Hester's job was to embroider beautiful things on garments. She even embroidered for rich people because her work was so beautiful. However, Hester was not allowed to embroider something for a bride. No bride in the town would go to her. It was a mark of her sin that the people simply used her because they had to, they did not really accept her. They did not think someone who committed adultry, who was so impure, deserved to have anything to do with a bride who was faithful. Hester had a child with a man who was not her husband and her sin did not honor marriage at all. The town saw that since she once did not honor marriage when she committed her sin, she should never again have anything to do with promoting marriage.
"From first to last, in short, Hester Prynne had always this dreadful agony in feeling a human eye upon this token; the spot never grew callous; it seemed, on the contrary to grow more sensitive with daily torture"(79).
Everyone could see the scarlet letter that Hester wore. Everyone knew what it meant. Everyone stared at it in awe because they found the meaning behind the A so horrible. Everyone Hester came in contact with was constantly staring at her, and always judging her. All anyone saw when they looked at Hester was her scarlet letter. Although it may seem that one could get used to having people stare, Hester could not. Hester was so ashamed of her sin, and the more that people judged her on it, the more it hurt her. She knew she sinned and she accepted it. The constant staring and judgement day after day was torturous. She was constantly judging her action herself, and the staring of others made the combination almost impossible for her to bear.
- Does Pearl have some type of power? Or can she merely do no wrong in her mother's eyes
- Will Hester forgive herself so she can ignore the judgment between others and herself?
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