"The Scarlet Letter" (published in 1987) was one the novels that my class had to read during high school. I am usually not a novel reader, but when I was engaged into reading this novel, my mind sort of took a new turn. This article will focus on that novel in depth.

Nathaniel Hawthorne, the author of "The Scarlet Letter," was an American novelist. In this novel, he wrote about a woman named Hester Prynne, the protagonist, who struggled through so many things in her life because of adultery. Hawthorne created a story that views the character of Hester as a strong female. He seems to show great sympathy towards her. What about the society, though? In the novel, the society at first looked up to Hester as a woman of sin, but, later on, the people eventually stopped looking up to Hester as someone who lacks moral standards. Even though the society at first humiliated Hester of her sin, people finally began to acknowledge her. How does Nathaniel Hawthorne support Hester Prynne? He shows how the males are imperfect through the characters of Roger Chillingworth, who is the novel’s antagonist, and the Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale. This makes the female the strong one, which in this case is Hester Prynne. “Hawthorne’s women” are “more sympathetic and impressive” than Hawthorne’s men, showing that Hester is a more “appealing” character as compared to “either her husband or her lover” (Abel). Nathaniel Hawthorne portrays the character of Hester as a strong and independent woman.

Hawthorne seems to admire Hester Prynne more than the rest of the characters. His attitude towards Hester allows us to see that he intended to make her a more dignified character and more worthy of pity. This shows that Hawthorne admires her especially more than Dimmesdale, who is a coward. In "The Scarlet Letter," it states that Hester was “lady-like” and her manner was described as having a “certain state and dignity” (Hawthorne 51). Hester basically holds herself in a dignified manner. When she stepped out of the prison, she never “appeared more lady-like,” as Hawthorne describes it. The way he uses his words to describe Hester shows how he respects her character. Arthur Dimmesdale, Hester’s lover, shows how he is a coward by not confessing his sin. This shows how Hester is a much stronger character than Dimmesdale. Instead of standing beside Hester and supporting her and confessing his sin, Dimmesdale “hid a guilty heart through life.” Hester’s silence of denying who her lover is can only “tempt him.” “Heaven” had given her “an open ignominy” so that she can enjoy a public “triumph over the evil” (Hawthorne 65) that is within her. While Hester stands upon the “pedestal of shame,” Dimmesdale watches her “from a high place.” This shows how he was afraid to admit his sin when he does not stand beside Hester on the pedestal. She was able to confess the wrong she has done.

Hawthorne demonstrates Hester’s loyalty and strength when he compared Chillingworth to the “leech” and Dimmesdale as Chillingworth’s “patient.” Chillingworth aimed for revenge against Dimmesdale in which it made Dimmesdale feel weaker and guiltier of his sin. Hawthorne uses this analogy to show what evil intentions Chillingworth had for Dimmesdale. Because of this revengeful lust, Hester wanted to protect Dimmesdale from harm. She buried her lover’s secret within her heart, feeling that it is her right to carry this burden for herself as well as her lover. “Shame,” “despair,” and “solitude” were Hester’s “teachers” that “had made her strong” although they guided her poorly (Hawthorne 196).

In Brenda Wineapple’s article, she states how Hawthorne “wrote about women’s rights” and “social change.” “ He wrote empathetically, sensitively,” and sometimes “with disdain.” The fact that Wineapple claimed that Hawthorne “wrote empathetically” shows how he respects Hester with what she has gone through. Hester was honest when she dealt with her own sin even though she showed dishonesty for not revealing the name of her husband or her lover. In the beginning of the novel, Hester’s scarlet letter “A” stood for “Adulterer.” In chapter 13, “Another View of Hester”, many people “refused to interpret” the “A” as its original representation. Instead, the society considered the letter to stand for “Able.” They finally recognized Hester as a strong woman.

Brenda Wineapple also stated how Hester Prynne is “Hawthorne’s supreme achievement.” When Hester made her first appearance in the novel, she stood “straight and tall” and looked “proud and strong” (Wineapple). She is indeed a strong character. Instead of leaving Boston when she had the opportunity to after being released from prison, she chose to stay. This was her way of punishing herself for the crime she committed. She felt that she should deal with the consequences so she can be relieved of her sin. Boston was the “scene of her guilt” so she feels that Boston should be the “scene of her earthly punishment” (Hawthorne 77).

Hester Prynne is portrayed as a strong and independent woman by Nathaniel Hawthorne. He seems to depict her as someone with heroic and noble qualities. She has gone through so much pain because of her sin and she even repented for it. She did not reveal her lover’s name because she wanted to protect him. She therefore kept that secret hidden within her. She also tried to protect Dimmesdale away from Chillingworth, who was practically drawing out the life of Dimmesdale. Hester faced her punishment by staying in Boston instead of leaving when she had the choice of leaving. This was the punishment she gave for herself because she felt guilty for what she had done. In chapter 13 of "The Scarlet Letter," Hawthorne says that “such helpfulness was found” in Hester. As Hawthorne states, Hester Prynne has helped the society a great deal. Because of this, many people refused to look at Hester negatively anymore and now began to acknowledge her “A” as “Able” rather than “Adulterer.”