Hester Prynne

The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne adulteress Hester Prynne must wear the scarlet ‘’A’’ to mark her shame. Her lover, Arthur Dimmesdale, remains unidentified and is filled with gilt, while her husband, Roger Chillingworth seeks revenge. Even though Hester ends the story as a heroine,she plays a victim throughout via extreme societal judgement. After all, she is forced to wear the scarlet ‘’A’’ Hester wears it on her chest with her head held high on the scaffold. As she walks through the…

While Hawthorne does not give a lot of data about her life before the book opens, he demonstrates her striking character. Hester Prynne is initially hated at the Market-Place, when a gathering of townspeople assembled on the grass outside the prison to witness her discharge. The ladies in the group have a poor feeling for Hester, calling her a criminal ( Nathaniel Hawthorne 46-47). Her disobedience of tradition, her genuineness, and her sympathy may have been in her character from the start, yet…

The Struggles and Strength of Hester Prynne In the mid 17th century, Puritans exercised control over the Massachusetts Bay Colony in the US, where they practiced their strict religious beliefs. To the Puritans, a good and admirable person followed the Bible exactly, and never sinned or made any big mistakes. In The Scarlet Letter, Nathanial Hawthorne writes about Hester Prynne, a woman who committed the sin of adultery, but still constantly attempts to redeem herself and atone for her sin. Even…

In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s romantic novel, The Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne is forced by Puritan leaders in Boston to wear the letter “A” across her chest as a punishment for her sin of adultery. Despite the isolation and humiliation she experiences in the town, Hester decides that this punishment is not enough, so she executes acts of penance. These acts add to her embarrassment, however, it is her own decision to punish herself. Hester is able to express herself in many ways, proving that the…

community that prides itself on holy perfection, Hester becomes the town gossip as her private life is torn apart at the pleasure of those who feel she is not morally right. The women in the town belittle Hester and attempt to make her an ugly individual who should feel ashamed and have little value over her own life. Hester, however, resolves not to be the person that the community wants her to be. In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne paves her own path with her strength,…

will eventually give in to the desires of the id. Hester Prynne serves as woman whose need to satisfy her desires controls her life. Hester’s strong id shows itself throughout the entirety of the novel and prompts the central conflict between passion and authority. The id represents Hester and her behaviors to achieve satisfaction. The Puritan society represents her superego because they punish people for doing things they deem morally wrong. Hester knows the moral codes of the her society, yet…

was not binding us together. In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne takes on public humiliation for her lover’s sake, so that he may resist public ridicule, all the while displaying her feelings for him and their daughter, Pearl. This novel takes place in New England during Colonial America. At this time, adultery and extramarital affairs were extremely frowned upon. When the story begins, Hester Prynne emerges from the jail holding her new daughter Pearl, of whom she…

how all the characters are each their own and have their own symbols, how Hester Prynne is a strong character despite all of the trials, and how Pearl stands for who Hester really is and what she stands for through the novel. The novel opens by showing Hester Prynne in prison for the consequences she has committed in adultery and how she has been subject to an official…

the mental ramification on the main characters. This might be shown through how all the characters are each there own and have there own symbols, how Hester Prynne is a strong character despite all of the trials, and how Pearl stands for who Hester really is and what she stands for through the novel. The novel opens with showing Hester Prynne in prison for the consequences she has committed in adultery and how she has been subject to an official sentence of public humiliation. In this time…

After committing adultery with the Reverend Dimmesdale, this young woman, Hester Prynne, is branded with a scarlet letter A to signify her sin and humiliation. While at first, Hester refuses to give in the society’s influence, she conforms to Puritan standards by the end of the novel. From the start of the book to the end, a dramatic change in Hester’s attitude is apparent. In contrast with her initial character, Hester Prynne is portrayed as a dull, melancholy, and defeated figure at the end of…