Scarlet Letter #7

"Individuals in private life, meanwhile, had quite forgiven Hester Prynne for her frailty; nay, more, they had begun to look upon the scarlet letter as the token, not of that one sin, for which she had borne so long and dreary a penance, but of her many good deeds since" (147)

The scarlet letter was a punishment placed upon Hester for her wrong-doings, and it has resulted in a very positive effect. Punishments are made to teach people about what they did wrong, and to help someone become a better person because of it. However, a punishment only works if the accused is willing to accept the punishment. Hester definitely realized the severity of her act, and she knew she must pay the price for it. She struggled through adversity, but, with enough desire, she was able to stick it out and now is being welcomed back into society. This is only right because she has done everything asked of her, and she deserves a second chance.

"Hester could not but ask herself, whether there had not originally been a defect of truth, courage, and loyalty, on her own part, in allowing the minister to be thrown into a position where so much evil was to be foreboded, and nothing auspicious to be hoped"(151)

Well, the last horse finally crosses the finish line. After all the times Dimmesdale secretly asked Hester to tell on him, only now she realizes he might also be struggling with his own situation. However, you cannot really blame Hester for protecting Dimmesdale because it was all in good intentions. Hester was branded with a physical punishment that destroyed any reputation she had with the twonspeople. She figured keeping Dimmesdale out of the spotlight would preserve his reputation and admirable character that was so popular in the town.