Scarlett Letter

Kimberly Carter

Professor: Janice Starkey

American Literature 101

17 February 2010

Hester Prynne:

A Woman of Beauty and Strength, Graced to Endure Persecution

When someone commits adultery today, we are often shocked for the moment, but it’s so prevalent in our era that it is just one of many coffee-break conversations. But during the Puritan era, however, adulterers were more than a hot topic for the moment but a death sentence: the guilty party was condemned spiritually and socially. A moment of passion equated into a social alienation, public humiliation, and a true test of character of the man or woman accused to withstand the fiery trials of a judgmental community. Unfortunately the adulterers sentenced to public shame and scorn more harshly were the women. Men were protected and could keep their position in the communities, but women were singled-out and branded. Hester, a survivor, a woman of beauty, strength, and grace finds herself as the original bearer of the scarlet letter “A” for her adultery.

“The Scarlett Letter” is a revealing story about Hester Prynne’s passionate beliefs in her inner strength, defiance, and preservation. The story begins in the 1640’s with Hester facing her accusers. After serving seven years of punishment and persecution she uprightly stands before a crowd of townspeople in the door of a prison in Salem, Massachusetts to face further humiliation for her sin. She stood before the crowd with her baby girl, Pearl, in her arms and a visible permanent embroidered scarlet letter “A” on her chest that represented the sin of adultery. With great strength she and her baby emerged with determination and no shame ready to stand and endure unfair treatment as a woman, gracefully. Hester is described as a young woman of tall stature, a figure of perfect elegance, with dark and abundant hair, her most impressive feature.

Hester’s journey began as a young woman sent from England after marring an elderly...