The Scarlet Letter Hester Prynne Character Analysis

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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 appear

fearless in her effort to show the townspeople that she is strong. Her sentencing was to spend

three hours a day on the scaffold in the market-place for the public to view. She must also wear

a scarlet letter "A" across her chest for …show more content…
Later, Hester and

Dimmesdale escape to the forest. They are finally alone and Hester realizes that she is still in

love with him. As they embrace and hold hands, she finally reveals her husband's identity to

Dimmesdale. He is angry with Hester at first but then realizes that it is really Chillingworth who

is the sinner.

Hester gains confidence throughout the book. Her confidence grows from the time she is

released from prison. She learns to serve the community with her strength so she can provide a

living for her and her child. She sews beautiful clothing for the townspeople.They see Hester in a

new way. Hester becomes more active in society. She brings food to the poor, helps the sick, and

gives advice to those in need. Some people look down upon her , but more people are beginning

to interpret the “A” on her chest as some one who is “Able” rather than someone who is an

“Adulterer.” This helps Hester's confidence. She once was ostracized by the people in town, now

they look up to her.

Hester is remarkable because she was once considered an outcast by the Puritan society

and she grows into becoming a symbol of compassion and comfort to those who seek her
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