Chapter 4-8

Through research, I learned that Hawthorne grew up in Salem, Massachusetts. He was haunted by the Salem witch trials that occurred in his town in 1692, especially because his great-grandfather was a judge. This is a very influential part of Hawthorne's life, leading to the inspiration of The Scarlet Letter which was based during the same time as the witch trials were. Both of these events revolve around woman being accused of sinning and their fate is up to the men ruling the trial.

As time goes on, Hester has moved into a cabin in the forest with her three year old daughter, Pearl. The narrator describes Pearl as, "so magnificent was the small figure, when his arrayed, and such was the splendor of Pearl's own proper beauty, shining though her gorgeous roves which might have extinguished a paler loveliness, that there was an absolute circle of radiance." (82). He describes her as almost a mystical child, I vision almost a goddess or saint. I find it important that she holds this type of beauty because it seems to convey a since of power as well in such a small child.

Analyzing the symbol of the letter A, I found one quote to represent significant meaning. As Hester is in her house the narrator states, "One day as her mother stooped over the cradle, the infant's eye had been caught by the glimmering of the gold embroidery about the letter; and putting up her little hand, she grasped at it, smiling not doubtfully, but with a decided gleam, that have her face the look of a much older child." Hester finds her scarlet letter to be shameful and a representation of her sin, she believes it has only negative connotation. However, her daughter is quite fascinated with it which is symbolic due to the fact that her daughter was the outcome of the sin that the A represents. This is similar to how the A led Hester to the prison because it's glimmer is always caught by Pearl's eyes, representing that the her sin is something to not be ashamed of because she got a daughter as a companion in the end. This shows that the A has different meaning to certain people.

Hester comes across a dilemma where the governor either wants to take Pearl away from Hester if she is not a human child for Hester's sake, or he wants to take her away if she is a human child  so she can have a better mother than what he believes Hester would be. This is a tough situation for Hester as Pearl is the most important thing in her life. It's a damned if you do, damned if you don't situation, which is something very hard to live with. Hester speaks loudly to the Governor fighting for her daughter because God has given Pearl to her.

Hester Prynne can fit multiple archetypes, but she mostly falls under the category of a liberated woman. She is independent as she lives alone with a daughter and she frequently stands up for herself, when she denies to tell who she had an affair with and when she fights to keep her daughter. She is making a life and path on her own and hopefully on the way she influences others to have a more open mind from what they are use to from their Puritan beliefs.