Able, Not Adulterous
Able, Not Adulterous
In the timeless novel The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, the scarlet letter “A” is meant to be a symbol of shame and punishment given by the Puritan elders of Boston to Hester Prynne for the crime of adultery; when the story opens, the identity of her lover is unknown, but it is revealed later to be the Reverend Dimmesdale. In the Puritan society, the townspeople shun Hester for her sinfulness. The letter on Hester’s clothing intended to publicly humiliate and shame Hester so that those who see the consequences of her action will be deterred from acting the same way. Her daughter from the adulterous relationship with Dimmesdale, Pearl, is also a visible symbol of shame and punishment. Although the letter “A” is meant to mean “adulterous,” through Hester’s actions she changes the way people perceive the letter and her.
At first, the “A” that Hester wears stands for adulterous. She is an outcast, a pariah in the Puritan Boston society in which she lives. The Puritan elders require that she wear a “badge of shame” (Hawthorne 131). By wearing this symbol, the scarlet letter, on her chest, she is isolated, identified to all who see her and the red letter as a sinner. The townspeople avoid Hester and her daughter Pearl. Instead of letting the letter that she wears single her out in a negative way, instead of hiding the letter she must wear, Hester boldly and beautifully embroiders the emblem meant to shame her. She makes it so it is not just a plain “A,” but a sign of her being. She starts to care for the poor people by feeding and clothing them. Slowly she is changing the way people see her and her burden.
Instead of singling out Hester in the negative way that was intended, the letter rejuvenates her identity and shows that she is “able” (Hawthorne 131). Hester starts to show that the letter symbolizes more than just adultery; it symbolizes she is able - able to love, able to rise above her mistakes, able to be like anyone else.
In the timeless novel The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, the scarlet letter “A” is meant to be a symbol of shame and punishment given by the Puritan elders of Boston to Hester Prynne for the crime of adultery; when the story opens, the identity of her lover is unknown, but it is revealed later to be the Reverend Dimmesdale. In the Puritan society, the townspeople shun Hester for her sinfulness. The letter on Hester’s clothing intended to publicly humiliate and shame Hester so that those who see the consequences of her action will be deterred from acting the same way. Her daughter from the adulterous relationship with Dimmesdale, Pearl, is also a visible symbol of shame and punishment. Although the letter “A” is meant to mean “adulterous,” through Hester’s actions she changes the way people perceive the letter and her.
At first, the “A” that Hester wears stands for adulterous. She is an outcast, a pariah in the Puritan Boston society in which she lives. The Puritan elders require that she wear a “badge of shame” (Hawthorne 131). By wearing this symbol, the scarlet letter, on her chest, she is isolated, identified to all who see her and the red letter as a sinner. The townspeople avoid Hester and her daughter Pearl. Instead of letting the letter that she wears single her out in a negative way, instead of hiding the letter she must wear, Hester boldly and beautifully embroiders the emblem meant to shame her. She makes it so it is not just a plain “A,” but a sign of her being. She starts to care for the poor people by feeding and clothing them. Slowly she is changing the way people see her and her burden.
Instead of singling out Hester in the negative way that was intended, the letter rejuvenates her identity and shows that she is “able” (Hawthorne 131). Hester starts to show that the letter symbolizes more than just adultery; it symbolizes she is able - able to love, able to rise above her mistakes, able to be like anyone else.
Cited: Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Scarlet Letter. Boston and New York: Houghton, Mifflin, and Company, 1895. Nook file.