Summary Of The Scarlet Letter Of Hester Prynne

The infamous scarlet letter of Hester Prynne not only eradicates her reputation but becomes the barrier that isolates her from the Puritan community. Through the story, traits that were attributed to the scarlet letter develope in the eyes of Hester, Pearl, the village people, and the narrator. These views help to show the main ideas coming across from this story that reflect not only the sins of the Puritans but the sins of all mankind.

Hester, the unlikely protagonist of this narrative, constantly battles with what her condemning “A” means to her. Although she makes and embroiders the letter herself, this scarlet “A” becomes its own individual persona. Through Hester’s sin, she and the “A” are bonded as she openly and publicly claims the

While for others, including the wearer, the first sight of the “A” had brought about negative feelings, like disgust and shame. In Pearl’s case, the Scarlet letter represents maternal love, as the letter is her first memory of her mother. Pearl shows that she has the same affection to the letter as she does Hester when after tenderly kissing her mother’s brow and cheeks, “Pearl put up her mouth, and kissed the scarlet letter too” (190). Pearl also sees the scarlet letter as a piece of the puzzle she has tried to solve since she was a little child, as she asks Hester who had sent her and denies it to be God. Pearl shows this earnest curiosity once again when she later asks Hester what the letter means, “why dost thou wear it...and why does the minister keep his hand over his heart”

With Hawthorne’s Anti-Transcendentalist views, the scarlet letter represents the sin, guilt, and shame that lurks within every person. Hawthorne shows the anti-virtues of humanity through the scarlet letter and the Puritan’s judgement and hypocrisy towards it. In truth, the Puritans are all guilty of sin and have “danced in the same measure with [Mistress Hibbins]”, the renowned witch of the village (216). Like Dimmesdale, everyone one has fault and hides their own scarlet “A” because admitting the undesirable parts of one’s self is difficult. This is why the scarlet letter reflects the fortitude and perseverance of Hester Prynne, who had to wear her sin everyday, sewn on conspicuously with golden thread.

Through the divergent views of Hester, the villagers, Pearl, and Hawthorne, one can see that the symbolism of the scarlet letter cannot be limited to one idea. Much like the story itself, the scarlet letter is layered in meaning and dependent on which character’s view it is seen through. Penance, shame, truth, and fortitude are all themes that hide behind the Scarlet “A”, each one a forewarning lesson, a universal message to not try to hide one’s sins in fear, but to accept oneself in one’s faults, learn to move on, and