Hester Prynne In The Scarlett Letter By Nathaniel Hawthorne

When the Puritans came to America in 1630, they established a government where religion was a critical factor. The Puritans’ way of life was very strict; they seeked to establish a community as pure as one might find in Heaven. Their efforts were so strict that any defiance would be met with strict repercussions. Hester Prynne, the main character in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, is a classic instance of somebody who dared to break the traditions of Puritan society. Hester does so by committing adultery, having an affair with somebody other than her husband. Hester is positively affected by the societal doctrines in her life because, even though she has to suffer discrimination from the rest of the Puritans by wearing a scarlet letter and being isolated, she ultimately breaks free from the Puritan mindset. At first, Hester attempts to cope with the isolation from the Puritan people and the embarrassment of wearing a Scarlet Letter. The strict Puritan law banishes Hester from the community because she had a baby with Dimmesdale. Since Hester broke the law of marriage, she is considered a bad …show more content…
The most significant way she does this is by alternating the Scarlet Letter, a symbol of shame the Puritans made her wear for committing adultery. Using her talent for embroidery, Hester weaves the Scarlet letter into something elegant and to be awed over. Even ladies who demanded Hester to be branded and put to death could not help but compliment her. Hester’s daughter, Pearl, is also turned from the “product of sin” (88) into something beautiful. While God-fearing Puritans of the time wore mainly colors of drab brown and grey, Pearl, supposedly a symbol of great shame, is beautifully adorned in a rich red garment. Hester keeps her sanity in Puritan isolation by transforming the appearance of her punishment and Pearl, making them elements to be revered rather than