Adaptation Of Hester Prynne In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter

Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote his great, philosophical novel, The Scarlet Letter, not only in the

literal sense, but also symbolically to instill his strong ideas into the minds of his readers.

Hawthorne uses artifacts like the rose bush, prison door, Pearl, and the scarlet letter to

invoke and awaken the reader towards his meaning through symbolism. In The Scarlet Letter

by Nathaniel Hawthorne, the main character, Hester Prynne, develops before us as a strong

willed woman who learns to adapt to her surroundings through time. By dictionary definition, the

word adaptation is the process of adjusting and modifying any circumstance in order create

suitable conditions for one’s self. This is prevalent in The Scarlet Letter, as Hester
With Hester's artistic

abilities she transforms the letter into a symbol of beauty. With no prior knowledge of the scarlet

letter, the symbol would only merely be fashion statement. Hester begins to make the letter her

own.The letter ‘A’ adapts Hester Prynne’s personality which can be evaluated through her

attitude towards others, her appearance, and her concealed emotions in both the first scaffold

scene when she bears the weight of the letter and in the forest when she is briefly released from

the burden. She takes this letter of huge significance and remembrance of a traumatizing event

in her life and makes it her own and accepting her decisions, however sinful it may have been,

making her a stronger woman for overcoming it.

Throughout the book the letter 'A' means many different things to many different people.

"Many people refused to interpret the scarlet A by its original signification. They said that
Not only does the people affected by the letter ‘A’ learn to adapt but the

symbol of the letter ‘A’ adapts and changes as well. As the scarlet letter changes its meaning

through time, it also changes its meaning and significance to a person labeled with it. Hester

Prynne started a scared girl labeled with a sinful crime of sexual temptation. She was an outcast

pushed aside to deal with the aftermath of her heavy sin. Left an outcast, a burden to their

community, to rot and everyone who helped her or was associated with her to rot as well. “Ah,

but let her cover the mark as she will, the pang of it will be always in her heart”(Hawthorne 52).

She was labeled and cast aside but as the book went on Hester grew strong and learned from

her mistakes. She never had time to let the letter affect her, she had a kid to raise and that was

her main priority. “The Scarlet Letter was her passport into regions where other women dare not

tread. Shame, Despair, Solitude! These had been her teachers, -- stern and wild ones ,-- and

they had made her strong, but taught her much amiss” (Hawthorne 180). Hester Prynne