Nathaniel Hawthorne, author of the
1840 romantic era masterwork, The Scarlet
Letter, has presented us with a protagonist
by the name of Hester Prynne. Hawthorne’s Puritan ancestry ignited in him a
curiosity in the America of the seventeenth-century and in Puritan motivations and actions of that time. In his book,
Hawthorne’s ideas and opinions about that period are reflected in the heroine
he created. His first description of Hester seems static, telling of her
“natural dignity and force of character,” but throughout the course of this renowned narrative, Hester exhibited a more dynamic character, which embodied a deep contradiction. As The Scarlet Letter developed, Hester Prynne’s strength was evident in
certain dealings with her fellows, for she broke the bounds of her past
iniquity with her honesty, good will, and service. She was confined to prison for many years following a grievous
sin, yet she arose from this trial with honor. Likewise, she was later cast out
of society to live alone in the forest, yet she focused her efforts on serving
the very people who had shunned her. Throughout the rest of her life, her chest
remained branded with an outward symbol of her mistakes, yet she achieved a
victory over this “scarlet letter” and succeeded in changing its meaning in the
eyes of the people.
Although Hester was confined to seven years of punishment in prison for her adulterous affair, she emerged from this anguish with dignity and a deep trust in herself. We see Hester walk out of the dungeon in chapter two, proud and beautiful, carrying her infant, wearing the elaborately embroidered scarlet letter “A” on her chest. In that moment, standing on the scaffold, she experiences a painful realization, a foreshadowing of her fate; Hester then saw that because of the Puritan predominance in which she lives, society will not tolerate her. Hester determined that she must "sustain and carry" her burden forward "by the ordinary resources of her nature, or sink with it. She could no longer borrow from the future to help her through the present.” This courageous state of mind shapes her future from that turning point. In fact, the onlookers in that Massachusetts town were quite shocked by her vitality and strength. “Those who had before known her, and had expected to behold her dimmed and obscured by a disastrous cloud, were astonished, and even startled, to perceive how her beauty shone out, and made a halo of the misfortune and ignominy in which she was enveloped.” Although Hester did not realize this at first, this demonstration of her strength against the ridicule of her fellows provided a means for her future personal progression. Hester showed that even seven years of terrible imprisonment should not destroy one’s self-worth and beauty.
During Hester Prynne’s time of loneliness and rejection as a public outlaw, she turned her efforts to the care of her daughter, Pearl, as well as to the kind service for others around her, despite her trials. With no friend, no companion, and no foot crossing the threshold of her cottage, Hester began to use her solitude for good, pondering and growing spiritually instead of feeling sorry for herself. She was already a skilled seamstress, so a means of employment is available to her, and she provided services for the Puritan townsfolk. However, she could have chosen to avoid them; after all, those she helped do not even acknowledge her on the street at first. Nevertheless, she comforted the poor, attended to the sick, and lifted the downtrodden, all in addition to giving tender care to her own young daughter, Pearl. In one instance, when Boston’s governor is dying, she came to his side. "She came, not as a guest, but as a rightful inmate, into the household that was darkened by trouble.” Because she accepted her own past sin and has a true desire to repent, she continued to give throughout the course of her life, in hopes of rectifying this mistake, and eventually became a figure of compassion in her community. Hester deliberately chose to change, which sends a powerful message to the reader about self-directed transformation. In the town, “they would say to strangers, ‘It is our Hester, the town’s own Hester, who is so kind to the poor, so helpful to the sick, so comfortable to the afflicted!’” By focusing on fulfilling others’ needs before her own, Hester Prynne amended what would otherwise have been years of isolation and loneliness.
Although Hester was confined to seven years of punishment in prison for her adulterous affair, she emerged from this anguish with dignity and a deep trust in herself. We see Hester walk out of the dungeon in chapter two, proud and beautiful, carrying her infant, wearing the elaborately embroidered scarlet letter “A” on her chest. In that moment, standing on the scaffold, she experiences a painful realization, a foreshadowing of her fate; Hester then saw that because of the Puritan predominance in which she lives, society will not tolerate her. Hester determined that she must "sustain and carry" her burden forward "by the ordinary resources of her nature, or sink with it. She could no longer borrow from the future to help her through the present.” This courageous state of mind shapes her future from that turning point. In fact, the onlookers in that Massachusetts town were quite shocked by her vitality and strength. “Those who had before known her, and had expected to behold her dimmed and obscured by a disastrous cloud, were astonished, and even startled, to perceive how her beauty shone out, and made a halo of the misfortune and ignominy in which she was enveloped.” Although Hester did not realize this at first, this demonstration of her strength against the ridicule of her fellows provided a means for her future personal progression. Hester showed that even seven years of terrible imprisonment should not destroy one’s self-worth and beauty.
During Hester Prynne’s time of loneliness and rejection as a public outlaw, she turned her efforts to the care of her daughter, Pearl, as well as to the kind service for others around her, despite her trials. With no friend, no companion, and no foot crossing the threshold of her cottage, Hester began to use her solitude for good, pondering and growing spiritually instead of feeling sorry for herself. She was already a skilled seamstress, so a means of employment is available to her, and she provided services for the Puritan townsfolk. However, she could have chosen to avoid them; after all, those she helped do not even acknowledge her on the street at first. Nevertheless, she comforted the poor, attended to the sick, and lifted the downtrodden, all in addition to giving tender care to her own young daughter, Pearl. In one instance, when Boston’s governor is dying, she came to his side. "She came, not as a guest, but as a rightful inmate, into the household that was darkened by trouble.” Because she accepted her own past sin and has a true desire to repent, she continued to give throughout the course of her life, in hopes of rectifying this mistake, and eventually became a figure of compassion in her community. Hester deliberately chose to change, which sends a powerful message to the reader about self-directed transformation. In the town, “they would say to strangers, ‘It is our Hester, the town’s own Hester, who is so kind to the poor, so helpful to the sick, so comfortable to the afflicted!’” By focusing on fulfilling others’ needs before her own, Hester Prynne amended what would otherwise have been years of isolation and loneliness.
By reclaiming
her life, finding peace within, and promoting honesty Hester was able to literally
change the symbolic meaning of her “cursed” scarlet “A for adulteress” into an
“A for able.” Although she never cast off the embroidered
scarlet letter permanently, it remained a mark of sin, a mark of an adulteress,
a mark of scorn to those who saw her. But by the narrative’s completion, it is clear
that Hester’s personal triumph resulted in a transformation of the letter’s meaning.
It is now indicative of her virtue. “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, and yet with
reverence, too.” Hester’s inner calm is reflected
in the attitude of the community when they acknowledge that she is a healer, a
mother, and an “able” woman: “They said that it meant Able; so strong was
Hester Prynne, with a woman's strength." The message Hawthorne sends is that anyone can cast off what might
otherwise be life-defining weaknesses and failures through sincere, determined,
and profound virtue and selflessness of character. Hester Prynne alone was the one who, by her own deliberate actions,
changed the society’s cursed stigma of the “scarlet letter” into a symbol of
great morality and strength; she not
only found peace, she promoted it.
Through artistic language and symbolism, Nathaniel Hawthorne brought Hester Prynne to life. Despite her tremendous punishment in prison, her outcasting from society, and her scarlet branding, Hester emerged triumphant. These examples of enduring character throughout Hester’s life make her a timeless heroine of American Literature. The novel reveals that it truly was Hester's undying strength, honesty, and compassion that carried her through her lifelong trials. We read that Hester lived on, quietly serving, and became somewhat of a legend in an obscure Massachusetts colony, and remains so even in the world today. She had sinned, yet she rectified it. She lived in darkness, yet chose to turn to light. We can see that it is the dynamic contrasting of her character over time that makes Hester Prynne’s story a classic. Hester became free of her sin by extending good will and exemplifying virtue; this lesson of change is what Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter teaches the world.
Through artistic language and symbolism, Nathaniel Hawthorne brought Hester Prynne to life. Despite her tremendous punishment in prison, her outcasting from society, and her scarlet branding, Hester emerged triumphant. These examples of enduring character throughout Hester’s life make her a timeless heroine of American Literature. The novel reveals that it truly was Hester's undying strength, honesty, and compassion that carried her through her lifelong trials. We read that Hester lived on, quietly serving, and became somewhat of a legend in an obscure Massachusetts colony, and remains so even in the world today. She had sinned, yet she rectified it. She lived in darkness, yet chose to turn to light. We can see that it is the dynamic contrasting of her character over time that makes Hester Prynne’s story a classic. Hester became free of her sin by extending good will and exemplifying virtue; this lesson of change is what Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter teaches the world.
Olivia Jensen, 2013