Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlett Letter

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In every generation there are certain rules and etiquette that play a large role in dictating the appropriate behavior for the time. An individual may choose to live his or her life according to this code of conduct and do fairly well, or in contrast live a life full of trials and hardship as a result of their transgression. This is especially true for the early inhabitants of 17th century colonial America, a period rife with the religious zeal and harsh castigation carried out on behalf of the Puritans who settled the area. During this time, as is still the case today, offenders of this societal moral code were made examples of and forced to suffer so that they may serve as a warning to the rest of the population. This is the case in The Scarlet Letter where the protagonist Hester Prynne is ostracized from her conservative community after committing the then unforgivable sin of adultery. In his novel, Nathaniel Hawthorne uses both themes of guilt and redemption to create trials that test his character Hester Prynne and in the process transforms her from a pitiable sinner, to a symbol of strength. The first test Hester Prynne is dealt is given by the community magistrates whose punishment includes forcing Hester to become a spectacle by demanding she stand before the entire town in an effort to publicly shame her. The hope of those watching is to see a weak and submissive individual crippled by the weight of her sin, but instead Hester emerges defiantly stoic “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 misfortune and ignominy in which she was enveloped.” (51) The determination ... ... middle of paper ... ... pillar of morality and righteousness within her community, in strength and becomes a source of support to him in his weakest moments. Lastly, Hester’s transformation from sinner to a symbol of strength is realized after her return to Boston “Women, more especially, in the continually recurring trials of the wounded, wasted, wronged, misplaced, or erring of sinful passion… came to Hester’s cottage, demanding why they were so wretched, and what the remedy!” (234) At last near the end of her life Hester Prynne, while never fully able to wash herself clean of her sin, has regained a place in her community as a counselor to other women due to of her ability to empathize with their situation and serve as an example of unwavering strength in the face of suffering and hardship. Works Cited Hawthorne, Nathaniel. “The Scarlet Letter.” New York: Bantam Books, 2003. Print

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