Characterization Of Hester Prynne In The Scarlett Letter By Nathaniel Hawthorne

Hester Prynne was sent ahead to the “new world” by her husband as he stayed back to finish business before joining her. She lived her life as a seamstress in the new town and looked to the local pastor, Arthur Dimmesdale, for comfort. However, somewhere along the way, Hester had a baby without the known father. For this, she was imprisoned and convicted of adultery and was forced to wear the letter ‘A’ on her bosom for the rest of her life. In the Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, the author uses characterization to describe Hester Prynne. Hester Prynne was a very tall and elegant woman. Nathaniel Hawthorne states, “She had dark and abundant hair, so glossy that it threw off the sunshine with a gleam, and a face which, besides being beautiful from regularity of feature and richness of complexion…and
Two actions that stuck out to me most were when she covered up the letter with her baby and decided to run away with Dimmesdale. Nathaniel Hawthorne states, “Again, at the first instant of perceiving that thin visage, and the slight deformity of the figure, she pressed her infant to her bosom, with so convulsive a force that the poor babe uttered another cry of pain. But the mother did not seem to hear it” (51). This shows how ashamed Hester was of her sin in the beginning, whereas towards the end of the book she grows to accept the letter for what it is. The other action that I thought showed Hester’s characterization well was when she decided to run away with Dimmesdale. When she stated she would run away with him, she confessed her love for him and said that they would be together forever. However, Dimmesdale states that he cannot run away because of his fallen nature, so he must do what he can as a minister. As Dimmesdale is dying, Hester states, “Thou shalt not go alone” (155). Stating that no matter what happened they would be together