The Character Of Hester Prynne

Bearer of the Scarlet Letter Hester Prynne, convicted of Adultery and forced to wear the Letter A as punishment, goes through the hypocrisy of the Puritan colony and the raising of a queer child, Pearl. Hawthorne’s passionate and tenacious protagonist, Hester Prynne, suggests that whatever strenuous event may overcome her, she uses it to better herself as a person.

When Hawthorne introduces Hester Prynne in the story, she is passionate. Examples of this characteristic are towards her baby, Pearl, and when the old Puritans wanted to take Pearl away from Prynne in chapter 8 Hester Prynne felt extremely “alone in the world, cast off by it, and with this sole treasure to keep her heart alive, she felt that she possessed indefeasible rights against the world, and was ready to defend them to the

It can be seen in chapter 13, a considerable shift in Hester's role, she is explained to never “again the pillow of Affection” and that “marble coldness of Hester’s impression was to be attributed to the circumstances” (Hawthorne 148). Furthermore, the reason Prynne undergoes such changes is that of her seven years of the scarlet letter on her bosom, which made her bitter and doubtful of all the people around her. Consequently, all her kindness, passion, and charm replaced by coldness, apathy, and grimness. In a like manner, Prynne’s long trial of the scarlet letter takes a real toll on her appearance as well, her “luxuriant hair had either been cut off, or was so completely hidden by a cap” and many of the Puritans thought, “It was a sad transformation” (Hawthorne 148). The reason how everyone sees Prynne dramatic change in appearance was that she has no friends, no love, and no affection. Her humanity has been stripped down because of her several years of