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Hester prynne character analysis
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The Scarlet Letter, a novel by Nathaniel Hawthorne, features a woman named Hester Prynne living in a puritan society in Boston, Massachusetts who has committed adultery. A puritan society is a group of protestants that demand the simplification of doctrine and worship, and greater strictness in religious discipline (Dictionary.com). This society views adultery as a sin, thus, Hester Prynne as a sinner that must be punished. Her punishment entails being forced to wear a scarlet “A” on her chest to signify her adultery and then to bare that letter while standing on a scaffold, holding her baby, in the middle town for a few hours for all to see. Many readers of this novel feel that Hester Prynne was successfully repressed, or restricted by her
Reading the Scarlet Letter reminds me of one of my own experience. When I was a fifth grade elementary student, two of my friends and I agreed to cheat on a geography test. On the day of the test, one of my friends was caught. The teacher found the cheat sheet where it showed the handwriting of the three of us. When he was asked who the other two is, he remained silent. The teacher said that he will be punished, standing in the corner of the classroom for one straight week, and it will be lighter if only he told our name. My friend still did not say a word, so he received the punishment. What he did was similar to what Hester Prynne does. In The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Hester Prynne is portrayed as a woman with remarkable strength of character through direct and indirect characterization.
People all over the world continuously commit sins some are bigger than others and some do more damage. In the book, The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, a woman, Hester Prynne, is publicly shamed and force to wear a scarlet A upon her bosom for committing adultery. Throughout the book, Hester and her daughter, Pearl, try to adapt to life as an outsider. The two are continuously judged for Hester’s sin, and humiliated, however, they overcome this judgment and are seen in a different way. Hester and Pearl have been publicly shamed, Pearl has been considered an elfish devil like child, and after all the humiliation they were able to turn their lives around.
The Puritan society of The Scarlet Letter is adamant about punishing others for their sins, essentially to distract themselves from their own misdemeanors. The Puritan society of The Crucible, however, is so obsessed with witchcraft that they forget about condemning others for sins that they once deemed as crimes punishable by law. For instance, in The Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne is found to have committed adultery when she has a baby while her husband is out of town, and is jailed, condemned to wearing a bold scarlet letter "A" on her clothes (which stands out against the gray and dull clothes the Puritans wear), and subject to being scorned by others in her community. However, in The Crucible, John Proctor confesses to committing adultery while in a courthouse during a trial, and yet, the townsfolk completely gloss over his confession and condemn him as a witch. This is mind-boggling, considering the fact that adultery originally was punishable by death under Puritan law, though Hester was spared of this fate due to her husband being away and her attractiveness (making her easily susceptible to the
In the beginning of the novel, Hester Prynne exits the prison of the Puritan community of Boston, a large letter “A” clearly visible on her chest and a child in her arms. This is the first time the letter makes an appearance, and it is here where readers realize Hester has done something terribly wrong. The letter “A” sewn onto her clothes initially represents “adulterer”, but who exactly is the father of Pearl, the child Hester is holding, if her husband has been missing for two years? The townspeople would love to know the answer to that question, too, but it is only revealed to readers a few chapters into the story as being the unexpected Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale. Dimmesdale faces an
The Nathaniel Hawthorne’s book, The Scarlet Letter Hester Prynne commits adultery and gives birth to an illegitimate child. Although this story takes place in a complete different time than the roaring 20s, the central theme can be connected to the musical film Chicago where Roxie Hart, the protagonist, commits a similar crime to that of Hester Prynne.
One example of a strong, independent woman in Hawthorne’s life was his mother. She did not necessarily look outside of her home for her independence; hers was a forced independence. Elizabeth Hawthorne’s husband died when young Nathaniel was only four years old. She raised him and his siblings while displaying strength that single mothers are forced to produce on a daily basis. While some scholars say that Elizabeth Hawthorne withdrew from her family and society with the death of her husband, Nina Baym has a different insight into the woman that raised Nathaniel Hawthorne. She states that Hawthorne had a “deep attachment to his mother” (Baym 7). She also goes on to say that there are many discrepancies in how his mother is described. However, she believes with ample evidence that Elizabeth Hawthorne connected with her family and her children on a profound level
Some critics argue that the character of Hester Prynne, in the Scarlet Letter, is one of a courageous and praiseworthy woman. On the other hand, how can one even consider Hester as a moxie without focusing on her sinful acts in the novel? D.H. Lawrence uses simple, yet complex, literary techniques in order to persuade his audiences more effectively. D.H. Lawrence is more persuasive in his work, while criticizing Hester Prynne, by using the literary techniques of allusion, sinful diction, and choppy syntax to prove she is not a praiseworthy character.
Hester and the Puritan Society of The Scarlet Letter. & nbsp; Nathaniel Hawthorne's novel, The Scarlet Letter, focuses on the Puritan society. The Puritan society molded itself and created a government based upon the Bible and implemented it with force. The crime of adultery committed by Hester generated rage, and was qualified for serious punishment according to Puritan beliefs. Ultimately the town of Boston became intensely involved with Hester's life and her crime of adultery, and saw to it that she be publicly punished and tortured. Based upon the religious, governmental, and social design of the Puritan society, Hester's entire existence revolved around her sin and the Puritan perception.
Progression of Sin Acceptance Since The Scarlet Letter Ninety percent of people believe committing infidelity is morally wrong, but, only sixty-three percent believe it should be treated like any other crime in today’s society. This differs greatly from Puritan beliefs, which, if a man or woman was caught committing adultery they could be punished by death, or in Hester Prynne’s case, be forced to wear the letter “A” across her chest. In his book, The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne introduces methods of punishment for adultery, in order to exhibit the severity of sins in Puritan societies, which contrasts to that of modern day views and helps the reader understand how greatly the non-acceptance of sins and severity of punishments has
Hester Pryne of The Scarlet Letter Hester Pryne, after being punished for her sin, lived an important life. In "The Scarlet Letter" by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Hester was convicted of adultery. However, after her conviction, she managed to raise a daughter, became an important seamstress in her community, and set an example for her close-knit community. Pearl, the daughter of a convicted sex offender, grew up living a different life from her peers.
Hester Prynne, from Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel, the Scarlet Letter, faces a crucible. She commits adultery with Reverend Dimmesdale and becomes pregnant with a daughter, Pearl. She is isolated from the community and the general public except for when she must stand upon the scaffold for three hours as part of her punishment for her sin. She must also wear a scarlet letter “A” for adultery on her breast. The town looks at her differently because of her sin but Hester stays true to her personality. Hester fairs her life by honoring her punishment and her mistakes, as well as taking care of Pearl and teaching her to be kind.
In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne can be seen as a hero by some and as corruption and sin itself by others. She commits adultery, one of the worst sins as seen by Puritan society, but also comes to terms with it, so both sides of the argument can be understood. D.H. Lawrence conveys his thought on the subject in his essay on Hester Prynne. He claims that she is most definitely not a hero. Lawrence believes that she has corrupted Dimmesdale, the young and pure minister and does not deserve the praise she is getting from other authors like Van Doren.
How much punishment and tourture can one withstand, especially when it's mental punishment instead of physical? Hester Prynne committed the sin of adultery which has led her to a life of isolation and ridicule. She is branded and made to wear the scarlet letter A on the chest of her dress for the rest of her life. Her daughter will never get to play with the rest of the children. The scaffold, however, is the biggest burden. She has to stand in front of the crowd and watch them gossip and talk about her before she goes back into the prison. In The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne shows her humiliation through the setting and her reaction to the crowd.
Hester Prynne, “The young woman was tall, with a figure of perfect elegance on a large scale. She had dark and abundant hair, so glossy that it threw off the sunshine with a gleam; and a face which, besides being beautiful from regularity of feature and richness of complexation, had the impressiveness belonging to a marked brow and deep black eyes.” (11). In this quote Hawthorne depicts Hester as lady-like with great beauty, elegance, and intelligence; continually Hawthorne mentioned how Hester’s beauty stands out from the dark Puritan society. However,
In Nathanial Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, the reader meets the character Hester Prynne who as the novel progresses, one notices the changes in her character are very dramatic. The changes are both physical and in her mannerism’s. There are many significant events which took place before the start of the novel and during the novel. Some of these events that lead to this dramatic change include the affect of wearing the scarlet letter, the secrets which she keeps, and her daughter Pearl’s evil characteristics. By these events, Hester Prynne’s image is transformed throughout the time of the story.