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. Van Doren illustrates that Hester Prynne is a hero through the repetition of her heroic qualities. Throughout his criticism, Van Doren continuously explains how Hester is able to overcome the treatment she receives from her sin. He refers to her as “the heroine of a tragedy, and she understands the tragedy” (Van Doren). He points out that the novel is a tragedy multiple times to engrave into the reader’s mind how strong someone has to be to overcome something so somber. Stating that she has overcome a …show more content…
Through explaining her resilience, he shares that “her sudden revelation that through years of loneliness she has not consented to let her soul be killed” (Van Doren). It is evident that Hester does not think of her punishment as the end of her life as she continues to live and try to make the most of what she has. This proves to the audience that Hester must, at the very least, obtain the characteristic of perseverance, a quality worthy of respect. Van Doren praises Hester for her valor and believes that “Hester’s life has not been hollow, nor has her great nature been wasted” (Van Doren). His tone is so obviously reflected throughout his piece of criticism that his belief is etched into the readers’ minds, and they, too, begin to believe Hester Prynne is a hero. This quote is effective because it creates a picture for the reader that Hester is resilient and should be admired, as she continues to live her best life with what she
One of Hester’s greatest qualities is her unrelenting selflessness. Despite her constant mental anguish due to her sin, the constant stares and rude comments, and the
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
He defies the system of education by leaving the institution and starting his own school. He did this because he believed following a set system with rules would hurt his integrity. This similar act plays out in the novel, The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne. In the novel, main character Hester Prynne cares for her child despite what others think. She puts little importance to the townspeople's ridicule and judgement and continues to walk through the marketplace with her head held high. Hester keeps her integrity and continues to focus on her most important goal, which is to look after her daughter Pearl and give her all the love she deserves. Like Henry, Hester showed strength through her determination of keeping her strong moral principles and making her own decisions. Despite being judged and hated, Hester stayed sane and together because she had her integrity and knew the importance of defying against all external forces to be able to stick to what she believed
In Nathanial Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, the reader meets the character Hester Prynne who as the novel progresses, one notices the changes in her character are very dramatic. The changes are both physical and in her mannerism’s. There are many significant events which took place before the start of the novel and during the novel. Some of these events that lead to this dramatic change include the affect of wearing the scarlet letter, the secrets which she keeps, and her daughter Pearl’s evil characteristics. By these events, Hester Prynne’s image is transformed throughout the time of the story.
Hester Prynne is a woman of true selflessness. Throughout the work she is constantly ridiculed as a harlot, and perceived as an unfit role model. "In our nature, however, there is a provision, alike marvellous and merciful, that the sufferer should never know the intensity of what he endures by its present torture, but chiefly by the pang that rankles after it” (Hawthorne, ch. 2). This suffering was taken upon by Ms. Prynne as she was chastised by the townspeople. The archetype that Prynne represents is that of a martyr. She finds herself in various amounts of trouble that are, in truth, not her fault entirely. For example, she is sentenced to wear the red ‘A’ across her chest as a symbol of her extreme crime of adultery
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
The resilient Hester Prynne stays strong throughout the novel by recovering fast from her time in prison, the shame that she received while she was on the scaffold, and by moving back to Boston. While Hester Prynne was on the scaffold, a place for public humiliation, she received hate as well as death wishes upon herself and her actions she made earlier in the novel. The hate that Hester received never ceased to take her down,
The characterization of Hester Prynne demonstrates a contrast to pure society, as writer and critic D.H. Lawrence suggests in his article, “On the Scarlet Letter.” There is a genuine disparity in the methods Lawrence uses to portray Prynne, and the methods used by The Scarlet Letter’s author, Nathaniel Hawthorne. Because of his utilization of impactful syntax, religious allusion, and critical tone, D.H. Lawrence’s claim that Hester Prynne is a contradictory character to pure society is effectively justified when compared to the misleading seductive elements of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s writing.
...and was outside of the country, everybody hated her. Even though she knows that everybody hates her, Hester never gives up to be forgiven by people. Hester Prynne did many great things for people. She decorated people’s clothes and donated her clothes to the poor. She made money and supported her daughter, Pearl. Hester Prynne could have financial difficulties, but she did everything by herself. Hester Prynne is a very courageous brave woman unlike other women in 1850’s. Because of Hester Prynne’s characteristic, the book became a great feminist novel. Not only Nathaniel Hawthrone did not just make up the story throughout the fiction, but he reflected the real society during his time to a novel which is The Scarlet Letter. Hester Prynne’s role, a strong brave feminist, in the story is one of the best elements that brought The Scarlet Letter to a great novel.
When someone makes a mistake there are two options, own it and move on with life, or push it to the back of your mind and let it haunt you for the rest of your life. Hester Prynne chose to own it and move on with life, which was the best choice. Many people would have chosen to force it to the back of their minds, which in turn would cause much more suffering than choosing to deal with their mistake. Hester is able to face her troubles head on and that makes her a real hero. It shows that she has realized her mistake and accepted it. Facing her trials head on makes Hester able to move on with her life instead of being stuck in the past.
Nathaniel Hawthorne’s protagonist Hester Prynne from The Scarlet Letter is the subject of many interpretations and perceptions. In his satirical essay, D.H. Lawrence clearly explains his opinions about sin and pure appearances in society, and focuses on those of Hester Prynne. Lawrence uses sarcastic tone, concise syntax, and Biblical allusions to express his disdainful opinions of Hester Prynne.
The novel The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne was an objective description of the life of Hester Prynne, an adultress. The novel does not go into specific details of the thoughts of the woman except to describe the mien of her character. Throughout the novel she faces humiliation by the other people of Boston, but never loses her sense of pride. Hester Prynne suffers enormousely from the shame of her public disgrace and from the isolation of her punishment; however, she retains her self-respect and survives her punishment with dignity, grace, and ever-growing strength of character.
Hester Prynne is a character who gave up everything, even love, for her child. Hester Prynne sacrificed her peace, her beauty, her entire being for her child and this shows her determination and profound understanding of the world. Nathaniel Hawthorne’s piece, “The Scarlet Letter” shows the other side of the sinner’s story and not as a villain, but a victim.
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...
Hester Prynne had outstanding character traits for a person that went through a rough time. She was very trustworthy and kept secrets that could have altered some outcomes in her life. Her unbelievable forgiving nature allowed her to remain helpful to the citizens of Boston and make them articles of clothing even with all the crude behavior she experienced. Hester was also brave, by committing to stay in the place of her sin. Hester is an outstanding