Preview

Role Of Hester Prynne In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
600 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Role Of Hester Prynne In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter
Since Hester Prynne has sinned and demoralized the town of Boston, Massachusetts, there has been argument regarding the new mother's punishment. People of the town have wondered if she should be able to keep her child, if she should be able to be one in the crowd, and even if she should be able to live. Hester Prynne's consequences are not harsh enough for her unholy actions, and they should be modified to better suit God's wishes.
Hester Prynne should not be allowed to carry on in our society after committing her acts of sin. She had committed adultery, and instead of devoting her life to her husband, she has devoted it to sin. Miss Prynne should, at the very least, be banished for her sins. "Throughout them all, giving her individuality,

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    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
  • Good Essays

    Members of the clergy, and the towns people, see Hester as a criminal and source of scandal, a scandal that affects not only her personally, but the community as a whole. In this Puritan culture, marriage is viewed as one of the foundations of social order, and a crime that violates the bonds of marriage threatens order itself. The demand for punishment of Hester's crimes is evident in the words of some of the female spectators, who feel she has not suffered enough, that the civil authorities "should have put the brand of a hot iron on Hester Prynne's forehead" (p. 162). The female spectators were very cruel when it came to Hester, even though she had only sinned once they thought it was not enough to just let her…

    • 131 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    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
  • Good Essays

    The Scarlet Letter is set in 17th century Massachusetts. It follows Hester Prynne and the consequences her “sin” has on her, her child, and the community as a whole. Most believe Hester is going to hell and that she gave birth to the devil because of having sex out of marriage. Her husband, Roger Chillingworth wants revenge on her and her unannounced partner in crime. Pearls involvement in Hawthorne's novel in crucial by bringing Hester's sin to life; therefore, creating challenges for her within the Puritan community.…

    • 437 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the beginning of this book we meet Hester Prynne, a beautiful young mother making her way from prison through a crowd of displeased Puritans. She finds herself displayed like a circus animal, amongst a silent and unforgiving crowd, on a scaffold commonly used for executions. She has a brilliantly embroidered Scarlet Letter “A” attached to her bosom, a curious punishment for the sin of adultery. The crowd, with the exception of that one young maiden, seems to think she deserved much more than a simple letter attached to her clothes. Death is the proper punishment for a scandal of this proportion! The Scarlet…

    • 711 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    “When you point a finger at someone else, then three fingers point back at you” (My Second Grade Teacher). In the Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne jeers at the absurd Puritan era and crime and punishment. But the renowned author touches on a more personal theme, an issue that everyone has come across: self evaluation. Even though Hester Prynne, a honest adulterer, and Arthur Dimmesdale, a untruthful priest, are first to sin it is still viewed that Robert Chillingworth, an abandoned husband seeking revenge, has “violated the sanctity of human heart” (Hawthorne 234). To compare the sin that was brought on by choice and sin initiated by another should not be evaluated.There is no argument that Chillingworth’s revenge on Dimmesdale is evil, he plotted against Dimmesdale soon as he confirmed he was Hester’s lover. But the aggravators of sin, Hester and Dimmesdale, must be held responsible for the effects of their actions. Unlike Hester, Dimmesdale refuses to confess to having premarital sex. Adulturing is sinful but the lies, acting, and observing others take the full…

    • 894 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    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
  • Good Essays

    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
  • Good Essays

    Hester was forced to confess her sin to the world, unlike her counterpart Dimmesdale. She was forced to be truthful and accept the punishment and stigma; “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 honorable parents,—at her, the mother of a babe, that would hereafter be a woman, —at her, who had once been innocent, —as the figure, the body, the reality of sin” (chapter 5, page 54), This quote demonstrates how the Puritan Community placed all of the blame and burden of the sin of adultery on Hester. She was forced to accept all of the shame that…

    • 2044 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    How would you feel if you were rejected by a whole city, and nobody wanted you? Well although it might be counterintuitive in his novel The Scarlet Letter Nathaniel Hawthorne is stating that sins can help us change for the better only if they are unveiled to the world. This story takes place in the late 1600’s, and is about Hester Prynne’s pains and sorrows after committing adultery with Arthur Dimmesdale. Hester Prynne has a daughter, Pearl, and her legitimate husband is Roger Chillingworth, a man who dedicates his time throughout the story to torment Dimmesdale.…

    • 727 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Hester Prynne’s story demonstrates that circumstances come because of choices that are made. As Hester makes the decision to commit adultery even though she knows it’s wrong, it brings with it many…

    • 403 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Walking around and feeling like everyone cannot take their eyes off of you. Feeling like you are an outcast everywhere you go. These are all things that Hester Prynne felt in the novel, “The Scarlet Letter,” by Nathaniel Hawthorne. You would think that Hester might be over reacting by feeling like an outsider, and acting like a loner. However, after experiencing the feeling of wearing a letter around for a day, I could vouch for Hester. I didn’t even have to keep it on for life, just a day, and the eyes were beginning to get to me. This is how my experiences relate to those of Hester.…

    • 413 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Many people try and hide the things that hinder them. They hide them instead of displaying them; so they won’t be outcaste by the rest of society. Nowadays, people are very self conscience and worry about what many others think about them. It is very uncommon for a person to be proud or self-righteous, for something they had said or done that society thinks is unbearable. Sometimes, a person can disregard what everyone else is thinking of their actions, and instead show that it doesn’t matter to them. In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “Scarlet Letter”, a common women in her society, does something that fills others with disgust and ridicule. Hester Prynne; already married,…

    • 904 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In Hamlet by William Shakespeare, Hamlet tells his friend,“there is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so” meaning that a person’s attitude toward an issue can shape whether that issue is positive or negative. This is shown in the novel The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne. The protagonist, Hester Prynne, is sent to Boston a few years before her husband to settle down and create a life there. While she is there, she commits adultery with Mr. Dimmesdale, the minister. Adultery is extremely frowned upon in a Puritan society. Hamlet's statement relates to the Puritan’s view of Hester Prynne. Hester's life after the sin, revolves around the way the Puritans view her.…

    • 863 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The downfall and redemption of an individual surmounted the inherent hypocrisy of Puritanism. Forced to wear the scarlet letter of an adulteress, Hester Prynne struggled to perpetuate dignity in the face of lust and guilt. Spiritual leaders of the community preached strict adherence to Christian dogma which required branding with a scarlet letter. Repeated attempts to survive in the face of adversity failed. Her husband’s use of black magic and the veil of secrecy enforced by him and her lover impeded all efforts to make amends. The elders, acting as God on Judgment Day, sentenced Hester to isolation in a hostile community unwilling to forgive the young woman’s sin as God would.…

    • 616 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays