Hester Prynne’s Heroism Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter focuses on seven years in the lives of four people living in a puritan community in seventeenth century Boston. Hester Prynne‚ the wife of Roger Chillingworth‚ falls in love with the Rev. Arthur Dimmesdale and the two have a child‚ Pearl. The novel explores the effects of adultery on these four characters. Ralph Waldo Emerson once said‚ "It is the surmounting of difficulties that makes heroes." A hero has the qualities of loyalty and
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Hester Prynne as a Heroine Volner 1 What makes a hero? Some may say saving lives‚ or stopping evil‚ but in literature‚ these are not the only requirements for the title of “hero.” It is monstrously debated amongst literary scholars whether or not Hester Prynne of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter is a true heroine or not. She displays heroic qualities‚ but many
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In the book The Scarlet Letter‚ Hester Prynne is convicted of adultery and ordered to wear the scarlet letter "A" on her chest as a permanent sign of her sin. Hester is sentenced to never take off this badge of shame‚ and doesn’t until chapter thirteen. As the novel proceeds‚ Hawthorne presents several questions that are left unanswered. How does the nature of the letter "A" seem to change? What role of does Hester’s own response to her situation play in changing the meaning of the letter "A"? How
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one’s journey through difficulties. The story revolves around a strong‚ independant women in Hester Prynne‚ who was shunned from society for committing adultery. She permanently wear a scarlet A upon her chest as a symbol for her shame and Hester is often the subject of ridicule and used as an example in sermons. However‚ she has a very strong will and is has overcome many challenges in her life. Hester Prynne is a strong heroine figure‚ and the Scarlet Letter can be classified as a feminist novel.
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Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter he follows Hester Prynne and Arthur Dimmesdale through their journey of discovering the truth and realizing what perfection truly is. Hester and Dimmesdale are sworn to secrecy by one another when we are first introduced to them in The Scarlet Letter. Each of these characters are ashamed of their sin‚ adultery‚ and are trying their best to protect themselves and their reputation by keeping it a secret. Hester Prynne is seen to be evil in her town‚ and she must
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would remind Hester of what happened in the past. The "brat" could have been given away to Governor Bellingham yet Hester proclaimed that Pearl "is my happiness!...Ye shall not take her! I will die first!" Not a person in Boston‚ nor Hester herself thought highly of the little child and Hester refused to let Pearl go. Hester carried the kid around only because it was a direct reflection of her sin and to cast away here sin as freely as that to give it away would be unjust and unfair to Hester and Pearl
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Hester Prynne and Abigail Williams have both committed a crime and they are both hated by their societies. However‚ there are also differences between the two characters. Hester Prynne is the better Puritan woman of the two because she did not commit as many sins as Abigail did‚ she was not as secretive about it‚ and her actions only directly affected herself and her child‚ unlike Abigail who caused the deaths of so many people. Hester did sinned but the single sin of adultery is not comparable
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In the novel The Scarlet Letter‚ by Nathaniel Hawthorne‚ Hester Prynne‚ the female protagonist‚ must cope with being named a sinner within a strict and judgemental seventeenth century Puritan society. Hester chooses to accept her punishment of wearing a scarlet letter ‘A’ on her breast but feels no remorse for her allegedly shameful and sinful act. Hester Prynne proves herself to be a strong‚ independent‚ modern heroine by refusing to conform to societal gender norms‚ while still earning the respect
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Nathaniel Hawthorne’s‚ Scarlet letter Hester Prynne was an adulterer. Hester is the protagonist in the novel as well as a round character. She changed throughout the novel as well as the leading character. Hester got punished and had to wear the letter “A” on her chest to represent that she committed adultery. She also had to stand on the scaffold and live with pearl. Hester Prynne cheated on her husband‚ Roger Chillingworth with Arthur Dimmesdale. Prynne also ended up having her daughter pearl
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Hester Prynne is a Feminist The Scarlet Letter can easily be audited as early feministic piece of literature. Nathaniel Hawthorne created a story that exemplifies Hester as a strong female character living with her choices‚ whether they were ethical or unethical (Hawthorne‚ 52). Hester Prynne is a feminist who refuses to accept the subordinate role of women because she has financial‚ emotional‚ and intellectual independence. Hester Prynne is comparable to a modern feminist because of her
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