Hester Prynne In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter
The Evolution of the Puritans’ View on Hester Prynne
In Hamlet by William Shakespeare, Hamlet tells his friend,“there is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so” meaning that a person’s attitude toward an issue can shape whether that issue is positive or negative. This is shown in the novel The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne. The protagonist, Hester Prynne, is sent to Boston a few years before her husband to settle down and create a life there. While she is there, she commits adultery with Mr. Dimmesdale, the minister. Adultery is extremely frowned upon in a Puritan society. Hamlet's statement relates to the Puritan’s view of Hester Prynne. Hester's life after the sin, revolves around the way the Puritans view her. …show more content…
She is wearing a scarlet letter ‘A’ on her dress. The ‘A’ represents her sin, and she wears it to constantly be reminded of what she did. The goodwives gather around the prison door right before Hester is to be let out and brought to the scaffold. They are angry at how lenient of a punishment she is getting. They feel that wearing the letter ‘A’ is not enough. They think that Hester should have been branded because what she has done brought shame to everyone in the town. They say, “If the hussy stood up for judgement 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!” (49) The goodwives view Hester in a negative light. Hester, who had done nothing wrong before committing adultery, is no longer seen as a human being, but rather, as a symbol of shame and humiliation to the …show more content…
Hester comforted and counselled them, as best she might.(249)
As a result, people came to her seeking counseling and advice. The Puritans have completely changed their perspective of Hester. She is now considered to be the wisest woman in town, and they all come to her for advice. This shows that the Puritans are proud of Hester, and have forgiven her.
The quote from Hamlet relates to The Scarlet Letter because it shows how the perspective really impacts how the Puritans act in regards to Hester, because in the beginning of the novel, Hester is shunned and gossipped about because of the sin she has committed. It takes seven years and doing many acts of kindness for Hester to be somewhat accepted as a member of the community. The good deeds help Hester to become fully accepted, be considered the wise woman of the town, and be the person that people come to seek advice. Hester evolves from being the embarrassment of town to a well respected part of the Puritan community. Hester’s actions and the way she acted caused the Puritans to have a change of
In Hamlet by William Shakespeare, Hamlet tells his friend,“there is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so” meaning that a person’s attitude toward an issue can shape whether that issue is positive or negative. This is shown in the novel The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne. The protagonist, Hester Prynne, is sent to Boston a few years before her husband to settle down and create a life there. While she is there, she commits adultery with Mr. Dimmesdale, the minister. Adultery is extremely frowned upon in a Puritan society. Hamlet's statement relates to the Puritan’s view of Hester Prynne. Hester's life after the sin, revolves around the way the Puritans view her. …show more content…
She is wearing a scarlet letter ‘A’ on her dress. The ‘A’ represents her sin, and she wears it to constantly be reminded of what she did. The goodwives gather around the prison door right before Hester is to be let out and brought to the scaffold. They are angry at how lenient of a punishment she is getting. They feel that wearing the letter ‘A’ is not enough. They think that Hester should have been branded because what she has done brought shame to everyone in the town. They say, “If the hussy stood up for judgement 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!” (49) The goodwives view Hester in a negative light. Hester, who had done nothing wrong before committing adultery, is no longer seen as a human being, but rather, as a symbol of shame and humiliation to the …show more content…
Hester comforted and counselled them, as best she might.(249)
As a result, people came to her seeking counseling and advice. The Puritans have completely changed their perspective of Hester. She is now considered to be the wisest woman in town, and they all come to her for advice. This shows that the Puritans are proud of Hester, and have forgiven her.
The quote from Hamlet relates to The Scarlet Letter because it shows how the perspective really impacts how the Puritans act in regards to Hester, because in the beginning of the novel, Hester is shunned and gossipped about because of the sin she has committed. It takes seven years and doing many acts of kindness for Hester to be somewhat accepted as a member of the community. The good deeds help Hester to become fully accepted, be considered the wise woman of the town, and be the person that people come to seek advice. Hester evolves from being the embarrassment of town to a well respected part of the Puritan community. Hester’s actions and the way she acted caused the Puritans to have a change of