Depiction of Hester as a Rebel in The Scarlet Letter

The Scarlet Letter, a novel written by Nathaniel Hawthorne is a story of Puritan society and the significant impact it had on people’s lives. It takes place in a New England city during the 17th century. The protagonist, Hester Prynne commits adultery with Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale. She has a child named Pearl. Hester is forced to endure the harsh punishment of wearing the scarlet letter “A” which is a constant reminder of her adulterous act. Hester never reveals the father’s name and is doomed to a life of shame and secrecy. The strict doctrine of the Puritans did not accept any violation of the laws. They believed God had a unique agreement with them and they were supposed to act according to the scriptures. Deviations from teachings were not acceptable and dealt with harshly. It was a patriarchal society in which men and women were not equal. Women were caretakers of the children and obedient and had little or no authority. Throughout the novel, the narrator presents Hester as more rebel than victim. Hester’s behavior and thoughts are in direct contrast to the Puritan way of life during this period.

Hester’s reaction to her punishment is one of the many ways she is portrayed as a rebel. As she emerges from the prison and makes her way to the scaffold, Hester is not sad and frail, as one would expect, but rather tenacious and confident. “And never had Hester Prynne appeared more lady-like, in the antique interpretation of the term, than as she issued from Prison. Those who had known her, and had expected behold her dimmed and obscured by a disastrous cloud, were astonished, and even startled, to perceive how her beauty shone out, and made a halo of the misfortune and ignominy in which she was enveloped” (Hawthorne 62). The townspeople wrongfully assumed she would be a broken woman, however, Hester not only owned her punishment, she became stronger because of it. Hester took her symbol of shame and instead of hiding it, she displayed it with “elaborate embroidery and fantastic flourishes of gold thread”. Hester’s rebellious reaction challenges the strict moral code which she has broken.

Throughout the novel, Hester displays an independence in her thinking, which goes against the traditions of Puritan society. Women were expected to be devoted to their husbands with or without love. Hester defies this tradition and falls in love with Dimmesdale while being married to Chillingworth. Hester’s independent thinking is also apparent when she stands up to Governor Bellingham and makes the case for her right to raise Pearl. “God gave me the child! He gave her, in requital of all things else, which ye had taken from me. She is my happiness! — she is my torture, none the less! Pearl keeps me here in life! Pearl punishes me too! See ye not, she is the scarlet letter, only capable of being loved, and so endowed with a million-fold the power of retribution for my sin? Ye shall not take her! I will die first!”. Hester’s independent thinking goes directly against the norms and would be considered rebellious in nature.

Hester’s desire to escape is one of the most rebellious thoughts a woman could have against the Puritan society. “Thou art crushed under the seven years’ weight of misery. But thou shall leave it all behind thee! … Leave this wreck and ruin here where it hath happened … begin all anew! … the future is yet full of trial and success … exchange this false life of thine for a true one… preach, Write, Act. Do anything save to lie down and die!”. Leaving is against the Purtian doctrine. Women and men were never supposed to go against what’s written as their law. Hester exclaims “Is the world, then, so narrow? Doth the universe lie within the compass of yonder town? Wither leads yonder forest track? … There thou art free! So brief a journey would bring thee from a world where thou hast been most wretched, to one where thou mayest still be happy!”. Members of the Puritan society would never consider breaking away from the community. The fact that Hester even proposes the idea of escaping is extreme and shows her rebellious spirit once again.

Hester’s unexpected behavior of defiance against the Puritan culture conveys the message that Hester is a true rebel. Portraying Hester as a rebel, allows her to come across as a hero because it gave confidence to those who followed behind her and the strength to do what she did. The Scarlet Letter shows the flaws in the Puritan society and their cruel response to Hester. The novel is relevant today because Hawthorne highlights many important lessons such as the strength in a woman and the teachings of the harsh Puritan society. Hester’s character becomes a role model for women claiming their worth in society. Many view her not only as a rebel, but a hero because she can be seen as a glimmer of hope in an oppressive society.