Scarlet Letter: Hester Prynne

A detailed Summary of Scarlet Letter: Hester Prynne


Throughout Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, the spirit of Hester Prynne, a young woman living in early Puritan Boston, manifested itself to the reader. Hester committed a sinful deed with the reverend of a Puritan Church; for this she was sentenced to wear the scarlet letter 'A'. It is, however, from the objective mind of the reader that Hester might be labeled a magnificent woman. Hester's ignominy, however deplorable, helped further transform her already kind disposition and make her into a magnificent woman.

Hester demonstrated her selflessness and consideration for others repetitively. She held a steadfast course in keeping silent while protecting Dimsdale's good name in the community. Even when he ironically questioned her in public concerning her partner in adultery she remained true however humiliating it must have been: "I charge thee to speak out the name of thou fellow sinner and sufferer." She again showed her ability to keep secrets when Chillingworth asked her to obscure his true ident


Hester greatly matured throughout the chapters of the book. During the early chapters she seemed reckless, impulsive, and passionate which contrasts with the older, maturer, Hester that was more prudent and passionless to the extent of sometimes appearing emotionless. The long free- flowing hair that she had represented her passion. Her hair seemed to disappear as she matured. This loss of passion made her less impulsive and as a result a more mature woman. The only time in the book when this was contradictory was during her rendezvous with Dimsdale, during this time by "impulse she took off the formal hat that confined her hair." This was a relapse to her youth. All though she had slowly seen the effects of Chillingworth's daily doings, it was only when she was mature and strong enough to realize what she had done that she could do the responsible thing by telling Dimsdale the truth.

Hester Prynne proved that she was considerate, selfless, persistent, talented, patient, responsible, and mature. All of these qualities she exemplified well, for that she

Some common words found in the essay are:
Puritan Church, Hester Prynne, Puritan Boston, scarlet letter, magnificent woman, Scarlet Letter, hester prynne, reader hester, letter 'a',

Approximate Word count = 717
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Novels

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