Chapter 13: Another View of Hester

Chapter 13: Another View of Hester

Summary:

Hester is pondering her recent revelations about Reverend Dimmesdale, who seems to be diminishing due to his guilty conscience. Hester and Dimmesdale are bonded by their sin of adultery and therefore she feels she is obligated to aide him. Time has passed, and her daughter Pearl is now seven. Also, Hester's place in society had matured over the years. She has become more respected due to her charitable deeds and virtuous soul that she has sustained in the face of public shame. Although the needy mocked her for her sin, she continues to sew them clothes and bring them food. She also assists the ill, who saw the Scarlet A as a symbol of comfort in their ailing homes. People begin to associate the Scarlet A with the word "able" to express the kind and warm nature of Hester Prynne. Hester would refuse their gratitude and therefore society acted more kindly towards her. The Scarlet Letter had affected Hester as well, her attractive exterior resembling a more humble and stern appearance. Her mind is no longer restricted by the confines of society because she no longer feels apart of it. Hester questions her existence along with the existence of womanhood in general. Her thoughts conclude that no woman's existence can ever be worth the trouble due to the impossible task of woman obtaining a fair and dignified place in society. As a result, Hester questions if she should send Pearl to heaven immediately and soon follow if fate would allow. The narrator concludes that the Scarlet Letter, which was meant to be a punishment but has turned into a symbol of holiness, has not done what it is meant to do. After seeing Dimmesdale in such a dilapidated condition, she regrets the deal she has made with Roger Chillingworth and decides to correct her error. The thought of revenge has changed Chillingworth into an evil man, and Hester decided to attempt to save Dimmesdale from him. Not long after this revelation, Hester is walking with Pearl when she runs into her former husband collecting herbs for medicines.

1. Hester's Redemption 

While living with the shame of her sin, Hester provides food for the poor and sews them simple clothes out of the kindness of her heart. Despite the warm gestures, the needy still feel it necessary to mock her. Hester also cares for the sick which displays her tenderhearted nature. In spite of her charity, Hester never asks for forgiveness for her crime and she does not expect anything from society in compensation for her good deeds.

"With nothing now to lose, in the sight of mankind, and with no hope, and seemingly no wish, of gaining anything, it could only be genuine regard for virtue that had brought back the poor wanderer to its paths." (pg. 123)

 Hester has come to accept that she will never be able to return to her previous place in society. Being at the bottom of the barrel, so to speak, she simply does these acts to redeem herself in the eyes of God in order to achieve a state of purity once again. Ironically, because of her humbleness, the public begin to respect her more and commend her for her virtuous behavior. 

Also, Hester observes Reverend Dimmesdale continuously diminish due to the presence of Roger Chillingworth. His nerves have become shattered and he is not the man he once was because he is living with guilt and fear. Hester cannot help but feel responsible for his state because of her hand in the scheme devised by Chillingworth. Her guilty conscience makes her realize that she must fix the wrong doing inflicted upon Dimmesdale by taking matters into her own hands. Her readiness to take responsibility for her actions demonstrate her true intentions of cleansing herself of sin.

2. Hester's Appearance 

Over the past seven years, the Scarlet Letter has begun to change not only the internal state of Hester Prynne, but her physical condition as well. Her beautiful long hair is hidden beneath her cap. The warmth and vivaciousness of the young woman seems to have evaporated over the years leaving only the silhouette of the lonely woman Hester has become. The passion that Hester used to embody has been drained from her face and the rest of her features because she has been living with the public shame of her sin, and the Scarlet Letter is a constant reminder.

"All the light and graceful aspects of her character had been burned away by this flame-colored letter. Only a bare, harsh outline remained, like a tree that has lost its leaves." (pg. 125)

 The burden of the symbol she is forced to wear upon her bosom has begun to affect her externally. Her dutiful lifestyle of purity has left no room for the passion and love that used to be part of her character. It is obvious that the result of the Scarlet Letter, which represents the structure and rigid moral standards of Puritan society, has transformed Hester Prynne in to the new drab version of herself. Her lack of companions and ostracism from society has left her going through the motions of life with no vitality in her actions. She is essentially a shell of a human being, trading  her previous life of warmth and tenderness for one of seclusion, devoted to thought. The stigma of the Scarlet Letter and all that it stands for has plagued Hester and is slowly sucking the life out of her which is shown through her declining appearance.

Gossamer Thread

The novel, Defending Jacob, by William Landay, is the story of a father, a district attorney, faced with the challenge of defending his son of 14 who is accused of murdering his classmate. Throughout the novel, the Barber family and their pristine reputation in the quiet suburban town quickly crumbles when they are ostracized due to the allegations against their son Jacob. Their physical state as well as their mental well being begins to deteriorate, especially the health of the mother Laurie. She becomes distant and weary, her looks suffering from the pain she is caused due to the constant scorn she is looked upon with. Laurie questions the existence of her child and soon takes matters into her own hands. 

Like Hester, she begins as a woman full of life and passion as well as beauty. As a result from being ostracized, Laurie becomes hardened by the punishment of society's disdain. She begins moving through the actions of her daily life as though it were a job she must endure. This is very similar to the actions of Hester, who sews for the needy and tends to the sick with a detached manner because of her suffering from the burden of the Scarlet Letter. Not only do their looks diminish due to the shared ostracism from society, they both question whether their children would be better off going to heaven now instead of suffering on the cruel and unforgiving Earth. Both of their children are associated with sin, one being a product of sin and one allegedly committing a sin. These two women are linked together by the common threads of social ostracism and physical decline.