The Scarlet Letter

 

"Could it be true? She clutched the child so fiercely to her breast, that it sent forth a cry; she turned her eyes downward at the scarlet letter, and even touched it with her finger, to assure herself that the infant and the shame were real. Yes!—these were her realities,—all else had vanished!" Pg. 41, Nathanial Hawthorne, The Scarlet Letter

 

The setting of this quote is in the 1650’s in Boston, Massachusetts. She was standing on the scaffold and there was an audience surrounding and staring at her. Hester was given the punishment of adultery by wearing a scarlet A on her blouse. She sewed A’s on all of her clothes. She made them luxurious and fancy. She made them artistic and much different than what the Puritans would wear during that time. The A draws attention and Hester did that on purpose. She made it all fancy and embroidered because she was not ashamed of what she had done. She walked on that scaffold with dignity and her held high but all the tables turned. Hester did not realize that her punishment would be horrible but once she stood on that scaffold she realizes the shame in what she had done. She is starting to deal with the shame she put on herself with the sinful crime she committed. She is in state of shock and thinks about her memories and tries to forget about her sins. This tells us that Hester is a strong woman with pride. She is at the lowest point of her life and realizes the shame in her sins but still manages to keep her head high. She has accepted the fact that she is going to be stuck with the A on her chest with the rest of her life and keeps her dignity throughout the novel.