Hester accepted the aftermath of what she had done because she had no choice, but she accepted it grace and strength. I think she did this, not to preserve her pride, but because she had the choice between fighting it until it wore her out, or taking it as something to build her up, if anything. In letting society force her momentarily out of their bubble she was no longer constrained to their ideas of what needs to be fixed. When they are ready to accept her back into society she refuses, because she seems to have accepted it into herself, she said that if it were the letter's time to be taken off it would fall away of it's own accord. Even though Hester seems to have given up her womanhood and given into her sin. I think the loss of light Hester seems to have experienced doesn't come from the scrutiny of society or weight of the guilt. Instead I think it comes from her unrequited love for Dimmsdale, being so close but unreachable. When Hester and Dimmsdale meet in the forest and he asks to let him love her and Pearl, this is proved because it wasn't making up her sin to society that brought her back, instead what she had done simply needed to be justified. It wasn't the forgiveness of society that let her take away the A and be ready to leave Boston. It was the love of Dimmsdale, and the promise that he would come with her.
Dimmsdale, by not accepting the punishment that would have been given by society, was constantly tortured by it. Staying immersed in society he was not able to reflect on what he had done and it, in turn, tore at him daily. This is where Hesters strength saved her, by letting society force her out of their bubble she was no longer constrained to their idea of what needed to be fixed. She was able suffer for her own belief of what she had done wrong, instead of carrying the guilt society had pushed upon her.
I don't think it was the guilt of her sin that weighed Hester down, causing her to sacrifice her womanhood and put up her hair, or that drove her to help those in need and work tirelessly. I think it was the unsatisfied love that remained from her affair with Dimmsdale, and helplessness from being so close and yet unreachable to the one person who really understood her that drained her life and cast away the sunshine. I don't think it was her pride that kept her head high through it all, or that inspired her to dress Pearl lavishly like she had sewn the A she wore.
Sophie,
ReplyDeleteThis is indeed all over the place, but in very interesting ways (this is a thoughtful, substantive and productive post--one that I hope some of your peers use as a model).
Clearly, you need a focus, and I wonder if that phrase "Hester's strength" might provide it? Could you examine the sources of Hester's strengths, its dynamics,its effects--and then use this analysis to support some argument relative to what Hawthorne is trying to communicate through his novel?
If you could, I think it would make for an excellent essay! I'm looking forward to seeing a draft.