Scarlet Letter Hester's Deception

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What would you do to protect the ones you love? Would you be willing to give up your beauty, health, or even mental being at the price of a lie? But what if in turn, it ended up hurting them in the worst of ways? Usually, people want to save the ones they love from being upset, even if it means not telling the truth. But throughout life, people are affected from these lies and pay for them in a way that makes us wonder if it was all really worth it. This issue is often dealt with in literature. In the Scarlet Letter, the characters of Hester Prynne and Dimmesdale commit deception which leads to a variety of negative consequences for Hester, Dimmesdale, and their child Pearl. Hester’s own deception eventually affects herself. First, Hester is…show more content…
Her clothes being of the “coarsest material” and “sombre hue” (80) are evidence of the miserable feeling taking over her. As a result of her deception, Hester no longer obtains her former beauty. Instead, it is replaced with a dreary plainness. Hester is also affected emotionally. Before Hester was ever shunned by society due to the lies brought about by the scarlet letter, Hester was known to be a passionate woman. For example, as Reverend Wilson questions her about the name of her adulterous partner, Hester’s emotional strength shone through as she revealed she was strong enough to “endure his agony” (65) as well as her own. The boldness she possessed presented her “wondrous strength” (65) and the confidence she had in herself. In the start of the novel, there was a scene where Hester refused to be led through the crowd by an official. It was evident from this young woman that the “natural dignity and force of character” (50) was truly expressed in this situation. Hester had even been strong enough to face her society upon the scaffold without the help of an official. From this, it was evident that she had “a certain state and dignity” (51) to her

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