The Scarlet Letter and Hester Prynne Essay

Submitted By mayraereed

Words: 458

Pages: 2

Open Document

Hester Prynne
“In a moment, however, wisely judging that one token of her shame would but poorly serve to hide another, she took the baby on her am, and with a burning blush, and yet a haughty smile, and a glance that would not be abashed, looked around at her townspeople and neighbors.” (Pg. 50)

“From first to last, in short, Hester Prynne had always this dreadful agony in feeling a human eye upon the token; the spot never grew callous; it seemed, on the contrary, to grow more sensitive with daily torture.” (Pg. 79)

“So speaking, she undid the clasp that fastened the scarlet letter, and, taking it from her bosom, threw it to a distance among the withered leaves.” (Pg.182)

“With these words, she advanced to the margin of the brook, took up the scarlet letter, and fastened it again into her bosom…So it ever is, whether thus typified or no, that an evil deed invests itself with the character of doom.” (Pg.190)

“’Let us not look back,’ answered Hester Prynne. ‘The past is gone! Wherefore should we linger upon it now? See! With this symbol, I undo it all, and make it as it had never been!’” (Pg. 182)

“But her hesitation was only for an instant, though long enough to display a scarlet letter on her breast. And Hester Prynne had returned, and taken up her long-forsaken shame!” (Pg. 233)

Pearl Prynne
“The infant, during the latter portion of her ordeal, pierced the air with its wailings and screams.” (Pg. 65)

“It was a face, fiend-like, full of smiling malice, yet bearing the semblance of features that she had known full well, though seldom with a smile, and never with malice, in them. It was as if an evil spirit possessed the child, and had just then peeped forth

Hester Prynne In 'The Scarlet Letter'

Emily Liddick Mrs. Campbell English Honors 2 1 September 2016 The Scarlet Letter Hester Prynne, thought to be known of as a female criminal, is the protagonist in The Scarlet Letter. She was a beautiful woman with the letter “A” on her breast, which had gold flourishes outlining it. Throughout the novel, Hester faces many problems but overcomes them all by remaining strong. From these struggles, she learns that she has to stay true to herself, which in the end helps her grow into the mature young…

Words 748 - Pages 3

Hester Prynne In The Scarlet Letter

a woman, Hester Prynne has committed adultery and is brought upon a scaffold so that she may be punished and known as a public disgrace. As her punishment, she must wear a scarlet “A” on her chest to serve a symbol of her crime. Hester, bearing the letter “A” on her chest, lives a moral and upstanding life, in spite of her “sin.” Although the Puritan authorities believe that she is permanently marked, Hester exceeds their low expectations for her. Many might consider that Hester Prynne is an immoral…

Words 997 - Pages 4

Hester Prynne In Scarlet Letter

Hester Prynne, the main character in the novel, is an example of a romantic associated with imagination. When Hester is first introduced in the novel she shows these romantic characteristics, she “was tall, with a figure of perfect elegance…her beauty shone out.” People expected Hester to look awful and sad as she exits the prison, but she looks the opposite. Continuously, during Hester’s public humiliation, she would be expected to become frustrated or make a commotion during her public humiliation…

Words 878 - Pages 4

Hester Prynne And Dimmesdale In Scarlet Letter

In the book, The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, the character that suffers the most through the story is Hester Prynne. She is required to face public shame, unlike Dimmesdale who is the other person who committed adultery with her. The court makes her wear the scarlet letter so that everyone knows that she is the person that committed adultery, but the other person is not known and does not need to wear one. In the second chapter of the story she is up on the scaffold and there are some…

Words 630 - Pages 3

Essay on The Scarlet Letter and Hester Prynne

novel 2. Hester Prynne, Dimmesdale and Chillingworth’s individual traits and characteristics 3. Each character’s relation and connection to Hester Prynne 4. Each character’s role in Hester’s life B. Focus of the novel (T.U.L.I.P.) 1. Adultery a. Total depravity – how everyone is born with sin b. How this relates to Adam and Eve c. how Adam and Eve compare with Hester and Dimmesdale d. What the scarlet letter symbolizes and represents e. How the scarlet letter transforms Hester and enables…

Words 368 - Pages 2

Hester Prynne Punishment In Scarlet Letter

spit at them? In The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne this happens to the main character Hester Prynne. Her sin sums up some of the themes in the novel such as: guilt, sin, and women and femininity. In The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Hester takes her punishment, the themes of guilt and sin, and the portrayal of women in her society. In New England Boston Hester Prynne commits a sin of adultery with Arthur Dimmesdale. Her punishment is she has to wear the letter "A" for the rest of…

Words 631 - Pages 3

Hester Prynne In The Scarlet Letter

The main character of the novel, around which turns everything, is Hester Prynne, a woman young and beautiful, solid moral principles, cultured, wild and a lover of freedom, in an age that was beginning to emancipate the human intellect. His sin, if it can be called so, is the only mistake he has committed in his life; keep a fleeting relationship with pastor Arthur Dimmesdale, result of which will be her pregnancy and the birth of Pearl. The judges, who could very well have it condemned to death…

Words 632 - Pages 3

Hester Prynne Love In Scarlet Letter

in Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter has a profound effect on these people throughout the novel.The way these characters deal with the aspect of love reveals their differing personalities. Hester Prynne is very headstrong proud, and honest woman. Yet she has one weakness, love. Hester is so passionate about the love she feels for Arthur Dimmesdale that she is is willing to walk through fire if it means he will be safe. When emerging from the prison, Hester is described as “...tall, with…

Words 1816 - Pages 8

Hester Prynne In The Scarlet Letter

Hester Prynne is the one who committed the greatest sin out of Dimmesdale and Chillingworth. The reason for this assumption is that she knew she was married, even though her husband, Chillingworth, was back in England settling his debts and other issues. As well as having committed adultery, she just had to do it with her minister, Dimmesdale. Even though it does not tell the audience how the two did it, it is safe to say that she might have been the one to suggest it. Given the quote, “Hester…

Words 413 - Pages 2

The Scarlet Letter Hester Prynne Character Analysis

Hester Prynne, the main character in Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, is ostracized from her community because of her sin of adultery. Even when she is punished for her crime of adultery and publicly humiliated by being forced to wear a scarlet A on her chest, Hester does not break. Hester is the protagonist in the novel because of everything she must endure. Hester is strong, honest and confident. The moment Hester emerges from the prison doors, she is frightened, but tries to…

Words 512 - Pages 3