The Scarlet Letter: The Paradox of Hester Pyrnne

A single event often has the potential of becoming life changing. As revealed in The Scarlet Letter, Hester Pyrnne’s punishment for adultery takes its toll on all the main characters. Hester is able to hide her pain from public eye, but careful analysis reveals drastic transformations in her disposition due to the sin and public persecution. The alteration in her personality can be evaluated through her attitude towards others, her appearance, and her concealed emotions in both the first scaffold scene when she bears the weight of the letter and in the forest when she is briefly released from the burden.
The consequence of adultery somewhat affects Hester’s attitude. On the scaffold, the adulteress looks down at the townspeople with “a haughty smile and a glance that would not be abashed” (Hawthorne 50). The word haughty evokes arrogance with a touch of overconfidence. Although this phrase demonstrates Hester’s apparent strong will, it also suggests that she is ...