The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne

Relationship between the scarlet letter and Hester Prynne.

Written by Nathaniel Hawthorne “The Scarlet Letter” in 1850, based on a true event that took place two hundred years before the narrator describes, is completely a reflection of the Puritan society of the Colonial America in the 1650’s. Though Hawthorne had been brought up in the puritanical society, he deliberately supports the idea of individualism and opposes the rigid law of Puritans; as illustrates his personal beliefs through imagery and symbolism along with the characters portrayal as well as the synchronize structure of the novel. 

Before going to the in depth analysis of the novel, it must have some prior to discuss about the typical ideas of the Puritan society and its conflicts with Hawthorne’s beliefs. The Puritan adored the concept of connection between individualism and God; therefore, they left the Old World in course of purifying the church. The Puritans believed extremely upon the supremacy of Bible and, that God had elected some souls who would be ultimately blessed by Him and other mankinds were cursed by depravity for Original Sin. Thus, the Puritans supported the convictions that no moral living or good work could purify ones evil act and salvations were predestined which could not be earn by virtuous deeds. On the contrary, Hawthorne’s viewpoint of the society was different. He favored the theory of individualism and self-reliance and, the admiration of nature and humankind. 

In the novel, the scarlet letter “A”, an embroidered on Hester’s bosom, symbolizes the rigid and dogmatic theology of the Puritans and Hester Prynne, the protagonist, represents the inner strengths of Hawthorne’s volition that in many ways opposes the ideas of Puritans. 

As the play begins, we find Hester Prynne as a sinner who has committed adultery. Thus she has been punished through public humiliation, in the first scaffold scene, for long three hours where she clutches on her bosom the living symbol of her adultery, her daughter and wears the scarlet letter ‘A’ that refers to Adultery. 

In the Puritan society, ‘adultery’ was referred as one of the highest crime and the Puritans believed that there were no chance to make Hester purify. Thus, in religious view, public humiliation of a sinner was supposed to serve as a constant reminder that sin and immoral work can never be tolerated without punishment. For this reason, Hester is outcasted from the society. Even also the society wants to separate Hester from her daughter Pearl, as they desire to give Pearl a good guardianship, but Hester Pleads to the Governor over Pearls guardianship-

“God gave me the child! He gave her in requital of all things else, which he had taken from me…Ye shall not take her! I will die first!”

In this chapter we also find a significant symbolism of social view – when Hester finds her scarlet ‘A’ in the mirror of the Governor’s house, that seems to her a gigantic figure which indicates that, society takes the sin of adultery more profoundly where Hester’s own identity and happiness gets dim.

Being outcasted from the society, Hester started needle work for survivor. She is so artistic in her work that everyone - from the Governor to a poor takes it from her by maintaining secrecy. Here, the corruption of the society is remarkable. Hester also helps the poor people and takes care of them that makes Hester as a compassionate woman and the scarlet letter ‘A’ now stands as ‘Able’ for her voluntary deeds.  And, at the end of the novel, Hester’s ‘A’ changes in to the meaning of ‘An Important Person’ as she is called by Dimmesdale on stage in the Election Day. 

By rendering as an adulterer to able, the Governor asserts Hester to stop wearing the letter ‘A’; but surprisingly Hester refuses because by doing so she actually protest against the strict rituals of society. If she removes the letter from her bosom then, according to Hester, she will silently acknowledge society’s power over her. Thus, here we find Hester as a transcendentalist, believes in individualism parallel to Hawthorne’s viewpoint.  Hester acknowledges her sin and shame by wearing the letter ‘A’ – as a symbol of her past experience and character. Indeed, her past sin is the part of who she is, to pretend that never happened would mean denying the part of herself. Thus, Hester very determinedly integrates her sin to her life.