A Character Analysis of Hester Prynne in The Scarlet Letter

1. A Character Analysis of Hester Prynne in The Scarlet Letter • Hester Prynne is the main protagonist and the most complicated character in The Scarlet Letter. Hester transfers her passionate nature that is strong-willed, impetuous, to a contemplative, stoic woman and thinker who speculates on human nature, social organization and lager moral question, and has independent philosophy and be maternal with respect to society.

2. Some details: • Ⅰ.All who have read Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The • Scarlet Letter know of the harsh judgment passed • by the Puritan society on Hester Prynne’s sin of • adultery. Hester could not rebel against their • punishment, but she defied them in numerous • ways. When interrogated for the name of her • partner in sin, she refused to expose him. In fact, • Hester never gave up her love to Arthur and, • in the end, was able to be by his side. When • faced with the possibility of losing her daughter, • Pearl, she argued heatedly with the head of the

3. church and the leader of the settlement in order to keep Pearl by her side. Lastly,the scarlet letter was her shame to begin with, but eventually turned into a badge of honor. Ⅱ.Hester demonstrated her selflessness and consideration for others repetitively. She held a steadfast course in keeping silent while protecting Dimsdale’s good name in the community. Even when he ironically questioned her in public concerning her partner in adultery she remained

4. true however humiliating it must have been: “I charge thee to speak out the name of thou fellow sinner and sufferer.” She again showed her ability to keep secrets when Chillingworth asked her to obscure his true identity . My ideas In my opinion, I view Hester as a heroine because of her undying will, and also her casual manner of dealing with problems. Due to their repressive nature, they persecute Hester for her alleged adulterous behavior. Although the times are quite

5. different, we can still relate to Hester's attitude and manner very easily. For instance, instead of wearing simply a plain "A" on her bosom, she instead crafts a very ornate "A", which of course is scarlet, to wear .Hester does not always seem to care about what others think about her, as she is very strong-willed, and above all, independent. She also is viewed as a hero to some women, for her vain and regardless concern for what others think

6. about her. We can also relate to that period's represssivness , as in the 20th century we have seen repression against minority groups and others frequently.And what impressed me most is that she has the courage of seeking true love inspite of the criticism of the Puritan society . Hester suffers throughout the whole story alone . Never in the story did Hester haveanyone there that could help

7. her suffer. She was always single-handed, having to be brave for herself, her child, and her weak, selfish, corrupted lover. Hester’s character bears all the injustices inflicted upon her by the society and she had to go through all of that by herself.

8. Thank you !