Hester Prynne, is she a romantic hero? Hester Prynne throughout the book is seen as a romantic hero. In the beginning of the book Hester could be seen as a romantic hero because for one, Nathaniel describes her physical appearance as, “A figure of perfect elegance. . . hair so glossy it threw off the sunshine with a gleam. . . face being beautiful. . . never has she appeared more ladylike. . .”(Hawthorne page 51) this is stating that she has a youthful and innocent qualities, she is obviously pretty young for she is being described in this way A romantic hero is portrayed as someone who is innocent, young, and clean, not necessarily pure clean but a someone who is nice, quiet, and doesn’t care too much trouble or harm. Here it is seen that Hester reflects these qualities. The book also talks about how elegant the letter was, “. . . In fantastic, flourish of gold thread, appeared the letter ‘A’. . . so artistically done. . . so much ferality are gorgeous luxuriance of fancy. . .” (Hawthorne page 51) this represents that she had some sort of pride or ‘honor’ in that letter, so she took her time to make it with …show more content…
A romantic hero is seen as someone who strong and has rejection of authority. Within this story Hester is rejected from the Governors and then Dimmesdale who is the Minister. She is also shunned from the whole town itself, yet she is holding her head high and not letting it affect her, or at least she is not letting them see how it is affecting her. Throughout the book Hester understands that she has created a sin but at the same time she was rewarded with a wonderful gift, other wise known as her daughter
Hester is an example. She is doomed to publicly carry her shame by force, but her willful determination to remain strong makes her a heroine. She may have been a victim of a major sin, but she is definitely a heroine to admire. Hawthorne got it right. Hester is a heroine that many will choose and is definitely a great person to study. Learning about Hester can teach so much to one person. Hester is seen by some as an early example of feminine strength. By standing up to her situation, facing her sin, and getting on with her life, Hester is forgiven by not only her peers, but herself, perhaps the most important forgiveness of all.
Directions: For each of the questions below, prepare an insightful and supported answer. Strengthen your arguments with text-based evidence and artful observations. This document will be submitted to Turnitin.com on Thursday, September 1 before 7:00 A.M., so be sure to convey original and thought-provoking answers that are YOUR OWN. Please print your answers for Thursday’s Seminar.
Hester Prynne is seen by many as worthy of respect and admiration throughout Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel, The Scarlet Letter. She is ultimately seen as a hero in many areas of the novel. Literary critic Mark Van Doren argues that Hester Prynne is a heroic citizen who rises above the consequences of her sin. Van Doren argues that Hester Prynne should be seen as a noble hero through his use of repetition, praiseworthy diction, and admirable tone.
In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne is seen as a hero by some and as corruption and sin itself by others. She commits adultery, perceived as one of the worst sins by Puritan society, but also comes to terms with it. D.H. Lawrence conveys his thoughts on the subject of whether the protagonist of the novel should be considered a hero in his essay “On Hester Prynne”. He claims that the whole idea of Hester being a hero is ridiculous because The Scarlet Letter was meant to be satirical when relating to the topic of who is seen as a hero. Lawrence believes that she has corrupted Dimmesdale, the young and pure minister, and does not deserve the praise she is receiving from Hawthorne and other authors like Van Doren. Hester
Hawthorne presents Hester as the face of adultery. Readers don’t know the full story on the sin, therefore, readers assume she is who the townspeople say she is. (quote on townspeople) Hester stands with confidence and a poker face as her
In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s well known novel, The Scarlet Letter, extensive diction and intense imagery are used to portray the overall tone of the characters. In particular, Hester Prynne, the wearer of the Scarlet Letter, receives plentiful positive characterization throughout the novel. Hester’s character most notably develops through the town’s peoples ever-changing views on the scarlet letter, the copious mentions of her bravery, and her ability to take care of herself, Pearl, and others, even when she reaches the point where most would give up and wallow in their suffering.
Hester Pryne of The Scarlet Letter Hester Pryne, after being punished for her sin, lived an important life. In "The Scarlet Letter" by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Hester was convicted of adultery. However, after her conviction, she managed to raise a daughter, became an important seamstress in her community, and set an example for her close-knit community. Pearl, the daughter of a convicted sex offender, grew up living a different life from her peers.
In fact, now many women revere her as a wise counselor and go to her seeking advice. Hester tells them that she has come to believe that the world is still growing and developing, and someday it will be ready to accept a new more equal relationship between men and women. However, despite her renewed optimism and the people’s apparent forgiveness for her transgressions, Hester still sees herself as “a woman stained with sin, bowed down with shame, or even burdened with a life-long sorrow” (232-233.36-2). In her youth, she sometimes envisioned herself as one who could usher in the newer and more accepting age, but she now believes that she is too tainted to play such a role and that the task must instead be left to a woman who could be “a medium of joy” and exemplify “sacred love” (233.4-5). In this final description of Hester, we don’t see any trace of the vanity she exhibited when she was young. Her opinion of herself has become much more humble and self-deprecating, and it is clear that she has matured greatly since the opening of the
Hester Prynne was said to have "perfect elegance on a large scale" (Hawthorne 56). While on the scaffold, Hester smiled and blushed as she held her baby (Hawthorne 56). Hester knew that the townspeople scorned her and thought horrible things about her, yet she was ladylike the entire time (Hawthorne 57). Hester was a prideful woman who was "marked with natural dignity and force of character" (Hawthorne 56). Hester’s pride in herself prevented the townspeople’s hatred from affecting her outward appearance (Hawthorne 56). Yet, despite Hester’s calm demeanor, she felt as if she were going insane. As the townspeople watched, Hester felt "as if her heart had been flung into the street" (Hawthorne 59). The narrator noted times when Hester seemed
Although Hester Prynne is beautiful, her beauty barely compares to her strength in character. Even when brutally punished for her crime and publicly humiliated by being made wear the scarlet letter for adultery she does not break. Through all this she remains who she is: a strong, humble, kind, proud, and loyal young woman. Nathaniel Hawthorne uses this character to represent the archetypal hero, while also making her a relatable asset throughout the novel.
Hester Prynne, “The young woman was tall, with a figure of perfect elegance on a large scale. She had dark and abundant hair, so glossy that it threw off the sunshine with a gleam; and a face which, besides being beautiful from regularity of feature and richness of complexation, had the impressiveness belonging to a marked brow and deep black eyes.” (11). In this quote Hawthorne depicts Hester as lady-like with great beauty, elegance, and intelligence; continually Hawthorne mentioned how Hester’s beauty stands out from the dark Puritan society. However,
In contrast to the typical Puritan women in Boston, Hawthorne depicts the female protagonist of The Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne, as physically discrete. Hester has a perfect figure, a rich complexion, dark hair, and deep eyes. She dresses in modest clothing, but the symbol of her sin, the golden embroidered scarlet letter, remains the focus of her attire (Bloom 219). Hester’s breathtaking features and the scarlet letter give her a sense of individuality.
Hester Prynne, the main character of the novel, was a courageous and honorable person; even though, what she had been known for wasn’t such an admirable deed. Hester Prynne was a very strong person in one’s eyes, because even though she had been publically humiliated in front of all of Boston, she still remained confident in herself and her daughter. She was ordered to wear a scarlet colored piece of fabric, with the letter “A” embroidered in gold on it, on her bosom at all times to show that she had committed adultery. She was mocked all the time and constantly looked down upon in society, because of her sin; but instead of running away from her problems, she st...
In The Scarlet Letter, Hester is the main character. Hester is referred to as “Mistress Prynne” (Hawthorne 70). The Scarlet Letter also mentions she is holding her three month old baby, Pearl, in her arms who winked and turned her head by the sun’s rays (Hawthorne 71). She is described as having an elaborate embroidery and fantastic flourishes of gold thread “letter A” on the breast of her gown (Hawthorne 71). Hester was also a tall woman (Hawthorne 72). Her hair was dark and abundant her hair shined while the sunshine gleamed off her hair (Hawthorne 72). Hester had a marked brow and dark black eyes (Hawthorne 72). Hester Prynne is often described as a lady-like person (Hawthorne 72).
Throughout all the sinful things Hester Prynne has done, she still managed to obtain good qualities. Hester was an adulterer from the book The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Hester was looked down upon by the citizens of Boston because of the sin she and another person committed, but no one knew who her partner in crime was because she refused to release his name. Towards the very end of the story Hester’s accomplice confessed and left Hester and Pearl feeling joyous, because now they didn’t have to keep in a secret. Hester is a trustworthy, helpful, and brave woman throughout The Scarlet Letter.