly antique
In the sixteenth century Puritans traveled to the new world from England to escape the shackles of British rule. When the Puritans had finally arrived, they were able to begin a new chapter of their lives along with openly practicing their Puritan religion. Nathaniel Hawthorne, a nineteenth century writer, used his opinions and curiosity of these people to write The Scarlet Letter. In this novel Hawthorne illustrates the austere punishment and beliefs of the Puritan society; he does so through the protagonist of the story, Hester Prynne. She proves to be an extremely dynamic character throughout the novel due to the many events and changes she faces. Hester undergoes three main changes, from being a chastised woman, to …show more content…
Over a course of seven years Hester has finally changed for the better. She has become incredibly humble and simply does kind acts, such as nurse the sick, because of her improved human nature. The change of view that the townspeople have of Hester is shown in this quote, “The letter was a 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 scarlet A by its original signification. They said that it meant Able; so strong was Hester Prynne, with a woman’s strength” (Hawthorne 134). In this quote Hester makes her final transformation from “able” to a rehabilitated and permanently changed woman who has accepted all of her sins and learned from her mistakes. The transformation of Hester Prynne is one of the largest in The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Hester converts from and originally chastised woman, to an “able” woman, and lastly a rehabilitated woman. As a reader one observes her timid embrace alter to a courageous embrace of her sin and the events that allow her to develop in such a way. Hawthorne also uses Hester as a contrast to Dimmesdale in a comparison of admitted and hidden sin. The contradiction of these two manners of coping with sin shapes the characters and their roles in this brilliantly antique