Through the character of Hester Prynne, Hawthorne shows how sin can make a person stronger. When Hester commits adultery, the Puritan punishment forces her to wear a scarlet letter so the whole community knows of her wrongdoing. Hester has enough courage to wear the letter in public, even though she has to live with harassing comments and peculiar glances from the townspeople. By dealing with these unnecessary actions, Hester becomes a stronger person who is better able to handle pain and defend herself. Besides the fact that she wears her "A" proudly, Hester is able to get over her sorrow and get on with her life. She decides not to stay home everyday and suffer grief; instead, she chooses to help others. Many people begin to respect her again because of her kindness and assistance. As Hawthorne states

The Scarlet Letter, a novel written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, contains many characters that all act as symbols of sin. Hester Prynne represents how sin can make one stronger, and Arthur Dimmesdale symbolizes how hidden sins can cause harm. Pearl serves as a reminder of the scarlet letter to her mother, and Roger Chillingworth as an example of how many smaller transgressions can add up to be greater than a single sin.

Pearl is the daughter of Hester Prynne and Arthur Dimmesdale, and she serves as a constant mental and physical reminder to Hester of her sin. Pearl is the reason for the scarlet letter her mother wears. If Pearl had not been born, Hester would never have been found guilty of adultery, and therefore Hester would not have to wear the "A." Because Pearl is the living sin, she is constantly being judged and watched by others. Children ridicule Pearl, and others keep a careful watch on her. Governor Bellingham keeps watch on Pearl, and at one point in the book he wants to take her away from Hester. He says that Pearl, because of Hester, is "in the dark as to her soul, its present depravity, and future destiny." Therefore, even though he is not successful, Governor Bellingham tries to remove Pearl from the guidance of her mother. Pearl also acts in ways that cause her mother stress, and she often nags Hester about her "A." For example, one time Pearl throws rocks at her mother's scarlet letter, and a

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Approximate Word count = 962
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)