My favorite literary character of all time is Hester Prynne, an intelligent and capable woman from Nathaniel Hawthorne’s romantic work of fiction, The Scarlet Letter. The book explores themes of legalism, love, hate, revenge, sin, and guilt in a historical setting in America. I read the book when studying for my A Level in English Literature in college and it was one of the many options offered on the reading list.
Hester is sent ahead to the “New World” from Amsterdam by her husband with the plan that he would later join her. After he is presumed dead due to a shipwreck, Hester moves on with her life. She befriends a pastor to confide in and to seek comfort and spiritual guidance. When she falls pregnant she is condemned by the people of her Puritan world because she got pregnant yet has no husband. Back then, such woman had to wear a letter A on their chest and be imprisoned for having adulterous affairs.
Hester’s daughter is elf-like. Her name is Pearl. Sometimes she scares me! It’s weird. Like the demon lives in her but she’s pure. I don’t know! If I remember correctly, there’s a time in the book when Pearl orders Hester to put the letter A back on. That’s indeed weird for a little girl who probably didn’t know what the letter meant.
Shortly after Pearl’s birth and Hester’s punishment, guess what happens? Her husband resurfaces! He wants to know Pearl’s father’s name but Hester refuses. She also agrees not to let anyone know that her husband is alive. She goes on with her life working as a seamstress so that she can feed herself and Pearl.
The reason why I love Hester Prynne is because of her inner strength. When they want to take her baby from her, as she was to serve her punishment alone, Hester stood her ground. She does the same when her husband demanded to know who Pearl’s father was. Later, due to her toughness, the community changes its view of Hester. They see her as capable, and tend to change the meaning of the A from Adultery to Able.
Hester is also honest, she speaks the truth and keeps her words and promises, even to protect the identity of her lover from her husband, and the identity of her husband from the community. Hester is also compassionate and helps others even if they punish her while she is officially a widow.
I won’t give away the story. If you want a no-nonsense story to read, find The Scarlet Letter at a library or bookstore near you. WARNING: if you are not into poem-like literature (that is, describing fine details), documentaries or stories with very little dialog with more author ‘narrative’ then steer clear, you probably won’t enjoy this.
Watch The Scarlet Letter movie instead, starring Demi Moore, Gary Oldman and Robert Duvall.
I totally recommend the book, though.
Who is your favorite literary character?
