Acceptance Of Hester Prynne In The Scarlet Letter By Nathaniel Hawthorne

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Committing a sin can result in emotions of guilt, self-hate, and regret. Failure to recognize and accept sins can lead to a person’s downfall. In the novel, The Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne is forced to face her sins, in front of society. While Dimmesdale cannot come to terms with the role he played in the sin. Nathaniel Hawthorne uses the letter A as a symbol of Hester acceptance of sin and Dimmesdale denial of it. Hester’s acceptance of the letter A allows her to live her life in peace. When Hester Prynne was punished for wearing the scarlet letter, she did not try to hide it or make it dull in color so that nobody could see it. It states, “On the breast of her gown, in fine red cloth surrounded with an elaborate embroidery and fantastic flourishes of gold-thread, appeared the letter A”(Hawthorne #50). Hester made the letter A bright in color so that everybody could see it. She accepted her sin and is willing to live her life without being embarrassed by who she is. Hester faces the difficulties of raising a child alone and does this without any support. Hawthorne is suggesting that the acceptance of Hester’s sin allows her to live her life without hating herself. …show more content…
The scarlet letter plays an important role with the theme of sin in the novel. Nathaniel uses the scarlet letter to show how Hester and Dimmesdale dealt with their sin differently. The scarlet letter is also introduced as a symbol of shame in the novel. As the novel progress the meaning of this symbol changes for Hester rather than it being a symbol of shame, it transformed into strength.”Hester has become sort of superhero in the eyes of the community with an “A” emblazoned on her chest in very much the same manner as superman wears his ‘S.’”(Hawthorne #260). On the other hand, this symbol became one of the reasons of Dimmesdale’s
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