Hester Prynne In The Scarlet Letter

The Scarlet Letter The Scarlet Letter, a novel written by Nathaniel Hawthorne in 1850, is a story about Hester Prynne, a woman who has an extramarital affair, and as a result, gives birth to a daughter named Pearl. During the time in which Hawthorne’s novel is set, adultery was considered one of the highest offenses. The townspeople in Hester’s community shun her for her infidelity and force her to wear a red “A’ on her chest at all times. In the novel, Hawthorne writes, “The letter was the symbol of her calling. Such helpfulness was found in her, --so much power to do, and power to sympathize, -- that many people refused to interpret the scarlet A by its original signification. They said that it meant Able; so strong was Hester Prynne, with

It would have been easy for Hester to close herself off to her neighbors, just as they did to her; instead, she continues her vow to love and care for everyone in the eyes of God by becoming a nurse. She lives as a nun would, although it was not the life she would have chosen for herself. The only time Hester is allowed in anyone’s home is when they are ill. She would never discriminate against those that she helped, rather “she was quick to acknowledge her sisterhood with the race of man” (167), and helped anyone she

What begins as a punishment, turns into a lesson of redemption for the townspeople of Boston. Hester teaches her neighbors that kindness, integrity, and resilience can sometimes outweigh the negativity surrounding one single sin. When her neighbors focus on the one flaw in her character, they fail to realize how much more she has to offer the world than just being an unfaithful wife. Hester’s kindness to her abusers, integrity when treated cruelly, and resilience in the face of adversity prove that she is more than “able” to defy the odds and have a successful life despite her rough