Hester Prynne In Nathaniel Hawthorne's Scarlet Letter

Words: 493

Pages: 2

Open Document

hester is strong female but not feminist novel According to the Merriam Webster website, the definition of feminism is the belief that men and woman should have equal rights and opportunities. In the novel Hester is portrayed as someone who stands up and admits her own sin, a sin that no puritan, especially female, should ever commit, adultery. She is admired for her bravery and honesty as a woman, and can be portrayed as a strong female character. Dimmesdale on the other hand, is too weak to confess throughout all the novel, yet he is the one who gets what he desired in life, his salvation at the end of his life. The scarlet does portray Hester as strong female character, but the novel is not a feminist novel, because of the fact that it is written by a male. …show more content…
Even though the A upon her chest was meant to symbolise the shame of her adultery, even the citizens are stated to have “ [not] interpret the letter A by its original significance. They said that it meant Abel, so strong was Hester Prynne, with a woman’s strength” (Hawthorne 91). The same citizens who brought shame upon Hester, and looked down down upon her turns out to have been literally and symbolically actually looked up to her upon the scaffold, and now look up to her as the strong independent puritan woman they have never seen

Hester Prynne In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter

In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne has committed adultery, and her subsequent bearing of an illegitimate child has cast her beyond the pale of polite society. It is difficult for us, in the late twentieth century, to comprehend exactly what this means. She is permitted to remain in Salem, and to work among the townspeople and interact with them. But she is never to be allowed to forget for a minute the enormity of her sin. To reinforce this, she is obligated to wear on her…

Words 1958 - Pages 8

Hester Prynne In Nathaniel Hawthorne's 'The Scarlet Letter'

witnessing Dimmesdale’s horrible physical and psychological condition, Hester feels responsible to help him since they were both accomplices in the sin of adultery. Pearl is now seven years old, and the town’s view on Hester has gradually changed. By living purely after her trial, the town sees her only earn money to support her daughter, devote her time to help the impoverished, and donate plenty with her little income. In emergencies, Hester is steadfast in her help and ability to sympathize with others…

Words 667 - Pages 3

Hester Prynne In Nathaniel Hawthorne's 'The Scarlet Letter'

Scarlet Letter Essay Lite Introduction Paragraph Although adultery is still considered dishonest and shameful, the stigma today is far unlike that in Puritan Massachusetts, where the town sentenced Hester Prynne to shame for life. Through Hester’s work for the community, Pearl’s kiss, and Dimmesdale and Hester’s gravestone, Hawthorne proves that forgiveness doesn’t come immediately; one must always try to earn it with effort and kindness. Hester’s work for the community, Pearl’s kiss, and Dimmesdale…

Words 1673 - Pages 7

The Character Of Hester Prynne In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter

takes place in Salem and Concord, Massachusetts, during the late 1840s. Hester Prynne is an immigrant from Europe who had committed adultery. Because of this sin, she was forced to wear a scarlet A on her clothes. This separated her from the rest of society. Some say that Hester should have revealed the true identity of her husband. Other believe that she should not have revealed the true identity of her husband. Hester Prynne should have revealed the true identity of her husband for three important…

Words 551 - Pages 3

The Scarlet Letter Essay examples

In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, protagonist Hester Prynne is exiled from society when she is forced to dawn a scarlet “A” upon her chest. This is punishment for Hester’s adulterous union with Arthur Dimmesdale, followed by the birth of their illegitimate child. Although, written one hundred and fifty years ago Hawthorne’s novel contains concepts and insights still relevant to today’s readers. Hawthorne’s themes of sin, judgment, feminism, and redemption have made The Scarlet Letter…

Words 878 - Pages 4

Emersonian Nature In Nathaniel Hawthorne's Scarlet Letter

Emersonian Nature in Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter In 1836, Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote Nature, an essay setting the foundation of transcendentalism. Fourteen years later, Nathaniel Hawthorne would write the classic, The Scarlet Letter. At first glance, one may not connect the two, but the experiences of Hawthorne’s characters interaction with nature demonstrate a strong sense of transcendentalism that is also found within Emerson’s essay. The Scarlet Letter focuses on Hester Prynne, a young woman accused…

Words 246 - Pages 1

Rhetorical Analysis Essay On The Scarlet Letter

essay “On the Scarlet Letter”, D. H. Lawrence ridicules Nathaniel Hawthorne’s protagonist Hester Prynne. He views Hester as an abomination who seduced society to maneuver her way out of punishment of an unforgivable sin. In order to achieve his purpose of mocking Hester Prynne, Lawrence uses derogatory diction, structured syntax, and biblical allusions. D. H. Lawrence incorporates derogatory diction to mock Hester Prynne because his ideals do not correspond with Hawthorne’s true intention…

Words 666 - Pages 3

Scarlet Letter Theocracy Essay

and Saudi Arabia. But what about a theocracy in the United States? Colonial Massachusetts is a great example of this. The Puritans used their religious principles to create a new colony in America. In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s classic novel, The Scarlet Letter, the cloth scarlet “A” that Hester Prynne is condemned to wear on her chest to display her sin is a reflection of the strict Puritan standards and beliefs in colonial Boston. Religion was the driving force behind Hester’s actions and punishments…

Words 882 - Pages 4

The Scarlet Letter Is A Novel By Nathan Essay

Syed Raza Ap Lang and Comp Scarlet letter Analysis December 19, 2013 Nature or Society? The Scarlet letter is a novel by Nathanial Hawthorne about a young woman who committed adultery in the strict religious and conservative society of puritan Massachusetts. The author Nathaniel Hawthorn agreed with the transcendentalist views and ideas of Ralph Waldo Emerson and depicted his agreement in the form of his famous novel The Scarlet Letter. Transcendentalism was a religious and philosophical movement…

Words 819 - Pages 4

Essay about The Character of Hester Prynne

The character of Hester Prynne changed significantly throughout the novel "The Scarlet Letter" by Nathaniel Hawthorne. It is possible that her name, Prynne, rhymes with sin, just to further the connection between the character Hester, her actions, and everything around her. In the eyes of her Puritan townspeople, she is an extreme sinner; and has gone against their strict ways by committing adultery. She must now, therefore, wear a mark of shame on her bosom in the form of a scarlet “A” for the rest…

Words 698 - Pages 3