Hester Prynne's Judgment In The Scarlet Letter

Love can cloud one’s own moral judgement. Hester Prynne’s judgment is clouded by love throughout Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel, The Scarlet Letter. Critic Nina Baym states “if she could accept that judgement she would be able to see purpose and meaning in her suffering. But ultimately she is unable to transcend her heartfelt judgement that she has not sinned” (Baym). Although some critics believe that Hester understood her sin and its inevitability, her impulsive decisions and never failing love for Pearl and Arthur Dimmesdale keep her from repentance.

Although some critics may say Hester understood her sin, her love for Pearl and Dimmesdale keep her from this. Hester takes Pearl with her to the Governor’s mansion to demand she keep guardianship of Pearl, “the mother herself...lavishing many hours of morbid ingenuity, to create an analogy between the object of her affection, and the emblem of her guilt and torture” (Hawthorne 59). Hester has dressed Pearl up in scarlet as an act of rebellion out of pride. Hester has pride in Pearl and for this reason is blindsided to her sin. Though her reason for staying in the Puritan community over leaving was suffering punishment and repentance, this act of defyment is contradictory showing she is simply proud of Pearl and does not care for repentance. After Hester makes the decision with Dimmesdale to leave their community, Hester casts away her scarlet letter, Pearl brings Hester

back to the reality of her sin, “there was a sense of inevitable doom upon her, as she thus received this deadly from the hand of fate” (Hawthorne 162). Hester lacks strength in her morals through her lack of understanding of her sin. In a quick moment Hester breaks her self-punishment through her excitement with Dimmesdale. Dimmesdale influences her so easily, showing how untrue she is to reach repentance. Hester’s is unable to understand her sin through adoration for Pearl and Dimmesdale, who influence her mindset in regards to the sin.
Although some critics find Hester believes her sin to be inevitable, her impulsive decisions keep her from repentance. As Hester is released from prison, she is given the choice to either stay in the Puritan community or to leave free at her will, “here, she said to herself, had been the scene of her guilt, and here should be the scene of her earthly punishment” (Hawthorne 39). Hester’s stubborn will to stay and suffer the punishment of her sin show Hester as an honest character who has simply made a mistake and is willing to accept this. Hester and Dimmesdale decide to leave the community as Dimmesdale is informed of the cold-hearted evil Roger Chillingworth brings, “thus, we seem to see that, as regarded by Hester Prynne, the whole seven years of outlaw and ignominy had been little other than a preparation for this very hour” (Hawthorne 152). Hester jumps quickly at the opportunity to leave the community unlike before, this time with the chance to bring Dimmesdale with her. Though earlier in the book it appeared Hester was seeking repentance by staying in this Puritan community it can now be seen that she stayed in hopes that she and Dimmesdale may again be reunited. Hester is found to have ulterior motives to leave the community the second time she is given the opportunity. If she believed in the inevitability of her sin and punishment, she would have chosen to stay in the community and continue to suffer with the added hardship of knowing she could have left with Dimmesdale. Her inability to reach repentance and her lack of desire for it in the first place are shown by this contrasting decision to leave the community.
In short, Hester’s decision to leave the Puritan community for Dimmesdale’s sake and influences from her adored Pearl and Dimmesdale keep Hester from repentance.

She does not understand her sin and its inevitability, as shown by her impulsive decisions and love for Pearl and Dimmesdale in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel, The Scarlet Letter. Love influences Hester’s major decisions and outlook on her sin. Love makes her unable to truly reach repentance through her lack of understanding. The sheltered perspective love brings can make your morals

weak.