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What Is Hester's Purpose In Chapter 5 Of The Scarlet Letter

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Chapter 5 of The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne depicts the main character, Hester, being released from jail after she was punished for adultery. She is allowed to stay in a log cabin on the edge of town next to the forest. However, she becomes quite lonely. She is viewed as the epitome of sin to the townspeople and feels as if she is living in complete isolation. The only way she can support herself and her daughter Pearl is by making high-quality garments, but still the town does not appreciate her fine art. If she is living such a hard life in Boston, the reader is left to ask why she would not want to leave, as there appears to be no good reason to stay. Hawthorne leaves this up for debate. Hawthorne's purpose in Chapter 5 is to …show more content…

Hawthorne speculates that she does not want to leave because she cannot move on from her past actions of wrongdoing and feels an unspoken bond between her and her fellow adulterer. He further argues that she is viewed as a sinner in the opinion of Boston because she is the target of constant savage insults and is almost forced into seclusion. Although it may seem as though she wants to stay purely because of her stable income, or that the town views her as an important part of their society, she is still bound to the town by her commitment to her unknown lover and is still subject to incessant abuse by the townsfolk. If she were to leave, Hester would be acknowledging her society’s power over her life. She insists on her right to self-determination by staying in Boston and subjecting herself to non stop cruelty from the town. Hester does not need to escape or lead a fraudulent life to resist the judgment against her. Ultimately, Chapter 5 does more than just give the reader background information, it begins to develop Hester as a strong willed and insightful character for the rest of the

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