How is hester treated by the townspeople

The people in Boston did not want Hester, but they needed her for her skills as a seamstress, thus her cottage is on the outskirts of the village: close enough for the villagers to use her services but far enough to keep her away.

Give two reasons why Hester decides to remain instead of moving to a less restrictive colony. The townspeople all look down on Hester and publicly disrespect her. When she is mocked, she feels insulted but never tries to retaliate.

She bec omes more humble and charitable after having the revelation that everyone is guilty of having sin in their hearts. Hester's clothes are always drab in contrast to her scarlet letter. Pearl's clothes are very lavish and intricately designed. Hawthorne's sympathies lie with Hester. One way we know this is through the use of the physiognomy. Hester is described as beautiful which paints a kind character and Chillingsworth is described as ugly which paints an evil character. Also, all the townspeople who ostracize Hester are portrayed as small minded.

Flashcards FlashCards Essays. Create Flashcards. Share This Flashcard Set Close. Please sign in to share these flashcards. Although the community may acknowledge her intentions as good, it will never consider her divinely forgiven, and thus its members cannot forgive her in their own hearts. In the end, this is a society that privileges a pure and untainted soul above an actively good human being. Taken to an extreme, a doctrine that prizes faith over good works may mean that, in terms of everyday life, the pursuit of a transcendent heaven results in a hell on earth.

They think that their chosen punishment for her, the scarlet letter, has effectively humbled her as planned. The scarlet letter has not led her to contemplate her sin and possible salvation.

Rather, it has led her to unholy speculations—thoughts of suicide and ruminations about the unfair lot of women. She refused to flee Boston when Pearl was an infant because at the time she did not believe that her fellow men and women should have the power to judge her. Now, Hester refuses to remove the scarlet letter—she understands that its removal would be as meaningless as its original placement. Hester feels that her soul is committed to Dimmesdale rather than to Chillingworth, even though Chillingworth is legally her husband.

Chillingworth, on the other hand, views his actions as necessitated and sanctioned by his church and by his God. In The Scarlet Letter how does Hester support herself and her daughter? How sincerely concerned are the townspeople of Salem for the souls of Hester and Pearl? Why does Hester prynne live in a cabin away from everyone? What kind of spectacle have the townspeople of Boston gathered to witness?

Why and how do the townspeople come to interpret the scarlet letter differently over time? What is a sentence with the word condemnation in it? What is Hesters attitude towards her sin and punishment in scarlet letter?

What reason does Hester give for her need to keep Pearl? What did Dimmesdale tell the people of New England before he died? In The Scarlet Letter how is Hester treated by the townspeople? How had hester come to be seen by townspeople How did this happen? What does Hester do to show that she has charitable nature in The Scarlet Letter? What are some examples of the puritans being judgmental in The Scarlet Letter? Who is Dimmsdale in scarlet letter?

What do the townspeople think The Scarlet Letter means? What is an example of nature revealing truth in The Scarlet Letter? What is Hester sin and punishment in The Scarlet Letter? What is a verbal irony in The Scarlet Letter? Study Guides. Trending Questions.

Which algebraic expression represents this word description: the quotients of four and the sum of a number and three? Which of the following happens when a cell divides by mitosis? Still have questions? Hester's skill at needlework, earlier shown in the fine way that she displayed the scarlet letter, allows her to maintain a fairly stable lifestyle. Still, her reputation as an outcast and loner causes a negative aura to be cast around her.

Thus young children often creep up to her house to spy on her while she worked. In spite of her excellent needlework, she is never called upon to make a bridal gown due to her reputation.