The Empathetic Character In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter
The Empathetic, the Evil, the Cowardly, and the Perceptive
In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, the four main characters develop unique personalities and character traits. Hester, the mother of Pearl, is kindhearted and comes to realize her own worth. Chillingworth is evil and selfish. He looks for the flaws in others and uses those weaknesses to hurt them. Dimmesdale is timid and cowardly. While he means well, he does more harm than good and leaves Hester to clean up his mess. Pearl is the most insightful, she thinks things through and uses her perceptfulness to help others realize their mistakes and recognize their actions.
As a result of her experiences, Hester Prynne becomes a kind of empathetic and motherly figure. “God gave her into my keeping,” repeated Hester Prynne, raising her voice almost to a shriek. “I will not give her up!”—And here, by sudden impulse, she turned to the young clergyman, Mr. Dimmesdale, at whom, up to this moment, she had seemed hardly so much as once to direct her eyes.” …show more content…
Hester cares for the poor and is kind and gentle with them. She respects the rest of society as well. Hester has completely transformed into a feminist by the end of the novel. She becomes a role model for the other women in the community. She is no longer ashamed by her scarlet letter and embraces the punishment. Hester is shown as clever and capable throughout The Scarlet Letter, but not necessarily a remarkable woman. What makes her such a significant figure is the astonishing circumstances that she is learning to deal
In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, the four main characters develop unique personalities and character traits. Hester, the mother of Pearl, is kindhearted and comes to realize her own worth. Chillingworth is evil and selfish. He looks for the flaws in others and uses those weaknesses to hurt them. Dimmesdale is timid and cowardly. While he means well, he does more harm than good and leaves Hester to clean up his mess. Pearl is the most insightful, she thinks things through and uses her perceptfulness to help others realize their mistakes and recognize their actions.
As a result of her experiences, Hester Prynne becomes a kind of empathetic and motherly figure. “God gave her into my keeping,” repeated Hester Prynne, raising her voice almost to a shriek. “I will not give her up!”—And here, by sudden impulse, she turned to the young clergyman, Mr. Dimmesdale, at whom, up to this moment, she had seemed hardly so much as once to direct her eyes.” …show more content…
Hester cares for the poor and is kind and gentle with them. She respects the rest of society as well. Hester has completely transformed into a feminist by the end of the novel. She becomes a role model for the other women in the community. She is no longer ashamed by her scarlet letter and embraces the punishment. Hester is shown as clever and capable throughout The Scarlet Letter, but not necessarily a remarkable woman. What makes her such a significant figure is the astonishing circumstances that she is learning to deal