Character Development in Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter Essay Example

In The Scarlet Letter, By Nathaniel Hawthorne, Hester would be considered the worst person in Boston at the beginning but shows character development throughout the book. She caused drama throughout the book that could permanently disconcert Boston. Although, she expresses her better side when she meticulously embroiders goods for her community and helps people around the town living her life through God. These are the reasons why she changed from being the worst to the best.

She commits sins like no other in the book as she committed adultery, she hated her husband, and she kept secrets from the whole community. “I have greatly wronged thee” (Hawthorne 66) and “But, Hester, the man lives who has wronged us both” (Hawthorne 66). both show that Hester committed the sin and that Chillingworth said that he had wronged them both. However, she raised her daughter through God and showed her how to live like a follower of the Puritan beliefs. As she was a Puritan, she showed that committing one sin doesn’t make you the worst citizen. She also was a very gracious woman in the community, being indulgent as she helped old people and sewed goods for people around Boston, although she does make people feel guilty about the things they have done.

Guilt was an enormous part of The Scarlet Letter, as the sin that everybody made in the book made them change. The guilt that Chillingworth feels when giving Pearl the money was because he had poisoned Dimmesdale. The reason why he had poisoned Dimmesdale was due to the fact that he committed adultery with Hester which is his wife and he wanted revenge. Hester was the start of the reason why Chillingworth had felt guilty all those years after killing Chillingworth. But Hester didn’t cause all the guilt that came from people in the book, because after committing her sin, she showed her true self by helping the community. “Do you see that woman with the embroidered badge? It is our Hester, the town’s Hester, who is so kind to the poor, so helpful to the sick, so comforting to the afflicted” (Hawthorne 146). This shows that Hester helps and loves her community. However, she did keep secrets from the community which didn’t help the fact that she was already hated for the infraction of God’s law.

Secrets played a huge part in the scarlet letter, as she refused to tell the community who the father of pearl was, which plastered the scarlet letter to her bosom until she told the community who the father was. “Good Master Dimmesdale, the responsibility of the woman’s soul lies greatly with you” (Hawthorne 58). This quote shows you how Hester was being silent and Reverend Wilson demanded Dimmesdale question her as if his life depended on it. She refuses as she stood stoically on the scaffold for those hours. For those hours she was desecrated by her community. As a result of keeping secrets, “Hester Prynne, who stood on the scaffold of the pillory, an infant on her arm, and the letter A in scarlet” (Hawthorne 52). She was to keep it on until she told the secret. Although, she wasn’t the only person with the secret as Dimmesdale was the father of Pearl. She then worked her way up to exposing herself and Dimmesdale which shows character improvement throughout the story.

In conclusion, Hester is the worst person in Boston at the beginning of the story, but she develops into one of the best people in Boston as she grew away from her sin and started showing her true colors throughout the community of Boston in the 1600s, which also shows that she is a dynamic character in The Scarlet Letter. That is why Hester is the worst and the best person in Boston in the 1600s.