FREE ESSAY ON SCARLET LETTER

SCARLET LETTER

Hester and the Scarlet Letter: Unobtainable Simplicity
The achievement of simplicity in life never occurs because things are not simple, but
manifold, being viewed differently, and speaking more than one purpose. Nathaniel
Hawthorne journeys to seventeenth century Boston and introduces Hester Prynne as he makes
his awareness of this idea evident. Through The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne presents the
complexity of life's components whether they appear as simple as an embroidered letter or
as intricate as a life changing circumstance. The focus on sin and the consequences and
atonement that follow exemplify Hawthorne's tragic moral vision. A moral vision dealing
directly with human nature through Hawthorne's own creation of Hester Prynne provokes
this idea, this problematic truth. A woman publicly acknowledged for what her society
held as a grave sin stands before them. She begins her journey, a journey that will
forever change the views of not only her fellow characters, but also those to whom
Hawthorne tries to reach through his writing. In this journey, meet a woman who's
weakness became her strength, who was looked upon in ways as changing as the seasons.
Hester Prynne and the scarlet letter, standing not only as character and prop, but also
as universal defendants of the idea of multiple views, are tools for the exploration of
this truth. Through just three different perspectives, Hester and her scarlet letter can
sustain the ideology presented by Hawthorne and contribute to its acceptance. They do so
as regarded by the townspeople, Hawthorne, and Hester herself. 
The citizens of Boston deem two manifest opinions of Hester and the letter: that notion
from the opening scene, which differs greatly that by mid-novel. As Hester walks out into
the marketplace for the satisfaction of the townspeople, they immediately evince their
cold and unsparing attitude toward this woman. The letter A was to be worn as a
punishment, to be worn in shame, to be worn as "adulteress." The Puritan community was a
dark, strict society, feeling indifferent to the humanness of the woman standing before
them on the scaffold, with her infant daughter against her chest. The beautifully sewn
letter does not glow in the eyes of the people. The letter shapes the way they look at
Hester and the way they treat her. They isolate Hester socially and geographically, which
ultimately causes her own emotional isolation. However, that attitude does change. The
very townspeople who once condemned her now believed her scarlet A to stand for her
ability to create her beautiful needlework and for her unselfish assistance to the poor
and sick. They now saw it as a "symbol of her calling. Such helpfulness was found in her-
so much power to do and power to sympathize-that many people refused to interpret the
scarlet A by its original signification," (Hawthorne 156) and now believed it to
represent the concept of "able." At this point, many the townspeople realized what a high
quality character Hester possessed. They would call to each other, "Do you see that woman
with the embroidered badge? It is our Hester-the town's Hester…" (157). The
changing attitudes in her society did eventually see the brave, strong woman Hester
always had been. However, they never would know what it was like to be the person who
bore that scarlet letter. 
Hester knew the A's significance in her own life to be much different from what was
viewed by others. Only Hester herself felt the letter on her chest. Only Hester felt the
change that came over her in those seven years. Walking out to the scaffold that first
day, Hester behaved as the brave, integrity-filled woman that she knew she was all along.
She did not attempt to conceal the symbol that she wore, for she knew there was nothing
to hide. Although Hester is clearly not a Puritan, she does show respect for the Puritan
code. She fully acknowledges her sin and she boldly displays it to the world. This face
of the A is a model of "acceptance," a symbol of Hester's respect for herself, and for
her life. Hester did not plan to commit the sin of adultery, because it was not a sin of
lust in her eyes; it was an act of love. Her salvation lies in the truth, the truth of
love and passion. Hester's pride sustains her from the opening scene until she dies,
still bearing the scarlet A. Hester's acceptance transformed the scarlet letter to being
much more than a symbol, it was a guide, "…her passport into regions where other
women dared not tread. Shame, Despair, Solitude! These had been her teachers-stern and
wild ones-they had made her strong…" (183).
In addition to the convictions of his characters, Hawthorne also expresses his own
opinions in regards to his central character, and one might refer to it as a biased
opinion. Hawthorne does not condone Hester's adultery, but he does find it less serious a
sin than the sins of Dimmesdale and Chillingworth. Clearly, Hawthorne sees Hester as a
victim, emphasizing that she is a victim of her society and her passion, which ultimately
stands as her biggest downfall as well as her largest asset. When referring to Hester in
the opening scaffold scene, Hawthorne remarks that "never had Hester Prynne appeared more
lady-like, in the antique interpretation of the term, than as he issued from the prison"
(50). The way Hawthorne chose to illustrate his character enables the reader to acquire
the author's attitude toward his subject. To Hawthorne, the A is a symbol used to develop
his character. He never takes a firm stance in the ever-changing meanings of the scarlet
letter, yet merely casts it to his moral vision with the idea of "atonement."
Hester and her scarlet letter never achieved simplicity. Perhaps because austerity is not
obtainable through the human character. When dealing with human nature, the intricacy of
life is accented and the variety of interpretation is strengthened. Beautifully
illustrating that statement, Hawthorne challenges his readers to gain this truth through
his work and development of Hester and the intricacy of the A. Hawthorne does not see
things as black and white, yet encourages all to live in the gray area. He realizes that
everyone is vulnerable, and everyone wears his or her own scarlet letter. Each person's
letter is unique, different from all others; different because of what their own letter
has originated from, and different because of the way it is viewed by various subjects.
Hester and her scarlet letter are a perfect example; a result of passion looked upon from
three perspectives. Hawthorne's tragic moral vision is illuminated in his beloved
character and the letter she bore. The universal idea that there is more than one way to
view things is not only a truth, but also a complexity in itself.