In the end of the book, the scarlet letter symbolizes her former sad, sinful, and dreary identity. Through this the scarlet letter symbolizes her shameful past that will always linger as long as she is wearing it. Both these instances describe how strong Hester had become, but also how her past was so painful that no other women desired to go down that same path (Hawthorne 232-233). The scarlet letter was her passport into regions where no other women dared not tread”. In the quote, “…so strong was Hester Prynne, with a womans strength.”(Hawthorne 185) and, “The tendency of her fate and fortunes had not been to set her free. Later in the book the scarlet letter begins to symbolize the struggle and pain she went through to get past her sin to become stronger. In this quote it clearly states how her identity was changed by doing good deeds and changing the hearts of the people around her.
They said that it meant Able so strong was Hester Prynne, with a womans strength.” (185). Hawthorne states, “Such helpfulness was found in her,-so much power to do, and power to sympathize,- that many people refused to interpret the scarlet letter A by its original signification. By her acts of helpfulness, kindness, and tenderness, people don’t view her as the sinful, shamed, and embarrassing Hester Prynne. As more of the townspeople see her nursing the sick and helping the poor, they start to interpret the “A” as “Able” and “Angel” rather than “Adulterer”. Seven years after the birth of her “sin-born” infant who is named Pearl, Hester becomes more involved with helping her community even though they shamed and mocked her. The brand on her chest represented so strongly who she was that even people from other towns knew that she did something very important to have such an emblem. This caused many of the townspeople to judge her for her sinful doing. In the quote it describes her child as a “sin-born infant”, which also suggests that she has committed a sin, which is adultery. Not only does the quote describe the scarlet letter on her chest, but it also describes her child born from her immoral act. Therefore, the scarlet letter was a brand that was shown for everyone to know that she committed a shameful sin. Infamy in this case means being known for a bad deed or action, while token means a symbol or brand. In this quote, “…with the hot, midday sun burning down upon her face, and lighting up it shame with the scarlet token of infamy on her breast with the sin-born infant in her arms…” (Hawthorne 70) the author describes the scarlet letter as a “token of infamy”.
Her action of committing adultery caused her to be branded on her chest with the letter “A” for everyone to see. The scarlet letter symbolized adultery which created Hesters’ identify as a sinner in the beginning of the story. Throughout the story the symbolism of the scarlet “A” changes through certain events and actions of the characters. For the leading protagonist, Hester, in The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Hawthorne portrays her as someone who is judged by her town for her “identify” based on a letter “A” that she wears on her clothes. Do people in the modern day world identify themselves with how they dress? Whether it is the way they dress or wear their hair, it is a way of showing your character to the public.
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