Preview

Hester Prynne Character Analysis In Scarlet Letter

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
801 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Hester Prynne Character Analysis In Scarlet Letter
In The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne one of the main characters in Hester Prynne. She is a convicted adulterer, and the story follows her starting in 1642 in a Puritan town. She and her illegitimate daughter, Pearl, along with her lover, Dimmesdale, and husband, Chillingworth, are the main focus of this dramatic tale. Through her actions and words, Pearl is a “device” to move the consciences of her parents to end their sinful situation. Pearl’s physical obsession with the scarlet A torments her mother, at one point making her physically put it back on, all while forcing her to confront her sins. Pearl also pressures Dimmesdale into acknowledging her as his daughter, and admitting his sins. Pearl is an important aspect of this tragic …show more content…
Hester and Pearl are seen in their own separate pools of light in the forest, a symbolic separation of mother and daughter. Hester plans to run away from her sin, but Pearl serves as a reminder that she can never really flee without repentance. She has to admit and face her sins head on, or they will always be following her in the darkness. Hester puts the A back on, and is overcome with a feeling of dread and regret. However, Pearl responds gleefully,”Now thou art my mother indeed! And I am thy little Pearl!” She does not truly recognize Hester without the A. Truthfully, the A was always with her, even when she was not wearing it. The A, and Pearl, are currently a physical representation of her …show more content…
Hester was convicted of being an adulterer, and the novels follows her story in a 17th century Puritan town. The tale focuses on Hester, her daughter Pearl, her lover Dimmesdale, and her husband Chillingworth. They are all enduring their own battles with sin, some coming out of it better than others. Pearl is a physical version of Hester and Dimmesdale’s consciences. Pearl serves as a living version of the scarlet A on Hester’s chest. She torments Hester, and pushes Dimmesdale to acknowledge his sins. Pearl serves as a major character in this classic tragedy, and leaves the character better off than they
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Hester Prynne Social Pressure
    • 812 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Hester Prynne Social Pressure

    The Scarlet Letter is a novel written by Nathaniel Hawthorne. This essay discusses how Hester is a victim of her social pressure. She was punished for something she did to achieve her dream of having someone that loves her. Hester committed adultery with minister Dimmesdale and had a child with him, Pearl. Her punishment was to stand on the scaffold with her child and wear the letter A on her breast as a sign of her “crime”. Due to the strictures of the puritan society, Hester Prynne suffers from public shaming. She almost lost her only child, and was not able to openly love who she wanted.…

    • 812 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    An Analysis Of Hester Prynne's The Scarlet Letter
    • 52 Words
    • 1 Page

    An Analysis Of Hester Prynne's The Scarlet Letter

    The Scarlet Letter is known for its enigmatic story telling nature through its author within an author within another author narration. Or simply yet Hester Prynne’s story, twice removed. Through this profound story of a young woman, Hester Prynne, living in the tenacious and pedestrian Puritan society of the New England…

    • 52 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The Scarlet Letter Hester Prynne Character Analysis
    • 141 Words
    • 1 Page

    The Scarlet Letter Hester Prynne Character Analysis

    Pearl is the daughter Hester gives birth to. Ever since birth she has recognized her mother for the scarlet letter she bears on her bosom. Everyone says she is the Scarlet Letter itself and was sent by the devil. Pearl is very energetic and sometimes malicious.…

    • 141 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    'In Defense Of Hester's Punishment To Keep Pearl'
    • 363 Words
    • 2 Pages

    'In Defense Of Hester's Punishment To Keep Pearl'

    Hester was sentenced for committing adultery back in the late 1640’s and forever punished to wear the scarlet letter on her chest. As a result of her sin, she gained a daughter; Her name is Pearl. Hester has committed adultery and sinned, but they should not remove Pearl from her mother. Furthermore, Hester should keep Pearl because, Hester’s punishment has already been served, she is a constant reminder of her sin, and after all, Pearl is all Hester has.…

    • 363 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Characterization Of Hester Prynne In D. H. Lawrence's Scarlet Letter
    • 905 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Characterization Of Hester Prynne In D. H. Lawrence's Scarlet Letter

    In On the Scarlet Letter, D.H. Lawrence comments on Nathaniel Hawthorne’s controversial character, Hester Prynne. What makes Lawrence unique from other critics is that he criticizes Hester and Dimmesdale's’ sinful act, and he asserts negative opinions about the way Hester Prynne is conventionally perceived because of it. D.H. Lawrence presents a well written analysis that effectively castigates Hester Prynne’s characterization in the novel through biblical and literary allusions, harsh syntax, and a satirical tone.…

    • 905 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Hester Prynne's Role In Scarlet Letter
    • 437 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Hester Prynne's Role In Scarlet Letter

    Due to the fact that the scarlet letter represents Hester's sin that produced Pearl. Pearl points out the A on Hester's chest every chance she gets; Although, she is not intentionally trying to hurt Hester she does just that. Everytime Pearl points out her letter Hester is reminded of her sin. In a way, the letter and Pearl serve the same purpose of the A on Hester's chest. In addition, Pearl is the best thing that happened to Hester because it is all she has left. Her love for pearl and the how she makes the A obvious and beautiful represents Hester not allowing herself to be shamed by the other people in town because of having pearl. Through all of the hate Pearl makes Hester a stronger…

    • 437 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Hester Prynne In Nathaniel Hawthorne's Scarlet Letter
    • 378 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Hester Prynne In Nathaniel Hawthorne's Scarlet Letter

    Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne is a story about Hester Prynne, her drastic act of sin, and her punishment for that act. Hester, a married woman, committed adultery, and borne a child from her affair. Her husband had sent her ahead of him to America and had never arrived in Boston. It was believed that he was lost at sea. As punishment, Hester has to wear a flashy, scarlet and gold stitched “A” embroidered on her chest for as long as she lives. From what I have read, Hester is leaving from her stay at prison, her child clutched tightly to her breasts, as she moves through the crowd to receive her punishment. Other women scorn her, and insult her openly as if she weren’t in their presence. There in the crowd of people, she notices her…

    • 378 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    How Does Hester Prynne Use Cruelty In The Scarlet Letter
    • 970 Words
    • 4 Pages

    How Does Hester Prynne Use Cruelty In The Scarlet Letter

    The torture and cruelty relates from “The mother herself - as if the red ignominy were so deeply scorched into her brain, that all her conceptions assumed its form - had carefully wrought out the similitude; [...creating] an analogy between the object of her affection, and the emblem of her guilt and torture” (94). The analogy created between the “object of her affection”, being her daughter, and “the emblem of her guilt and torture”, symbolizes the scarlet letter A stitched onto her wardrobe. Hester feels this way because she feels passion and love for her beautiful daughter, but is once again distraught by the scarlet letter defining not only her life but her daughter’s life forever. The fact that women during the time period of the seventeenth century are, considerably, immobilized by their lack of freedoms, regulates the attention to this disgraceful sin that Hester committed. She recognizes the relationship with the scarlet letter and how it was ultimately the best and worst thing that could have happened in her life. She wants all of the shame, guilt, and harmful comments to disappear, yet she is in love with Pearl. Cruelty is indirectly displayed in her situation because once the people saw her pregnancy appear, they treated her like an outcast because there was an unknown father, hence the…

    • 970 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Hester Prynne In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter
    • 389 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Hester Prynne In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter

    Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter is set in Puritan Boston, New England. Hester Prynne is accused of adultery and brand with the letter “A” for the rest of her life. With Pearl in tow, Hester moves to a cottage to live her life. As time progresses conflicts arise and ideals fade. The “A” on Hester's chest has many stories changing with each character who tells it. Hester Prynne is the wearer of the “A.” Having the scarlet letter set on her at a young age, Hester absorbs the mark turning the hainted symbol into a representation of her character. Even the people who force Hester to wear the “A” change,”many people refused to interpret the scarlet letter A by its original signification.” The community of Boston has, at first, the view that the “A” has a connection to the devil. Later, after Hester shows courage despite her situation, the community has a changing of heart and…

    • 389 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Scarlet Letter Literary Analysis Essay
    • 1192 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Scarlet Letter Literary Analysis Essay

    During Hesters public punishment for the adultry she commits, the scarlet letter along with Pearl both prove to present shame in Hester for her actions. "She turned her eyes downward at the scarlet letter ... to assure herself that the infant and the shame were real" (41). Everytime Hester looks at her daughter, she is tortured by the shame she endures for her sin even many years later. Not only does Pearl provide as a symbol of sin in public but also when both Pearl and Hester are alone. Pearl continusously points at the letter A harassingly asking questions about it while making a game of it by throwing rocks at her mother's chest. When Pearl and her mother are in a field, Pearl asks " " which indicats Pearl is wanting her mother to live up to the sin shes committed. Hester renforces the idea that Pearl is the scarlet letter in flesh when Hester confesses to the pious community leaders that Pearl "is my happiness! - she is my torture...See ye not, she is the scarlet letter, only capable of being loved, and so endowed with a million-fold the power of retribution for my sin." (Hawthorne 100) In this passage, Hawthorne is describing the power the lasting effect Hester's sin has has on her life as well as the shame that she now embodies as a result of her…

    • 1192 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The Role Of Hester Prynne In The Scarlet Letter
    • 391 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The Role Of Hester Prynne In The Scarlet Letter

    Feminism is the support for equal rights for both men and women, in the areas that include but are not limited to politics, economics, and social norms. In a more general sense, a feminist seeks a justified, balanced amount of opportunity for both sexes. The topic of feminism has been prevalent in more recent years, but not a few centuries ago. The romance novel The Scarlet Letter, written by Nathaniel Hawthorne in 1850, highlights a female protagonist named Hester Prynne who lived in the 17th century. She is portrayed as a strong feminist character throughout the novel by showing resilience, despite the lack of social equality during the Puritan times the novel takes place in. This novel displays acts of feminism as Hester Prynne lives her life with the stigma of adultery with the scarlet letter.…

    • 391 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Essay On The Symbolism Of Pearl In The Scarlet Letter
    • 1036 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Essay On The Symbolism Of Pearl In The Scarlet Letter

    When Hester returns to Boston, she is still wearing the letter. People don’t believe their eyes. This is because Hester is not accompanied by Pearl. Pearl directly represents that letter and the end of the novel proves it. It has grown with Pearl and changed her too. As Wagenkenecht quotes John A. Andola in Characters in The Scarlet Letter, “‘Without her mother’s sin Pearl could not exist, nor could she exist without her mother’s love, both of which are symbolized in the scarlet A and in Pearl herself.’” (69) The ultimate symbolism in The Scarlet Letter is that Pearl is the scarlet A.…

    • 1036 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    The Scarlet Letter
    • 1408 Words
    • 6 Pages

    The Scarlet Letter

    The Scarlet Letter, written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, is a novel set in the mid-seventeenth century, which tells the story of Hester Prynne, a woman who commits a sin in her home in Boston. With a child in her arms from another man who is not her husband, Hester is obligated to wear a scarlet ‘A’ (which stands for adultery) on her chest. As part of her sentence, she is locked up in prison with her daughter Peal, until she confesses who the child’s father is. As she refuses to name him, she is forced to stand in the town’s pillory for a few hours while being tormented by the civilians’ frightful comments. In most of The Scarlet Letter, Hester is haunted by her sinful act, since the town people use her as an example. However, Dimmesdale, Pearl’s father, also suffers with this situation, even though his identity as Pearl’s father is unknown, his lie lives with him and as the novel progresses, Hester gradually begins to be accepted in society, while Dimmesdale’s life becomes worse.…

    • 1408 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Roger Chillingworth In Scarlet Letter
    • 554 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Roger Chillingworth In Scarlet Letter

    Hester Prynne - Hester is the book's protagonist and the wearer of the scarlet letter. The letter, a patch of fabric fit as a fiddle of "A," implies that Hester is a "adulterer." As a young lady, Hester wedded an elderly man, Chillingworth, who sent her ahead to America to live yet never tailed her. While waiting for him, she engaged in extramarital relations with a Puritan pastor named Dimmesdale, after which she brought forth Pearl her daughter. She meets both her spouse and her significant other in her insight and mindfulness. Her distance places her in the position to mention intense objective facts about her group, especially about its treatment of ladies.…

    • 554 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Choices Made By Hester Prynne In The Scarlet Letter By Nathaniel Hawthorne
    • 637 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Choices Made By Hester Prynne In The Scarlet Letter By Nathaniel Hawthorne

    Alienation can be linked to self-discovery. The alienated can make a choice: to endure or to protest. Explain the choices made by Hester Prynne and how they are typical or atypical based on the societal values during this time period (1640s).…

    • 637 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More

Related Topics