The Scarlet Letter and Hesters Identity Essay - 786 Words

First of all, the scarlet letter stands for Hesters sin. By forcing Hester to wear the letter A on her bosom, the Puritan community not only punishes this weak young woman for her adultery but labels her identity as an adulteress and immoral human being as well. Thus the young and the pure would be taught to look at her, with the letter flaming on her chest, also as the figure, the body and the reality of sin. And the day Hester began to wear the scarlet A on her bosom is the opening of her darkness. From that moment, people, who look at her, must notice the letter A manifest itself in the red color covering not only her bosom, but her own character. The Puritans now only see the letter A, the representation of sin, scorn and hate†¦show more content†¦The sin of adultery she once made doesnt exist in the letter A any more. It has transformed from adultery into able, acceptable, and off course its made Hester the woman of pride, kindness, and respect. Hester did such an outst anding evolution that no woman in her times can: expressing self-identity, proving woman strength by showing her self-reliance and independence, revealing her goodness and kindness for people, and earning respect and pride. Together with the transformation of Hester, the scarlet letter once again symbolizes her identity as pure as an angel. Though she committed adultery and had to suffer a lot from this sin, her soul still remains in an original shape of purity. And the red color of letter A on her bosom, which once was the call of scorn, hate and bitterness towards Hester, now attracted peoples warmth, admiration and love as if it were a red burning color deep inside her heart. Hester deserves the highest recognition that the scarlet letter has done for her: a woman with a pure heart and soul of an angel. The most irony in the novel is the differences between the identity from which society assigns for Hester through the scarlet letter and the identity which she creates by herself. Though, letter A is a label of sin which people in the community try to impose on Hester, she doesnt let this Puritan view interfere her thought and feeling. On the contrast it seems that this letter also exposes theShow MoreRelated Rev. Arthur Dimmesdale and Hester’s Quest for Identity in Hawthornes Scarlet Letter2490 Words   |  10 PagesDimmesdale and Hester’s Quest for Identity in The Scarlet Letter  Ã‚     Ã‚   While allegory is an explicit and tempting reading of Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, I see in this novel also the potential of a psychological reading, interpreting it as a search for one’s own self. 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