Hester Prynne In Nathaniel Hawthorne's Scarlet Letter

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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

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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The Scarlet Letter: Response 3 Nathaniel Hawthorne’s initial descriptions of Hester Prynne and her ex-husband provide a detailed outlook on their contrasting characters, both physical and moral. In chapter 2, titled “The Market-Place,” Hester is given a nearly divine appearance despite her infamous reputation. In contrast, her former husband, later referred to as Roger Chillingworth, appears rather deformed and is described in a devilish manner. Hawthorne’s portrayals show the strikingly different…

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