Daisy Rodriguez
English 1B
December 1, 2010
In the novel The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne makes Hester look as a woman that at the time was a woman of sin. He states throughout the novel that because Hester had a relationship with another man other than her husband, she is a bad example of a woman. The truth though is that just because Hester is a woman, who committed adultery, she is viewed as a sinner. But what if a man had been the one to commit adultery? Would there have been the same punishment towards that man?
In the beginning of the novel we learn that Hester is a woman that has been condemned for adultery. As a result of this love affair with a man she would not mention, which we later learn is Reverend Dimmesdale, a child is born, and whose name is Pearl. Hester’s husband, Roger Chillingworth, whose identity is kept a secret, had sent her to America and then he would follow her. He never went with Hester, but when he arrives where Hester is he finds out that she cheated on him. Chillingworth becomes furious and wanting revenge.
Hester’s punishment was to stand in front of all the townspeople in the scaffold, and to wear the scarlet letter on her chest for the rest of her life. This scarlet letter was a big “A” which stood for adulterer. This shows that all the people would see her and know that she was an adulterer. It was alright for them to do that at the time but today not a lot of people do that. Having an A engraved on her clothes was not going to change anything. We can see that if a woman made a mistake it would be a big deal.
Throughout the novel Hester tries to be a better person. She does this for herself and her daughter. We can see that Hester is a good person. Her only mistake was being with another man but that was because her husband never went with her. She didn’t even know if he was ever going back. Because Hester had a daughter now she knew that she had to take care of her. Even when the town judges were discussing whether or not to allow Hester to keep Pearl, Hester said that she should keep her because she would learn from her mistake. In another occasion when Hester is at Governor Bellingham’s mansion, Mistress Hibbins invites Hester to a witch gathering. Hester answers and says, “I must tarry at home, and keep watch over my little Pearl” (Hawthorne 81). This shows that Hester cares for her daughter and that she is a good mother.
Hester is also sets a good example because she cares for the poor, and aids those that need help. For example in the book she is described, “Such helpfulness was found in her, so much power to do, and power to sympathize, that many people refused to interpret the scarlet letter by its original signification. They said that it meant Able; so strong was Hester Prynne, with a woman’s strength” (Hawthorne 111). This shows that the view of what the townspeople used to have of Hester changed. They now saw her as someone caring, helpful, and with great strength. Even though everyone criticized her in the beginning and called her so many things she still came out and decided to help out. Even when some of those she helped didn’t want it, she still did. She earned back the respect of the people because she alone was able to go through so much and still in the end e liked by the people. Even the significance of her “A” was viewed differently. People saw it as something completely different.
It is evident that throughout the novel Hester is really someone who can do so much since the beginning she was viewed as an outcast. Though the type of outcast she was seen changed. It is clear that Hester is a woman that did commit a mistake and was punished for, but that learned to surpass. She gained the peoples respect and kept her daughter. She was able to survive without the need of anyone and still help out others while taking care of her child. She still kept on working and although a women being independent at the time might not have been seen with good eyes she still did it.
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