Scarlet Letter Hester Prynne Character Analysis
Imagine yourself on display in front of your whole town, being punished for cheating on your husband or wife. Today adultery is looked down on, but in reality nobody makes a huge deal out of it. Sin can affect a person in many ways, but whether it’s good or bad only time can tell. In the old days, religion and law were looked at as one, and Hester Prynne just so happened to sin, which in turn caused her to break the law. In the novel, Hester displays that how a person deals with sin has a lasting impact on the people around her, and most importantly those that are the closest to her. Hester was tall, with dark and abundant hair. She had deep black eyes. She had a beautiful face. She was lady-like, and characterized by a certain state of dignity. She had indescribable grace. She wore clothes that were the color of a dull, bland gray color, and on her bosom lay a fantastically embroidered letter “A” that was the shade of scarlet with gold stitching. Hester is a brave woman. She had the courage to stand up on the platform with her little baby, and face all the people of the colony. She put on a straight face and took her punishment. She held her head high and never let anyone affect her or Pearl. She was a contradiction to the Puritans’ “Utopia”. Her caring and love for her daughter made her wonder if her child was truly evil or not. She was faced to raise her estranged daughter alone, and sleeping was truly the only time she could feel at peace with herself. As time goes by, Hester is faced with many burdens and challenges, but she takes them all on. Even when she was in need of help, she instead helped others that were in need. At this, her scarlet letter becomes symbol of respect instead of shame, and it shows that she’s a strong woman. By dealing with the “A” and helping others, she is shown that she’s not the only one who needs to be ashamed of what she’s done, she’s just one of the only ones who have the face everyone else’s criticism. When she’s