Hester Prynne a Tragic Character in the Novel “The Scarlet Letter

Answer

 Do you consider Hester Prynne a tragic character in the novel “The Scarlet Letter”? Illustrate your answer.

The novel “The Scarlet Letter” (1850) is a psychological and tragic romance composed by the American writer Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1864). In the novel, the protagonist, Hester Prynne, is a tragic character from the beginning to the end. A tragedy has a tragic hero or heroine as its central character. Usually, tragic heroines or heroes have heroic qualities that make the audience sympathize with them.

Hester Prynne as a tragic character: Hawthorne’s novel describes Hester as a tragic character. If we judge any character as tragic or not, we first evaluate the characteristics of a tragic character. But Hester is a different tragic character from the conventional tragic character.

Excessive courage of herself: Hester Prynne’s character is characterized by her courage and bravery in the face of adversity. She was imprisoned, and a child was born in the prison house. She wears the letter “A” as a sign of adultery. She imprinted  “A” as a sign of her sin on her dress. In the story, because of her sin, she becomes a symbol of Eve, who has sinned for eating the forbidden fruit. In the novel, we see the bravery of Hester. She is too brave. And bravery is one of the traits of a tragic character. So, Hester is a tragic character। We can site quotes:

She turned her eyes downward at the scarlet letter, and even touched it with her finger, to assure herself that the infant and the shame were real

Tragic flaw of her life: Tragic flaw is an essential feature of a tragic hero or heroine. In the novel, we see that Hester is obsessed with the tragic flaw of her entire life. She has been imprisoned for her adultery. According to the Puritan law, for her adultery, she has to lead a secluded life and faced various problems in her life. So, we can say that Hester is a tragic character. 

Patience of Hester: Hester is one of the most enduring characters in the history of English literature. In the novel, we find Hester to have an exceptional quality of patience, which recognizes her as a tragic character.  Novelist Nathaniel Hawthorne has presented Haster as the embodiment of endurance. She had to endure extreme shame and suffering for her love and illegal child, Pearl. The townspeople separated her from the locality. Hester’s loneliness and suffering have become her mental strength and add to her spiritual flaw for working charitable work. So, we can say that Hester’s patience has made her a tragic heroine. 

The letter was the symbol of her calling. Such helpfulness was found in her – 

Royal heart: It is noticeable that in the Shakespearian tragedy, the tragic hero belongs to an upper-class family. In the novel “The Scarlet Letter,”  Hester has no royal-blooded personality. Still, she has a royal heart. She possesses the ability to pardon others and her fellow sinners like Dimsdalle.  Later on we came to know that Hester’s has started charitable work for the poor and the helpless people of the town of Boston.  For her charitable work, she has been known as the “Sister of Mercy”; this feature is well matched to the characteristics of a tragic hero or heroine.  

Reversal of fate: Reversal of fate is the most remarkable trait of the Aristotelian tragic hero. The novel “The Scarlet Letter” shows signs of a reversal of fate. Mr. Arthur Dimmesdale is the young priest and governor of the town of Boston. He is the fellow sinner of the adultery of Hester. Hester promised Dimmesdale that she would not disclose the fact. According to her promise, she has endured public shame rather than reveal the name of her lover. But in the 23 chapters, in the irony of fate, Dimmesdale himself disclosed the fact that he is the fellow sinner of Hester’s adultery and the biological father of Pearl. It was the reversal of Hester’s fate.

The law was broke! – the sin here so awfully revealed! – 

In short, it is undoubtedly clear that the protagonist of the novel,  “The Scarlet Letter,” Hester Prynne, is a tragic character. Her character is well matched to the characteristic features of a tragic character from a slightly different angle.