- This quote shows that despite Hester’s confidence and acceptance of her sin, she is still affected by the townspeople’s constant glare at not only her, but the actual scarlet letter. It is evident that Hester holds a sense of insecurity within herself because she expresses her concern on the increase of the torture she feels she is receiving with every glare. Hester has no control over it and must deal with his difficulty on her own, bearing the shame of her sin on her chest for all to see. Her vulnerability provokes a sense of empathy within the reader, causing one to understand Hester’s position in this cruelty. Likewise, in “The Crucible,” Proctor’s genuine nature caused the reader to sympathize with what he was going through, pushing the well deserved (partial) blame from Proctor to the townspeople.
When will the townspeople allow for Hester to be absolved from her sin of adultery?
"But, whether from pride or resignation, or a feeling that her penance might best be wrought out by this unutterable pain, she resisted the impulse, and sat erect, pale as death, looking sadly into Pearl's wild eyes" (89).
- As Pearl consistently throws wild flowers at Hester’s letter, Hester has the immediate instinct to cover it up. However, she restrains from doing so, expressing that perhaps this was a means of obtaining absolution from her sin. Regardless of the unjust treatment and false judgment Hester receives from the townspeople, she continues to bear her letter without any attempt to hide it. Hester believes that she deserves the hand she was dealt with considering that Hester is under the impression that Pearl’s malevolent nature is a direct consequence of her own sin. This is somewhat opposite to Proctor in “The Crucible” because Proctor had trouble truly accepting the fact that he had commit adultery, even after confessing it.
Will Pearl grow up to be extremely evil?
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