Hawthorne’s The scarlet letter is centered on the sin and punishment of Hester Prynn, but Hester is a far more complex character than these black and white terms. The women of Boston gossip in the opening chapters of the book about Hester’s crime, suggesting that she be branded or killed instead of having to wear a red A. In the opening of The Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne is a mystery En Medius Res. We are only shown sketchy details of her life before the events of the book begin. In fact, what we do know of her we know largely through the eyes of others. We know that she married Roger Chilling worth out of duty, not love; we know that she had a somewhat wild past and had to be reigned in by her parents; and most importantly, we know that Hester had an affair with Arthur Dimmesdale with two results.
She has a beautiful daughter named Pearl, and she is made to wear a red letter A on her clothing to advertise her adultery, both for her own shame and as a reminder to the Boston community that holds its people in such a tight grip. The experience of the scarlet letter A changes Hester; she dresses conservatively (almost as if she is calling further attention to the letter by contrast) and ponders deeper issues than she did as a carefree young woman. She contemplates morality, law, and human nature and emerges as a free thinker, keeping her ideas to herself as she outwardly lives the life of the shamed. Her strength is clear – she could have the scarlet letter removed if she would only reveal the identity of Pearl’s father. She refuses to ruin anyone’s life but hers, and bears her punishment with her head held high. Hawthorne seems critical of Hester’s attitudes and actions through other characters’ reactions to her, but it seems clear that she is really a heroine in the author’s eyes.
The Essay on The Scarlet Letter 13
... product of Hesters sin, the scarlet letter is the product of society. This idea shows that Pearl is the scarlet letter and the scarlet letter is Pearl. ... The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne is a novel that shows the Puritanical way of life. Society does not accept the fact that Hester has ...
In later years Hester becomes what some might call an early feminist, supporting the women in her community, the stigma of the red letter A faded along with the repressive government that imposed such a punishment in the first place. Hester Prynn is living proof, Hawthorne might be saying, that any punishment can be endured, and that the truly strong win out in the end.
