... of this story in more than just a single way. Before diving into why Hester is a heroine, some discussion is needed on feminism. Hawthorne wrote in a biography of Anne Hutchinson that "Woman's intellect should never give the tone to that of man; and even her morality is not exactly the material for masculine virtue" ... the scarlet letter and never being able to crawl out from under the shadow it gave off. Some critics of Hawthorne say that he overdid symbolism. Henry James says, "It is overdone at times, and becomes mechanical" (89). This may be true, but one symbol that is not overdone ...

• Word Count: 3565
• Approx Pages: 14
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School