The Strength of a Tenacious Woman

People often play a crucial role in each others lives, which might not seem significant at the time. It might be a word, phrase, or statement which may seem insignificant, but a single action can change the course of a person's life. Everyone grows and develops a network in society, and these systems aid in allowing a person to become who they are. Similarly, throughout many works of literature, a novel’s minor characters support the main character rather significantly. These minor characters incorporate a key element from which the main character comes to be. The method in which they help the main character frequently varies due to the time and era of which the work takes place in. The Neo-Classicism era, also known as the restoration period, was a reaction against the Renaissance era. The Renaissance era was believed to be unsystematic, and humans had no rules in society. In the restoration period, literature was meant to be didactic. It was supposed to be teaching a moral value and preaching about living life properly. It pointed out the wrongdoings of society, from which came the Neo-Classicism era. Many works of literature came about in this era. Nathaniel Hawthorne, in his satirical novel The Scarlet Letter, presents a heroine ahead of her time through her struggles with her ostracization for having an illegitimate child, her abusive former husband, and her forbidden love affair with the Reverend—thus becoming ultimately stronger, despite her punitive society's attempt to break her.

From having an affair to raising a child like Pearl, Hester becomes a strong individual supporting herself through a challenging life. As the story unfolds, Hester is set free from prison on the grounds of being guilty of adultery. She is then wearing the letter "A" on her chest as a symbol for her sins and forgiveness from God. Despite the societal attempt to break her, Hester moves and makes a living on her own, along with Pearl. Hester works as a seamstress and raises Pearl in an abandoned home outside of Boston. Pearl is the light of Hester's dark days and brings about the best in her. She makes Hester a strong and courageous woman. When Hester is fighting for Pearl’s custody at the governor's office, she argues that she is a fit mother and states, “‘God gave me the child!’ cried she. ‘He gave her, in requital of all things else, which ye had taken from me. She is my happiness!’” (Hawthorne 101). Pearl is the only constant in Hester's life. If the governor takes Pearl away from Hester, she would become incapable of being the person she is. Hester says, “Had they taken her from me, I would willingly have gone with thee into the forest and signed my name in the Black Man’s book” (107). Pearl epitomizes how her mother is astray without her. Strikingly, Pearl is the spring from which Hester's joy arises. Since Pearl is Hester’s main priority, she is the source of Hester's happiness and sorrow. Pearl has a positive impact on Hester, which ultimately gives her the courage to solve problems in her everyday life.

One of the main problems in Hester's life is her husband Chillingworth, as she realizes he is not a fine man. Hester and Chillingworth do not have the best relationship. While she awaits her husband in Boston, she falls for another man.This results in Hester going to prison for adultery. Chillingworth takes advantage of Hester when she is weak. While pretending to be a physician, Chillingworth gets in the prison that Hester was locked in. He asks her about Pearl's father and says:

‘We have wronged each other,’ answered he. ‘Mine was the first wrong, when I betrayed thy budding youth into a false and unnatural relation with my decay. Therefore, as a man who has not thought and philosophized in vain, I seek no vengeance, plot no evil against thee. Between thee and me, the scale hangs fairly balanced. But, Hester, the man lives who has wronged us both! Who is he? (70)

Hester being alone still did not confess to Chillingworth about Pearl's father. At one point, Hester realizes that had she been with Chillingworth, she could not have felt the happiness that she feels with Pearl. Hester first gets this feeling when she confronts Chillingworth about torturing Dimmesdale. Chillingworth states, "What evil have I done?" (232). Even when she told him about his wrongdoings, he ignores and lies to her. Hester becomes agitated and angry, which leads her to tell Dimmesdale that Chillingworth is her husband. Another time in the story substantiating that Chillingworth is abusive was when he confesses to Hester. He says, ‘"Thou hast escaped me!... Thou hast escaped me! "(232). Chillingworth realizes torturing is wrong as it resulted in the death of Dimmesdale. The way Hester handles Chillingworth predominantly makes her a stronger individual.

As Hester is lonely, she finds the love that Chillingworth could not provide her through the Reverend, who loves and supports her like no one else. He inspires her and gives her hope. He is a good man and stands for the good of people. The attributes of the Reverend make Hester a passionate woman as he not only fights for their daughter, but he is also supportive of her. When the governor wants to take Pearl away, Dimmesdale says:

For, if we deem it otherwise, do we not thereby say that the Heavenly Father, the Creator of all flesh, hath lightly recognized a deed of sin, and made of no account the distinction between unhallowed lust and holy love? This child of its father’s guilt and its mother’s shame hath come from the hand of God, to work in many ways upon her heart, who pleads so earnestly, and with such bitterness of spirit, the right to keep her. It was meant for a blessing; for the one blessing of her life! (105).

He shows compassion for her and cares for her. Having an affair with a man like Dimmesdale gives Hester a better future to look forward to along with Pearl. Although he did not stand beside Hester on the scaffold, he still supported her. They even made plans to go away and start a life as a family. Due to unfortunate circumstances, that did not happen. Feeling the stress of the past seven years, Dimmesdale confesses:

I stand upon the spot where, seven years since, I should have stood; here, with this woman, whose arm, more than the little strength wherewith I have crept hitherward, sustains me, at this dreadful moment, from groveling down upon my face! Lo, the scarlet letter which Hester wears! Ye have all shuddered at it! Wherever her walk hath been,—wherever, so miserably burdened, she may have hoped to find repose,—it hath cast a lurid gleam of awe and horrible repugnance round about her. But there stood one in the midst of you, at whose brand of sin and infamy ye have not shuddered! (231)

Then he dies, saying God is merciful. Hester having been through this experience, not only makes her a tenacious woman, but also gives her strength to move on to live a better life.

The Scarlet Letter is a satirical novel, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, which displays a strong woman fighting courageously to achieve happiness with her daughter, overcoming her conflicts with her husband and fighting for the love of her life, ultimately seizing the day in the end. This would not have been achievable if she had not received the right motivation through the minor characters. These minor characters incorporate a key element from which the main character comes to be. This not only shows that Hester was a woman ahead of her time, but also shows her independence from society with the help of Pearl, Chillingworth's motivation, and Dimmesdale’s love. Throughout history, women like Hester have proven to be stronger than men with the struggles they overcome. She shows that with the courage provided from their families to solve problems in their everyday life, the way they handle personal conflicts and choosing the right partner , ultimately makes them stronger, despite their harsh society's attempt to break them.