I believe that Miss Esther Downing is the heroine in Hope Leslie. She is a heroine to the Puritan people and she is what every ideal puritan woman should be. The Puritans believe that a woman should be strong, and unselfish, and caring, and rely fully on their faith in God. Esther follows those principles and is more concerned with "spiritual graces" or devoting her life to the word of God then anything else. Her goal is to live everyday by the words written in the bible and to simply be a good person.

"Spiritual graces were then, in far higher

estimation, than external charms, and Miss

Downing,. . . was always characterized by

a religious epithet- she was 'godly' . . .

is not essential to the contentment, the dignity,

letter of her religious duty, as that duty was

"The current of her purposes and her affections

which, if more generally received by her sex,

When Esther realizes she is daydreaming about Everell the author describes it as being, "awakened from a sinful dream." All of the feelings that she has, shows that she is concerned with being a good Puritan woman and does not want to be a sinner. Her every thought is about thinking or feeling the "right" feelings.

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1510
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)