Hester Prynne

... causes her much pain and sorrow; therefore, making her a tragic heroine. Throughout the story of "The Scarlet Letter," Hawthorne tips off the reader that Hester Prynne is destined for a downfall because her character is written a classic tragic heroine. A tragic hero is "a literary character who makes an error of judgment or ... flaw that, combined with fate and external forces, brings on a tragedy"" (Dictionary.com). Passion for love and affection is Hester Prynne's fatal flaw. A fatal flaw is "a flaw in character that brings about the downfall of the hero of a tragedy" (Merriam-webste...

• Word Count: 1733
• Approx Pages: 7
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... faces humiliation by the other people of Boston, but all the while remains a woman of great probity, never losing her sense of pride. Hester Prynne suffers enormously from the shame of her public disgrace and from the isolation of her punishment; however, she retains her self-respect and survives her ... punishment with dignity, grace, and ever-growing strength of character. From the moment Hester Prynne is introduced into the plot of The Scarlet Letter in chapter 2, "The Marketplace", the reader realizes she is very prideful and strong. As an ... the Minister, "What canst thou do for ...

• Word Count: 909
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

... faces humiliation by the other people of Boston, but all the while remains a woman of great probity, never losing her sense of pride. Hester Prynne suffers enormously from the shame of her public disgrace and from the isolation of her punishment; however, she retains her self-respect and survives her ... punishment with dignity, grace, and ever-growing strength of character. From the moment Hester Prynne is introduced into the plot of The Scarlet Letter in chapter 2, "The Marketplace", the reader realizes she is very prideful and strong. As an ... the Minister, "What canst thou do for ...

• Word Count: 912
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

... him or herself. I have read The Scarlet Letter a few times and every time I am left feeling empowered by the character of Hester Prynne. She is the hero, or heroine, 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 ... when talking of heroes. The belief that they some how saved another person is what brings the names to mind. After reading The Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne is ranked towards the top of the hero list. In rea...

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

... obvious that she is not unlike many other characters of American literature. Most notably, Aunt Ida can be successfully compared to that of Hester Prynne from Nathaniel Hawthorne's A Scarlet Letter. It is only when readers compare and contrast different characters from seemingly diverse books that they are ... dissimilarities between the struggles of the two characters. The most poignant is that Aunt Ida's struggles are more innocent. Aunt Ida did not have an affair like Hester Prynne. She was a completely innocent bystander pulled into a situation beyond her control. "In my mind I imagin...

• Word Count: 1229
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

Hester Prynne was an adulterous woman who should not have been allowed to hold onto the custody of a child. She clearly was not the right person to raise Pearl and this ... had not committed anything that would be deemed unacceptable. Pearl was just a child and was not the one that was accused of adultery. Pearl should have been taken from Hester so that she would be raised up in an environment that would teach her not to be like her mother. In fact if Pearl had been separated before she could ... by another family then she would not have been belligerent and seemingly demonic. She could hav...

• Word Count: 1359
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

Hester Prynne Hester Prynne, the main character in Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, is a fair young woman who has an affair with her pastor while her husband is away. To the eyes of the Puritans, Hester's act of adultery, although not punishable by death, is a sin that should be branded upon her forever. Thus, the opening scene of the novel begins with Hester ... a last and fitting decoration to the apparel which she wore - (6). Furthermore, while on the scaffold and under close scrutiny by the people, Hester "with a burning blush, and yet a haughty smile, and a glance that would not ...

• Word Count: 1177
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

... Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter first appears as a beautiful and defiant young woman, but as the story progresses Hester matures and becomes devoted and strong. The story is set in the early Puritanical colony of Boston. Hester Prynne is charged with the crime and sin of adultery, bears an illegitimate child, is made to stand on a scaffold to be publicly ostracized, and made ... and ordinary people but becomes an extremely valuable asset to the village and a compassionate aid to people less fortunate than herself. Finally Hester metamorphoses into a strong loving individual who...

• Word Count: 785
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

Hester Prynne and the Puritans Hester Prynne's life was difficult and unique, with many trying events and circumstances that changed her and separated her from the common people. Great rifts eventually formed between her and the community ... thou go with us tonight? There will be a merry company in the forest; and I well nigh promised the Black Man that comely Hester Prynne should make one." Hester answered, "Had they taken her (Pearl) from me, I would willingly have gone with thee into the forest, and signed my name in the Black Man's book too, and that with ... wrote, "The links that un...

• Word Count: 1029
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School