When questioned about the identity of the father of her child, Hester unflinchingly refuses to abandon him, shouting "I will not speak!... my child must seek a heavenly Father. ; she will never know one on earth! (47). Hester takes the full brunt of adultery, allowing Dimmesdale to continue his life and freeing him from the public ridicule that the magistrates impose on him. She then remains standing on the scaffold for three hours, subjected to the disdain and condescending remarks of the residents. However, Hester bears it all "with glassy eyes and an air of weary indifference." (48). Hester does not break down and cry, or moan, or beg for forgiveness, or confess with whom she has sinned; she stands resolutely strong in the face of harsh Puritan law and responds to her crime. Afterward, when Hester must put the pieces of her life back together, she continues to show her iron spine and determination by using her wonderful talent for needlework "to provide nourishment for her growing baby and herself.” (56). Some of her customers like to make snide remarks and lewd compliments towards Hester while she is working, but Hester never gives them the satisfaction of her reaction. Nathaniel Hawthorne portrays Hester Prynne as a person, a person who made mistakes, but who worked tirelessly to atone for them. Hawthorne's use of positive diction and profound imagery also set the tone for Hester as a woman scorned, but