Hester Prynne, the most important heroine of The Scarlet Letter, is not overwhelmed by the dark and powerful puritan force. As an oppressed woman, she is bound to be the rebel of the puritan society, thus, she has to have a living with struggle which focuses on achieving her inpidual values, as well as tries to impact the puritan’s decayed thought through her fighting. Instead of complaining, she dares to face the punishment, pay sympathy on the poor, and give hands to patients. Finally, the public forgive her and regard the “A” on her breast as able, angel, admirable and adoration, the sign of good deeds instead of the sin.
Due to Hawthorne’s vivid and exact description of a Puritan society at that time, The Scarlet Letter has been one of the most frequently analyzed works since it was published in 1850. While one thousand people in the eyes of one thousand Hamlet, critics and scholars pay their attentions and emotions to almost every aspect of the novel. They may study from the aspects of feminism, the evocative use of symbolism, or the perceptive portrayal of the protagonists. This paper will focus on the exploration of Hester’s rebellious spirit.
There are five parts in this paper. Part one is a brief introduction, including the research background and research status. Part two is a brief introduction of Hawthorne and the summary of this novel. According to the introduction of his background, it is clear that author’s living experience plays a big impact on his creation of The Scarlet Letter. In part three, this paper will show the reasons for the formation of her rebellious spirit. Part four is the main content which focuses on expressing Hester’s rebellious spirits including her rebellion against her loveless marriage, her fighting for Pearl’s guardianship, beautifying the scarlet letter A, and fleeing bravely with her families. The last part is a conclusion.