Essay About Scarlet Letter And Hesters Bodice

The Scarlet Letter
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The Scarlet Letter-
In Nathaniel Hawthornes The Scarlet Letter, the letter “A”
changes its meaning many different times. This change is significant.
It shows growth in the characters, and the community in which they
live. The letter “A” begins as a symbol of sin. It then becomes a
symbol of her ability to do and help things, and finally it becomes a
symbol of her respect for herself.
The letter “A,” worn on Hesters bodice, is a symbol of her
adultery against Roger Chillingworth. This letter is meant to be worn
in shame, and to make Hester feel unwanted. “Here, she said to
herself, had been the scene of her guilt, and here should be the
scene of her earthly punishment . . .” (84) Hester is ashamed of her
sin, but she chooses not to show it. She committed this sin in the
heat of passion, and fully admits it because, though she is ashamed,
she also received her greatest treasure, Pearl, out of it. She is a
very strong woman to be able to hold up so well against what she must
face. Many would have fled Boston, and sought a place where no one
knew of her great sin. Hester chose to stay though, which showed a lot
of strength and integrity. Any woman with enough nerve to hold up
against a town which despised her very existence, and to stay in a
place where her daughter is referred to as a “devil child,” either has
some sort of psychological problem, or is a very tough woman.
The second meaning that the letter “A” took was “able.” The
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. “The letter was the 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.” (156) At this point, a lot
of the townspeople realized what a high quality character Hester
possessed. “Do you see that woman with the embroidered badge? It is
our Hester- the towns own Hester- who is so kind to the poor, so
helpful to the sick, so comforting to the afflicted!” (157) The
townspeople soon began to believe that