Hester Prynne

E68903

Hester Prynne is the resilient, ostracized heroine of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel, known for bearing an illegitimate child and defiantly wearing the scarlet letter “A” as a symbol of both shame and strength in Puritan New England.

Aliases (1)

Statements (50)
Predicate Object
instanceOf female character
fictional character
literary character
protagonist
appearsIn The Scarlet Letter
appearsInGenre historical fiction
novel
romantic fiction
associatedWithTheme guilt
hypocrisy
patriarchy
public vs private morality
childWith Arthur Dimmesdale
createdBy Nathaniel Hawthorne
firstAppearanceYear 1850
hasChild Pearl
helpsCommunityBy charity
nursing the poor
letterMeaning adultery
literaryPeriod American Romanticism
marriedTo Roger Chillingworth
narrativeRole focus of moral and social criticism
notableFor bearing an illegitimate child
committing adultery
public shaming
wearing a scarlet letter A
occupation seamstress
relationshipToArthurDimmesdale lover
relationshipToPearl mother
relationshipToRogerChillingworth estranged wife
religiousContext Puritanism
setInPlace Puritan Massachusetts Bay Colony
setInTimePeriod 17th-century New England
socialStatus ostracized woman
outcast
symbolizes defiance of social norms
female independence
individual conscience
redemption
resilience
shame
sin
strength
trait compassionate
dignified
independent
proud
strong-willed
undergoes public humiliation on the scaffold
wears scarlet letter A


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