Hester Prynne of Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter

“Religion today is too often merely the worship of guilt, an obsession with sin and an exercise in the rubrics of repentance” (Evely) 1. Such is the case of all sin, including the adultery of Hester Prynne, the main character in Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter. The novel takes place in the Massachusetts Bay Colony from 1642-1649 during an era of strict religion under Puritan watch. Hester Prynne, one of such people living in the colony, is punished greatly for her sin, although she is not punished in death. Long ago stated, “All the sins of the body fly away if one chants the name of God” exemplifies the true status of Hester Prynne (Ramakrishna) 2. Although she has sinned, her motives and truly honorable lifestyle will establish her sense of goodness more then her sin will ever condemn her. Hester’s goodness is best established in her attitude toward her punishment, her atonement, and her growth through spiritual enlightenment.

Punishment among the Puritan religion for adultery is commonly execution. In Hester’s case, her punishment is rather different due to many circumstances, one being, her husband may have died at sea. As her punishment for the adultery committed with Dimmesdale, a God-fearing and reputable Puritan, Hester must not only wear a scarlet “A” for the remainder of her residence in Boston, but also stand on a public scaffold in the center of the marketplace. The ignominious letter of punishment, she wears with great pride and it is “so fantastically embroidered and illuminated upon her bosom” that she is professing her acceptance of all the consequence of her actions (Hawthorne 51). The manner in which Hester conducts herself concerning her punishment establishes her goodness greatly, for even in castigation, she finds morality. Hester Prynne “[makes] a pride out of what they, worthy gentlemen, meant as punishment” in her beautiful illustration of her sin upon her chest (Hawthorne 51). She wishes to express her sin overtly, for she accepts it although does not agree with Puritan institution. Again, the fact that Hester dwells in Boston when nothing holds her there is solid proof of her acceptance of her sin. When Hester could “simply hide her character and identity under a new exterior” she gains great respect from many townsfolk for staying despite her abjectness. (Hawthorne 73). Despite popular seemliness, Hester’s roots of sin are the true reason she is bound to the land where she committed her adultery and “a feeling so irritable and inevitable that she has the force of doom” is proof of Hester’s struggle with her sinfulness.