How Does Hester Prynne Change In The Scarlet Letter
The Infamous “A” Committing sin is an inevitable condition of human life. Forgiving a sin is not always easy; neither is forgetting. A reputation could be destroyed with one sin. It is troublesome enough to forgive one’s wrong and move on, but what about peers? In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne was branded with a scarlet letter A after being founded as an adulteress. She became an outcast and always had the constant reminder, for herself and those around her, of her sin. The letter’s significance transformed as time passed and became more compelling. Throughout the novel there was a tremendous evolution of the scarlet letter A from the views of Hester, the villagers, Pearl (Hester’s daughter), and Hawthorne himself. …show more content…
When the villagers found out the sin of Hester Prynne, they were quick to punishment because they did not want her sin to affect their chances of heaven. Ironically, the villagers views on Hester and her scarlet letter A dramatically changed from beginning to end of the novel. The villagers branded Hester with the scarlet A to constantly remind her of the horrible person she was and to give them the opportunity to judge her. They viewed the letter as a reminder of what kind of person not to be. Everywhere in the village they spoke of Hester and her scarlet letter, taking any and all dignity away from her. After many years, an incident happened in the village that completely altered the villagers view of Hester’s scarlet letter A. The governor had died and when they had buried him, the letter A appeared in the sky. Most of the villagers believed that the A in the sky meant that the governor had became an angel at that moment; therefore changing their meaning of Hester’s A. The villagers began to accept Hester into the community and forgiving her of her sin because they believed that Hester’s A corresponded with the one in the sky. They viewed her A as “abel” because of Hester trying to do good deeds for the village. They saw the scarlet letter A as a new way to look at life. It made them begin to believe that good can transpire from
The Consequences Of Hester And Dimmesdale In The Scarlet Letter
492 Words | 2 PagesHowever, after many years of performing good deeds for the community the scarlet letter, and by extension Hester, was met with less hostility. Her influence is so great that many citizens start to believe the scarlet letter “...[now] meant Able…”(Hawthorne
Hester Prynne's Ignominy
264 Words | 2 PagesIn Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne is an extreme outcast in her society following her public ignominy and being sinfully branded as the adulterer. Succeeding Hester’s removal of the “A” from her chest, she initially believes that “the burden of shame and anguish departed from her spirit” (182). Hester feels as though the removal of the “A” has removed the stigma pertaining to the “A”, as well as the constraints and disregard society has cast upon her. But whether or not Hester contains a physical marker of her ignominy, she will be abandoned within society. After seven years of being accustomed to Hester’s sin, townspeople still believe Hester was “dead, in respect to any claim of sympathy” (203).
Archetypal Characters In The Scarlet Letter
1004 Words | 5 PagesHer deeds were especially shocking as she was perceived as pest almost since she had to wear the scarlet letter as a reminder of her sin. Due to her deeds, the town is quoted as: “Many people refused to interpret the scarlet A by its original signification.” (168). During her early days of the wearing of the scarlet letter, she was shunned and shut out from normal activities; now, the townspeople believed her to be kind; they even changed what the “A” meant: “They said that it meant to be Able; so strong was Hester Prynne, with a women’s strength.” (168).
Public Shaming In The Scarlet Letter Essay
966 Words | 4 PagesIn Nathaniel Hawthorne's novel The Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne, a Puritan woman, commits adultery with Reverend Dimmesdale. As a form of punishment, the judge forces Hester to wear a scarlet letter to signify her wrongdoing. The purpose of the scarlet letter is to correct Hester’s conduct. With the symbol of the scarlet letter, Hester’s Puritan community publicly judges and ridicules her. Today, judges sometimes still use public shaming as a form of punishment.
Essay About The Mistakes Hester Prynne Ever Made
599 Words | 3 PagesIn the beginning the scarlet letter represented adultery and shame, but then the A represented “able.” Hester Prynne showed people that greatness can come out of huge mistake. One bad chapter does not mean your story is over. Willingly, Hester wanted to pick herself up again and move on with her life and eventually people noticed that. They began to respect her and think of her as strong and commendable
Judges In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter
1343 Words | 6 PagesThis wisdom, is clearly noted by the difference between Hester at the beginning and at the end of the novel. When Hester initially walks out onto the scaffold, her “first impulse [was] to clasp the infant closely to her bosom; not so much by an impulse of motherly affection, as that she might thereby conceal a certain token, which was wrought or fastened into her dress (50).” Hester’s immediate reaction to the town surrounding the scaffold demonstrates how there was a glimpse of shame that fell upon her as she felt the critical eyes of the town. Even though one can argue that Hester felt no shame since she elaborately embroidered the scarlet letter with gold thread, it is important to note the split second of humiliation she felt. After this moment, Hester wears the scarlet letter with pride and accountability to reveal her ability to let go of the town’s judgment.
Hester Prynne Guilt Quotes In Scarlet Letter
934 Words | 4 PagesIn The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, adulteress Hester Prynne must wear a scarlet A to mark her shame. Her lover, Arthur Dimmesdale, remains unidentified and is wracked with guilt, while her husband, Roger Chillingworth who seeks revenge. In June 1642, A young woman named Hester Prynne was found guilty of adultery in the Puritan town of Boston. Then a crowd gathered to witness the punishment and now she must wear a scarlet A on her dress as a sign of shame.
How Does Hester Prynne's Clothes Symbolize In The Scarlett Letter
486 Words | 2 PagesSociety had now begun to think that Hester had served her punishment. Although Hester was not accepted society before, she began to see the positive aspects of the community and was able continue on with her own life which eventually led to her being recognition of good character. Eventually recognizing her sin she had become a symbol of the Puritan faith, and eventually found her place in the community in a positive way. In The Scarlet Letter, the whole period of time the letter "A" was embroidered on her clothing it only represented one ideology, which was adultery. However, as time continues forward the community begins to finally start accepting her again, through her positive actions and influences, the letter "A" starts to represent a more positive ideology.
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
How Hester Prynne Changes In Scarlet Letter
941 Words | 4 PagesWe are all sinners, no matter how hard we try to hide our faults, they always seem to come back, one way or another. Written in the 19th century, Nathaniel Hawthorne shows us Hester Prynne and how one sin can change her life completely. Hester Prynne changes a great deal throughout The Scarlet Letter. Through the view of the Puritans, Hester is an intense sinner; she has gone against the Puritan way of life committing the highest act of sin, adultery. For committing such a sinful act, Hester must wear the scarlet letter while also having to bear stares from those that gossip about her.
Differences And Similarities Between The Crucible And Jackie Jackson
1340 Words | 6 PagesThe change led to the society change in their view of Hester. She had “so much power to do, and power to sympathie,--that many people refused to interpret the scarlet A by it original signification. They said that it meant Able; so strong was Hester Prynne, with a woman’s strength” (Hawthorne 146). The ‘A’ on her chest morphs its meaning to represent being able. Robinson, held his tongue for two years, but he could not, like Hester keep quiet any longer.
How Does Arthur Dimmesdale Present The Community In The Scarlet Letter
859 Words | 4 PagesThroughout the novel, The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne illustrates the Puritan community as judgemental. Naturally, humans attempt to hide their mistakes and imperfections from the world. The protagonists of the story battle with concealing their feelings of shame from the town. Hawthorne shows that self-isolation will inevitably lead to the destruction of one’s character, suggesting that those who admit to their sins are able to thrive. He accomplishes this by contrasting character changes between Arthur Dimmesdale, Roger Chillingworth, and Hester Prynne.
Essay On Evil In The Scarlet Letter
719 Words | 3 PagesThe townspeople “[began] to look upon the scarlet letter as a token, not of that one sin, for which she had borne so long and dreary a penance, but of her many good deeds since.” This quote exemplifies how sin is not a death sentence for Hester. Through hard work and charity it allowed the rigid Puritan society to see her as something different, and as someone who would not let society define who she was. Hester, thus, was not only able to change herself, but also the image in which society viewed her by working hard to benefit the public. Likewise, the scarlet letter which was supposed to represent sin was instead “fantastically embroidered with gold thread, upon her bosom.”
The Symbolism Of 'A' In The Scarlet Letter By Nathaniel Hawthorne
959 Words | 4 PagesWith Hester changing her ways and helping the poor, the community changed, “They said that it meant Able; so strong was Hester Prynne, with a woman’s strength” (Hawthorne 168). While the community originally viewed the “A” as a symbol of sin, they began to see it too as a symbol of being “Able” because all that Hester Prynne had overcome. The Scarlet Letter had many examples of symbolism, but none were more significant that the letter “A”
Theme Of Adultery In The Scarlet Letter
813 Words | 4 PagesThe meaning of the scarlet letter and the way people view Hester changes throughout the novel The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne. The scarlet letter was originally suppose to represent adultery and was there to show everyone the sin Hester Prynne had committed. Hester had to
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