Who Is Hester The Protagonist In The Scarlet Letter
The author of The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne introduces Hester as a compelling protagonist. Hester is the woman who wears a scarlet letter A on her breast and holds her illicit child in her arms on the scaffold, which is a severe punishment and great humiliation to a woman who is charged with adultery in the Puritan colonies,. However, Hester still has her own dignity and people cannot see any flusters on her face. After the punishment, Hester chooses a optimistic way to make up her mistake. Hester is a sinner, but she is also a positive woman who has powerful inner strength. Hester is a sinner against herself. “Thus the young and pure would be taught to look at her, with the scarlet letter flaming on her breast- at her, the child of honourable parents- …show more content…
Hester’s face looks calm and ready, even though her shame is burning her heart deeply. Hester also refuses to speak any word about Pearl’s father on the scaffold. The pastor pushes Hester so hard to tell the father’s name that her face is pale as death, but Hester still keeps the name in her mouth completely. “Thou shalt hide them in the secret of thy presence from the pride of man: thou shalt keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues.”(The Bible, Psalms 31:20) Hester is such a strong woman who wants to bear shame for both her and her child’s father. As a result, Hester decides to raise Pearl by herself in order to protect Dimmesdale’s
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1270 Words | 6 PagesShe receives three punishments from the townspeople, who claim they will free her from her sin. The community orders Hester to go to jail, wear a scarlet letter on her chest, and stand on the town scaffold for hours. Hester wears her scarlet letter proudly on her chest, and endures much suffering because of her public ridicule. Hester is “kept by no restrictive clause of her condemnation within the limits of the Puritan settlement” after she was released from prison, but she chooses to stay (Hawthorne 71). Later, Hester’s child, Pearl, symbolizes the Puritan view of Hester.
Comparing Reputation In The Scarlet Letter And The Crucible By Arthur Miller
511 Words | 3 PagesEmma Whitehouse Mr. Thackston English 12/31/14 Abigail and Hester, a Comparison of Two Puritans Outline In The Scarlet Letter and The Crucible, both Nathaniel Hawthorne and Arthur Miller write about Puritan England, sin and the importance reputation. In both books, the authors use Hester Prynne and Abigail William, to create the theme of reputation, and it’s changeability.
Nathaniel Pearl Puritan Analysis
1388 Words | 6 PagesPearl has also made a connection between Hester’s scarlet letter, Chillingworth and Dimmesdale. It shocks Hester that Pearl has caught on so much and even starts wondering whether or not she should tell Pearl about the scarlet letter when Pearl asks about it on the beach. Hester chose to wait a little while longer because it would be “the price of the child’s sympathy” (188). She is not ready to take away Pearl’s childhood and innocence. Even though Pearl is coming of age where she could be told about her mother’s sin, she is still not
Scarlet Letter Pearl Symbolism
1051 Words | 5 PagesNathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter is a novel that focuses on sin in the Puritan society. Hawthorne revolves the theme around the four main characters Hester Prynne, Arthur Dimmesdale, Roger Chillingworth., and Pearl. Hester Prynne is forced to wear the scarlet letter ‘A’ after committing adultery against her husband Roger Chillingworth, with the minister Arthur Dimmesdale. As a result an odd child is born.
Hester Prynne In The Scarlet Letter Essay
534 Words | 3 PagesMany tend to focus on either the consequences of sins, or the causes of them. In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel, The Scarlet Letter, the protagonist Hester Prynne is widely considered as the most controversial character in the piece. D.H. Lawrence’s criticism “On the Scarlet Letter” displays his views of how Hester Prynne is depicted, as well as how she should have been depicted, in the novel. Lawrence utilizes the literary devices of choppy syntax, biblical allusions, and satirical tone to emphasize his opinions on the characterization of Hester Prynne.
The Corruption Of Pearl In The Scarlett Letter By Nathaniel Hawthorne
470 Words | 2 PagesWith this in mind, Hester has many reasons for wanting to keep pearl. Mainly it is because Pearl would not be accepted by the other towns folk. Believe that “Pearl, as of already hinted, Was of demon origin” (Hawthorne) So that would leave
On Hester Prynne Compare And Contrast Essay
682 Words | 3 PagesBecause even her name conjures up many conflicting thoughts, the true nature of Hester Prynne from Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter is heavily debated among critics. Mark Van Doren and D.H. Lawrence both assert their conflicting perspectives with a multitude of convincing devices, but D.H. Lawrence more effectively portrays Hester Prynne as an enemy through the use of thought-provoking allusions, critical diction and repetition, and an unconventional syntax in his essay, On Hester Prynne. Hester Prynne’s iniquity is foremost illustrated by Lawrence’s use of several biblical allusions. Although Hester shows benevolence throughout the novel and came to be respected in society, Lawrence asserts that this whole persona is a lie.
How Does Hester Change Throughout The Scarlet Letter
686 Words | 3 PagesEventually, the stress and pressure in Dimmesdale’s heart lead him to death. In comparison to Dimmesdale’s death, Hester’s ending is way different. Hester and Pearl leave Boston, but Hester eventually comes back to town without Pearl. Hester puts on the letter “A” again, and she starts to help people deal with their mental stress. “But, in the lapse of the toilsome, thoughtful, and self-devoted years that made up Hester's life, the scarlet letter ceased to be a stigma which attracted the world's scorn and bitterness, and became a type of something to be sorrowed over, and looked upon with awe, yet with
Hester Prynne Symbolism In Scarlet Letter
665 Words | 3 PagesShe is a beautiful, young woman who has sinned, but is forgiven. Hawthorne portrays Hester as "divine maternity" and she can do no wrong. Not only Hester, but also the physical scarlet letter, a sign of shame, is shown as a beautiful, gold and colorful piece which
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
Janie Crawford In The Scarlet Letter
1294 Words | 6 PagesHester dislikes the fact that the “scarlet letter” may be perceived as a sign of weakness, and instead learns to be empowered by the “A”. Ultimately, Hester actively made a positive impact on the community and proceeds to raise pearl, her child, without any assistance from Roger or Arthur Dimmesdale. Hester exemplifies her independence through her ability to maintain financial stability while raising her daughter and working. Hester eventually morphs the public's view of the scarlet letter into something positive. The narrator says, “many people refused to interpret the scarlet A by its original signification.
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.
1984 Vs Scarlet Letter
2424 Words | 10 PagesFurthermore, The Scarlet Letter and 1984 both show the reader how an individual can use their personal, sometimes unfortunate, situation to their advantage thereby making both novels, that are set in different historical time periods, very similar. First off all, both novels show how their protagonists, Hester and Winston, use their personal situations to realize the truth of their societies. In The Scarlet Letter, Hester slowly realizes the truth of her society by recognizing the hypocritical nature of the Puritans whom she lives among, as a result of the scarlet letter she wears. As soon as Hester is ordered to wear the scarlet letter, she quickly begins to realize the flaws of her society because of the way her community starts to maliciously
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.”
Hester And Dimmesdale In The Scarlet Letter
743 Words | 3 PagesSome of the differences between these two characters are also what makes them alike, as well as setting them apart from the rest of the characters in the book. Hester and Dimmesdale’s need to repent and face their punishments in their own ways leads the reader through the book with surprises at every turn. The characters face challenges from holding in a secret, and facing a punishment all relating to the same actions taken before the book begins. Hester, the mother of Pearl ,as well as the main character, was
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