In Nathaniel Hawthorne's book, The Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne committed adultery with the town's most beloved minister, Arthur Dimmesdale. In Puritan times, marriage was sacred and severing the bond was punishable by death (Hawthorne 49). As fate would have it, only Hester was discovered for her sin due to her pregnancy. Hester's life was spared, but her sin changed her forever. Hester's sin distorted her interactions with society and those close to her, altered her lifestyle, and ultimately changed her personality. As punishment for her sin, Hester was forced to endure public humiliation on a scaffold for three hours and wear a scarlet letter for the rest of her life. This isolated Hester from the rest of society. Nathaniel Hawthorne writes: “Every gesture, every word, and even the silence of those with whom she came in contact implied, and often expressed, that she was banished and as alone as if she inhabited another sphere or communicated with the world. common nature by other organs and senses than the rest of the human race” (80). Although by the end of the novel, Hester gained the respect of the public, she was never able to become a normal member of society (152). Hester's only hope for love was Dimmesdale, and they almost managed to live together by planning to elope (192). Their plans were later thwarted by the death of Dimmesdale, also a consequence of their sin. Hester finally found some comfort when Dimmesdale kissed their little Pearl and inadvertently restored to the child the human feelings she lacked as Hester's punishment for her sin. Hester's youth, although poor, was filled with comforting memories of her parents and their humble abode. . Her new life marked by ignominy was a radical change from what she had been...... middle of paper ......nce. She could have stayed in a place where no one knew about her sin, but she had transformed herself into an independent woman who decided for herself what she did with her life. Hester's sin turned out to have changed her life much more than she had anticipated. Her entire life has been turned upside down, from the arrival of a new child to social banishment. Hester could no longer live as she once did, talk to those she once knew, or act as she once did. Even though life was exhausting, Hester still prevailed in a society controlled by sin. Hawthorne says: “Such helpfulness was found in her – so much power to do and power to sympathize – that many people refused to interpret the scarlet 'A' by its original meaning. They said it meant “Capable”; so strong was Hester Prynne, with the strength of a woman” (152). Works Cited Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The scarlet letter. New York: Signet Classics, 2009. Print