Preview

Injustice in The Scarlet Letter

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
532 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Injustice in The Scarlet Letter
Choose a character from The Scarlet Letter who responds in some significant way to justice or injustice. Then write a well-developed essay in which you analyze the character’s understanding of justice, the degree to which the character’s search for justice is successful, and the significance of this search for the work as a whole. In your essay, do not merely summarize the plot. Use quotes and examples from the play to illustrate your points.

The Scarlet Letter showed many accounts of justice and injustice in the novel. Many of these accounts were appointed to that of one of the main characters, Hester Prynne. Hester Prynne was a character of The Scarlet Letter who was trialed and condemned of the sin adultery. Although there was a sin committed, Hester`s ordeal wasn`t a justified case. Hester`s husband was away and was said to have been at the bottom of the sea. Therefore, there wasn’t really a sin that was committed.

Due to her sin, Hester Prynne was cut off from society, imprisoned and forced to live in shame without any fair judgment of the situation. But, she bravely stood at the scaffold, with the letter on her chest and her child in her arms. For seven years she suffered the consequences of a sin that she had committed. Even though she was harshly punished for what she did, Hester stayed calm and would have appeared to not be effected by her consequences. She took on the life of a peaceful, kind, and helpful person. Hester’s actions were motivated by two elements, “Freedom of her soul, and the right to raise her child” (Injustice and Punishments 2013).

By confessing to the sin, she freed her soul from corruption and suffered the consequences. God forgave her and she acknowledges that by raising her daughter, Pearl, the best way she could. Hester dealt with what she did by staying humble and accepting the consequences of what she did. In the 3rd paragraph of chapter 13, Hawthorne writes, "Such helpfulness was found in her,

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    The Scarlet Letter is a novel written by Nathaniel Hawthorne. This essay discusses how Hester is a victim of her social pressure. She was punished for something she did to achieve her dream of having someone that loves her. Hester committed adultery with minister Dimmesdale and had a child with him, Pearl. Her punishment was to stand on the scaffold with her child and wear the letter A on her breast as a sign of her “crime”. Due to the strictures of the puritan society, Hester Prynne suffers from public shaming. She almost lost her only child, and was not able to openly love who she wanted.…

    • 812 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Hester was forced into societal atonement as a result of her “lustful ways.” She was put upon the scaffold in front of the general public…

    • 585 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Hester Prynne’s sin in the Scarlet Letter, was adultery. She committed adultery with Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale. This sin in particular was one of the more frowned upon of the Puritan faith. In result of this sin, she became pregnant and gave birth to Pearl, who becomes the highlight of Hester’s life. Dimmesdale’s sin as recently explained was adultery as well. He as the priest was looked upon as the most honorable man in the community and was supposed to be considered sinless.…

    • 472 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    As well as most of her emotions and thoughts. The author acts in favor of Hester by placing a character in the crowd. Whom silently fights for her through her compassion. Although this, a reader can feel benevolence and empathize towards Hester and her situation. Not in the sense of committing adultery or sins; but because she must learn to forgive those who have betrayed her. An obvious situation in life that many can feel compassion towards her for. As I’ve stated earlier in the paragraph the author has made Hester a third person omniscient character. Allowing the reader into Hester’s thoughts and motives for her actions. As a sympathetic reader you feel bad for Hester and her situation. Although she has clearly sinned, she has in a sense payed her dues and has redeemed herself from her actions. As a reader you find it unfair of what she must go through for others to find justice that again cannot be found unless there is forgiveness. Why must hester and her child suffer just for the town people’s…

    • 754 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Jamie Barlowe wrote a literary criticism about the novel called The Scarlet Mob of Scribblers: Rereading Hester Prynne. In this piece of literature, Barlowe also expresses how Hester Prynne was alienated from the Puritan community. The scarlet letter “A” placed on Hester’s bosom represents the sin she committed and reminds her every day of the mistake she made. Throughout history, the color red symbolized sin and evil (Barlowe 44). Once again society has a big impact on how one is seen by others. Barlowe states “We come from a society where the lady in red is all danger and unresolvable mystery” (10). Hester is most definitely seen as the woman with whom not to associate. She was seen as “sin” and was the symbol of what people should not become. Barlowe reinforces the fact that Hester was “socially, politically, and religiously alienated from the community” (44). Although Hester was seen as an outcast, her tragedy led to a valuable lesson for all. She taught readers that people make mistakes, and they must hold their head up high and dig deep for their inner strength. . Hester Prynne was a prime example that one’s silence cannot protect oneself (Barlowe 10). The Scarlet Letter depicts how people will form unfair opinions and judgments. Hester contradicts this depiction towards the end of the novel when she starts helping out the sick. She does everything she can to prove to towns people and herself that she is a good person despite her mistake. The letter “A” soon turned from “adulterer” to “able”. Being shunned from society had really taught Hester that other’s opinions matter far less than the opinion we have of ourselves. That is the opinion in life that matters most of…

    • 1946 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    In the scarlet letter, the main character, Hester Prynne, both excepts and rejects traditional gender roles for her culture. This is evident throughout the whole book as she rejects the typical stereotype of women of this day in time, while she also follows along with it as well. Also in this book it is obvious of another character who is less of what the typical man should be. Therefore making Hester Prynne a powerful symbol of strength for women by not completely conforming to the typical role that women often played during this point in time in the puritan society.…

    • 456 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    When The Scarlet Letter was written the Author, Nathaniel Hawthorne, discovered many ideas and facts about the Puritan community. Knowing this Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote about how women in the 17th century lived and how strict the society's rules can be, one major rule that was followed strictly phonate was “Actions spoke louder than words, so actions had to be constantly controlled.” (nd.edu). When the book begins it starts with introducing Hester and how she has done this huge violation according to the bible, maybe even causing the death penalty upon herself. As The Scarlet Letter goes through the timeline of how she is isolated and is shunned from the society; eventually, Hester slowly becomes part of the society by being the pure character she really was. This lets her take off the scarlet “A” and change the meaning of Adultery to the meaning of Able. Hawthorne decribes the climax of Hester’s story by expressing, “The letter was the symbol of her calling. such helpfulness…

    • 674 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The people started to believe she had fulfilled her punishment and started to forgive her. Citizens would talk amongst themselves about Hester’s good influence on the community. The individuals “‘had quite forgiven Hester. . . they begun to look upon the scarlet letter as the token, not of sin. . . but of her -many good deeds since. . . they would say to strangers ‘It is our Hester, -the town’s own Hester, -who is so kind to help the poor” (Hawthorne 111). No longer was Hester a disgrace to the community, instead, she became a role model. When talking to her ex-husband, he tells Hester, “Why, Mistress, I hear good tidings of you on all hands! No longer than yester-eve, a magistrate, a wise and godly man, was discoursing of your affairs. . . yonder scarlet letter might be taken off your bosom” (Hawthorne 116). The community, including the magistrate, believed Hester could take off the scarlet letter. They deemed Hester forgiven, however, seven years earlier they had wanted her to suffer. Initially, people looked down upon Hester, yet as time passed they started to look up to her as a role…

    • 405 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Hester was forced to confess her sin to the world, unlike her counterpart Dimmesdale. She was forced to be truthful and accept the punishment and stigma; “Thus the young and pure would be taught to look at her, with the scarlet letter flaming on her breast,—at her, the child of honorable parents,—at her, the mother of a babe, that would hereafter be a woman, —at her, who had once been innocent, —as the figure, the body, the reality of sin” (chapter 5, page 54), This quote demonstrates how the Puritan Community placed all of the blame and burden of the sin of adultery on Hester. She was forced to accept all of the shame that…

    • 2044 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The main character in The Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne, committed adultery with the Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale. Hester was outcast by the puritan community that deemed her a presence of evil. Hester refused to reveal the other adulterer. In doing so, Arthur Dimmesdales quietly…

    • 1110 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    In the beginning of the novel, Hester’s community, specifically the goodwives, discuss how they are angry with Hester’s punishment because they think it is not severe enough. One of the goodwives says, “I’ll tell ye a piece of my mind. It would be greatly for the public behoof, if we women, being of mature age and church-members in good repute, should have the handling of such malefactresses as this Hester Prynne. What think ye, gossips? If the hussy stood up for judgment before us five, that are now here in a knot together, would she come off with such a sentence as the worshipful magistrates have awarded? Marry, I trow not!” (46) This quote shows the community’s resentment of Hester near the beginning of the novel. However, later in the book, it is revealed that as the years have gone by, Hester gained much respect and love through the community because of her hard work and her charity services. Her symbol, the scarlet letter, has also changed in meaning over time. Now, it is not a symbol of sin and isolation, but instead a symbol of Hester’s strength and kindness. Hawthorne says, “Such helpfulness was found in her,--so much power to do, and power to sympathize,--that many people refused to interpret the scarlet A by its original signification. They say that it meant Able; so strong was Hester Prynne, with a…

    • 1271 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Despite Hester’s sin, she had become known for ability to help others and her strength; the A now represents Able, not Adulteress. This illustrates the fact that Hawthorne believes that truth and embracing sin leads to freedom and forgiveness. Hester has an overall impact in her community despite of the symbol of shame that the letter is meant to represent, by regaining her communities admiration through her ability to be a productive member of the community and sympathize with others. Hester utilizes her “shame” to derive strength, pushing the notion of righteousness through the embracement of sin. Hester continues to participate in society, creating items such as gloves for religious activities, and through this, Hester regains the trust of the people. Hester’s morals of truth, honesty, and hard work are further justified as the righteous morals when it becomes apparent to the community that “none so ready as she to give her little substance to every demand of poverty” (110).…

    • 971 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Revenge, the action of inflicting hurt or harm on someone for their wrongdoings against another, is characterized as a corruption of the mind of the affected individual. Throughout the history of literature, countless authors have incorporated the theme of revenge into their works. For example, in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s, The Scarlet Letter, Roger Chillingworth seeks revenge on Minister Dimmesdale because of his crime committed with Hester. Similarly, in William Shakespeare’s, Othello, Iago devises an evil plan to avenge Othello of his rumored sin.…

    • 410 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    The Scarlet Letter

    • 1408 Words
    • 6 Pages

    In contrast to Dimmesdale’s suffering, Hester’s sin is publicly known. Even though Hester tries to be brave while standing in the Pillory with a “haughty smile, and with a glance that would not be abashed...” (Hawthorne, 52), she begins to feel uncomfortable as everyone around her starts staring at the scarlet letter embroidered on her chest. Hester begins to realize how sinful she was among her community, feeling lonesome and weak, “...she perchance underwent an agony from every footstep of those that thronged to see her, as if her heart had been flung into the street for them all to sprung and stumble upon.” (Hawthorne, 55). Hester has this feeling due to the strict puritan law. She knows that her life will never be the same again and that is what bothers her the most. As she leaves the prison, she believes that from that day on, people will use her as a bad example to society and that she is…

    • 1408 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Scarlet Letter Guilt

    • 482 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Society judges them without getting to know even though they probably committed small crimes such as possessing drugs. Society often pictures them as the one of the worst people on the earth not even knowing what they were charged for. During the Scarlet Letter the reader become very familiar with the topic of remorse, regret, and how decisions can change one's life. The main character of the story is Hester Prynne, she committed adultery and as a result became pregnant and was sent to prison. The very first time the author even mentions Hester Prynne is when she comes out of jail with her three month old daughter Pearl to be put on a platform as one of the various forms of punishment for her decisions. From the very beginning Hester Prynne is faced with the consequences of her decisions and has to deal with the regret and guilt of her actions. After committing adultery her whole life changed. The decisions she made and the consequences that came with them shaped her life from that point on. Society viewed her differently and treated her as a criminal. They placed a ugly label, and image on her without getting to know her or what she was going…

    • 482 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays