The Unchanged Character of Hester in Hawthornes The...

The Unchanged Character of Hester in Hawthornes The Scarlet Letter In the course of most stories, at least one of the main characters changes in one way or another. In The Scarlet Letter, one of the main characters we see a change in is Hester. Through the course of the novel, it appears that Hester changes from an arrogant, unremorseful woman to a much kinder and helpful, repentant woman. Although it appears that Hester has learned a lesson from her sin and consequential punishment, has she really changed her sinful ways? If she has, why, then, is she going to leave for Europe with Arthur Dimmesdale? In the beginning of The Scarlet Letter, we see Hester being punished publicly for the sin she has committed with Arthur†¦show more content†¦Yes!—these were her realities,—all else had vanished! Hester has no reason here to clutch the child fiercely or to question the reality of the events occurring if the ordeal is not affecting her on the inside. After Hester is released from the prison and is living in the cottage, she is daily reminded of her shame and she is constantly hurting because of her punishment. When she walks around town, people look at her in a demeaning manner. In chapter five, Hawthorne writes, Another peculiar torture was felt in the gaze of a new eye. When strangers looked curiously at the scarlet letter,—and none ever failed to do so,—they branded it afresh into Hester’s soul; so that, oftentimes, she could scarcely refrain, yet always did refrain, from covering the symbol with her hand. Hester admits Pearl is her torture – in chapter six, Hawthorne writes, so infinite was the torture inflicted by the intelligent touch of Pearl’s baby-hand. Not long after her punishment starts, Hester commences to help the needy by sewing clothing and helping them out in various other ways. After a few years of torture from the letter and from Pearl, Hester begins getting overly familiar with her punishment, and it no longer has the affect it once had. Her helpfulness causes people to give theShow MoreRelatedReview Of The Scarlet Letter 1524 Words   |  7 Pagesfinal cast for their true character and virtues. In the novel The Scarlet Letter, the author knows the importance of â€Å"lasts† in the novel and uses the last moments of characters to explore common themes of human nature and to further develop a character. The author Nathaniel Hawthorne of The Scarlet Letter uses literary artistry, the final decisive acts of Reverend Dimmesdale, and the last exposition and the responses of the Puritan community to further explore the character of Dimmesdale to ultimatelyRead MoreDimmesdale Rapture1657 Words   |  7 Pages’ In these stories, an unforeseen factor arrives and offers an apparent solution to what would otherwise be an insoluble problem. Toward the end of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, the Puritan minister Dimmesdale seems to find such a resolution for the inner torment he has imposed on himself in atonement for his affair with Hester. While Dimmesdale’s emotions escalate toward rapture at the suggestion of leaving his life of outward piety and private shame behind, he remains constrainedRead MoreANALIZ TEXT INTERPRETATION AND ANALYSIS28843 Words   |  116 Pagesor a short story. Events of any kind, of course, inevitably involve people, and for this reason it is virtually impossible to discuss plot in isolation from character. Character and plot are, in fact, intimately and reciprocally related, especially in modern fiction. A major function of plot can be said to be the representation of characters in action, though as we will see the action involved can be in ternal and psychological as well as external and physical. In order for a plot to begin, some