Hester Prynne Identity In The Scarlet Letter
What’s your identity?
Emma Inks
Hester Prynne is a woman who committed a crime and her community will not let her forget it. From the beginning of the book, The Scarlet Letter, the people of Massachusetts Bay determine Hester’s identity for her.
The bold woman, known as Hester Prynne, is publicly shamed and forced to wear the letter “A” on her clothing; everyone knows her as the adulteress. Hester comes from England to Boston for freedom, she is a puritan, along with the others in the town. Many others have migrated over to the new world for mostly the freedom of religion. Back then you were still married no matter what, while Hester was told by the community that her husband, Roger Chillingworth was dead. Hester is punished with jail time for committing adultery. This is when Hester wears the letter “A” on her clothing. Hester thinks of the letter “A” as a strength for her, not a weakness
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Perhaps because she is isolated from the rest of society, she takes her identity as a mother very seriously. Hester has to become an independant woman without her husband; Hester is put in jail, it becomes herself against the whole colony. She needs to move forward for not only herself, but for her daughter, Pearl. Hester had perceived that pearl would be viewed differently by the adults and children of the colony. Hester begins to dress Pearl in beautiful bright-colored clothes. Pearl’s clothes were the color yellow as bright as the sun, and a blue as blue as the sky. Hester made these clothes with her own hands, and heart. Pearl is a resemblance of Hester's passion. While both Pearl and Hester are excluded from the society, they are constant companions. Hester will take Pearl on walks around the colony, and teach her about God. Pearl shows a love of mischief and a disrespect for authority, which frequently reminds Hester of her own sin of passion. After some time, she starts interacting with the community
Scarlet Letter Ambiguity Quotes
907 Words | 4 PagesShe is responsible for all of the hate that is portrayed upon Hester. However, what pearl represents to Hester, is her wild side, how she can be herself and not care about what the town thinks. In chapter 14 Hester and Pearl are at the beach, “Hester bade little Pearl run down to the margin of the water,and play with the shells and tangles sea-weed, until she should have talked awhile with yonder gatherer of herbs. So the child flew away like a bird, and, making bare her small white feet, went pattering along the moist margin of the sea...the image of a little maid, whom Pearl, having no other playmate, invited to take her hand, and run a race with her. ”(154) Pearl is happy and free and influences Hester be the same way.
Scarlet Letter Guilt Quotes
580 Words | 3 PagesA memorable scene is Hester’s public ridicule on the scaffold shortly after her sin is revealed. The crowd mocks her, shouting things such as, “They should have put the brand of a hot iron on Hester Prynne’s forehead” (49). This scorn is a mirror of the guilt that has manifested within Hester, causing her to “Clasp the infant closely to her bosom: not so much by impulse...as that she may conceal a certain token” (50). The guilt Hester experiences is so great that she uses Pearl in an attempt to conceal her sin. The ridicule Hester endures socially reflects the self-reproach she feels within.
Essay About The Mistakes Hester Prynne Ever Made
599 Words | 3 PagesHester never took her anger or frustration out on Pearl, and that took great patience from Hester. Pearl was the one who brought curiosity and happiness into Hester’s life. Undeniably, Hester truly loved Pearl, there was no doubt about that. Hester did not want Pearl to make the same mistake when she got older and Hester just wanted the absolute best for Pearl. Pearl was a strange child and Hester thought that was because of the sin she committed, but in all honesty, Pearl just looked at things in different perspective.
The Madonna/Whore Complex In The Scarlet Letter
1266 Words | 6 PagesShe cannot be defined by just one label, but both. She is a mother to Pearl, who is a child born from adultery. She is a caregiver, seamstress, a lover, and a counselor, but the Puritanical society Hester lives in constantly reminds her that she is just a whore. By subscribing to this label, Hester loses her identity in a way. The effect of being an outsider due to the letter causes her to become a shell of her former self.
Hester's Punishment In The Scarlet Letter
640 Words | 3 PagesHester was sentenced to wear the scarlet letter "A" for the rest of her life and Hester was forced to stand on the scaffold, so she could be publicly humiliated for her sin. Hester and Pearl will go through life, being shamed by others. The townspeople want to see Hester suffer. Hester and Pearl are strong enough to receive the looks and the talks that they will be getting from the
Should Hester Be Able To Keep Pearl
481 Words | 2 PagesEven thus early had the child saved her from Satan’s snare.” This passage further supports the previous evidence, and it suggests that Pearl will continue to save Hester throughout the text. Although some may say that Hester, because she is not very caring, should not be able to keep Pearl, they are mistaken. Because of her crime, Hester is learning many lessons which she can pass on to Pearl. “ ‘this badge hath taught be,it daily teaches me,it is teaching me at this moment,lessons whereof my child may be the wiser and better…”’
Juxtaposition In The Scarlet Letter
426 Words | 2 PagesHester’s lack of money does not hold her back from providing Pearl with everything she needs. Pearl is dressed in the “richest tissue”, made others see her as “just perfect...an infant princess”. Though only three months old, Pearl evokes the image of beauty from her mother and from strangers who see her. Even though Hester’s life is not ideal, her child brings her beauty in the darkness of her life. Hester wears clothing of poor quality, in order to provide the best for her daughter.
Yamin Wang In Scarlet Letter
1142 Words | 5 PagesWhen Hester finally takes off the scarlet letter “A” and her cape in the wilderness, it not only represents the beauty she held despite the emotional punishment she underwent, but it also represents her removing the Puritan and patriarch society holding her back. Hester’s feminist conscious is intricately portrayed throughout the
Analysis Of Hester Prynne In The Scarlet Letter
896 Words | 4 PagesBy wearing the “A,” Hester was publicly humiliated, however, her development in character causes a change in the meaning of the Scarlet Letter, which leads her to taking pride in the letter as it grows a part of her. After Hester’s sin the Puritan community places a false
How Hester Prynne Changes In Scarlet Letter
941 Words | 4 PagesWhile her punishment changes her physical appearance, it has a far more profound effect on her character. Hester seems much older and worn down with the scarlet letter on her bosom. To Hester, the scarlet letter is a
Theme Of Isolation In Scarlet Letter
893 Words | 4 PagesRight from the start, Hester knew that Pearl was going to be different from the other kids because she was born a sin. Pearl acted differently from the normal kids, which may be because she wasn’t around other kids to see how they acted and learn from them. “The truth seems to be, however, that the mother- forest, and these wild things which it nourished, all recognized a kindred wildness in the human child” (Hawthorne 140). Pearl was connected more with the forest than she was with people. She spent more time in the forest, playing with flowers and moss, and she didn’t play with other kids because they didn’t want to be around her.
Hester Prynne Guilty In The Scarlet Letter
393 Words | 2 PagesHester Prynne is guilty as charged for committing a sin towards her Puritan religion, committing adultery, and refusing to give up the identity of Pearl’s father. Hester deserved the punishment she was given. She knew what cheating would turn into, and the consequences of it, but she did it anyway. Thank you for taking the time to read this
How Arthur Dimmesdale's 'Transforms Hester In The Scarlet Letter'
1006 Words | 5 PagesThese characteristics are brought forth by the scarlet letter. It is these same aspects of Hester that enable her to keep her sanity during her arduous time spent in isolation. Therefore, even though the scarlet “A” brings Hester great pain and suffering, it also transforms her in a way that allows her to withstand the burden that is brought on by the disgraceful symbol. As told by the narrator, "The scarlet letter was her passport into regions where other women dared not tread. Shame, Despair, Solitude!
Who Is Pearl In The Scarlet Letter
562 Words | 3 PagesPearl is the living embodiment of of the scarlet letter. Pearl constantly reminds Hester of her sins, without meaning to. Whenever she asks questions about Dimmesdale or about the scarlet letter, Hester is reminded of the things she did wrong. Pearl is very smart child, and she likes to ask questions and learn about things. If she sees something that confuses her, she will ask her mother about it.
Symbolism Of Pearl In Scarlet Letter
744 Words | 3 PagesThe fact that Pearl is a symbol with the one soul purpose of reminding her mother of her biggest mistake, Pearl can be seen as an antagonist to Hester. Although Pearl is the only character in the novel who is truly innocent, she is quite an annoyance to her mother. Pearl is a sort of antagonist-protagonist. Not exactly an anti-hero, but close enough. Her mother fears her at some points.
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