Choosing to return to the place where she was faced with so much adversity is a great testament to her resilience as a woman of this time period. .
As one of the last scenes in the novel, this section of the novel also brings to attention the idea of fate versus free will. Hester returns to her original homeland upon her own free will. She was never forced to return to the place where she was so relentlessly oppressed. This further adds to the argument that the seven years she was isolated and shunned by society may have been unlivable at the time, but, in fact, only aided Hester in her transformation into a self-sufficient and powerful woman and mother. The beginning of the novel shows her being completely disrespected by the society that she lives in, and by the end she is earning their rightful respect. In this final section of the novel, she makes a choice to go back to the place where such significant events occurred in her life because of the overall effect it had on shaping her identity. .
Hester even continues to wear the scarlet letter, no longer because of its negative connotation, but because it played such a prominent part in her life that she does not wish to eliminate. Free will again comes into play in this aspect of the novel. Hester makes the decision to outwardly exhibit her past misgivings, no matter what judgments will be made by onlookers. Hester choosing to wear the letter was her showcasing her own sin. She has chosen not to hide the part of her life that has been demeaned by others. In neglecting to do what is expected of her, Hester is defying the social norms of the time period, and further advancing her role as an empowering woman. While the letter was originally meant to be a source of shame and a representation of her unforgiveable sin, by the end, it represents something else entirely. Hester has complete ownership over this symbol emblazoned on her and forces society to recognize her as an independent woman.