It seems as though the only aspiration open to her as a woman can never be realized because of her sin. That aspiration would be to become closer to God, as a sinner she will never be able to achieve this goal. This is because what Hawthorne ultimately gives us is a woman who, according to traditional moralists, has sinned. And, beginning with the story of Eve, any woman who has sinned must suffer gravely for it. Although she sinned less than her hypocritical lover and her own vengeful husband, it is from her sin that all death and tragedy in the novel result. Hawthorne himself demonstrates the woman as sinner viewpoint at the end of the novel: Earlier in her life, Hester had vainly imagined that she herself might be the destined prophetess, but had long since recognized the impossibility that any mission of divine and mysterious truth should be confided to a woman stained with sin. (Hawthorne 185) As we see from this passage, no matter what Hester has done, despite her courage and her independent spirit, despite the fact that she ultimately claims the dreaded "A" as her own badge of honor, she is still seen as the evil woman. Also, despite Hawthorne's attempts at changing the meaning of Hester's red "A," by changing Hester into a woman who works for worthy causes at the novel's end, only results in the possibility of her being seen as the other end of the stereotypical spectrum, into almost an "angel." It is evident in this novel, that these are the only two paths for a woman. This is truly a reflection of the puritan's values and viewpoints. However, the reader sees that having been shunned by society is what affects Hester the most profoundly. Outwardly, she appears to change into a patient and penitent figure. However, internally the cruelty of her society has made her angry and bitter and in her own criticism of that world, she makes the letter her own. What happens is that she truly becomes the "rebel" that she has been labeled as.
