The Scarlet LetterHester Prynne can well be considered one of the first "feminists" in order to fully understand the meaning of the word feminist, it is important to define feminist, and apply the definition to Hester's actions and how Nathaniel Hawthorne portrayed her; and how Hester's relationship with Pearl, Dimmesdale, and Chillingworth reinforces or challenges the feminist definition. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essayIn 1850, Nathaniel Hawthorne published a novel called The Scarlet Letter. This controversial story chronicles the life of Hester Prynne, a 17th-century woman living in a Puritan colony in what would become Massachusetts. The novel begins with Hester punished for adultery. Therefore, his punishment was to stand on a scaffold in front of the entire city and wear the scarlet letter "A" for the rest of his life and live in public shame. Nevertheless, Hester refused to reveal the identity of the father. Throughout the novel, Hawthorne portrays Hester as an early feminist through her actions and interpersonal relationships. To understand how Hester Prynne is an early feminist, we must first look at the definition of feminism. Feminism, as defined by the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, is "the belief that men and women should have equal rights and opportunities" and "the theory of political, economic, and social equality of the sexes." Even though Hester never openly stated that she believed This, her actions reveal more than words ever could. Hester Prynne reveals through her incredible strength that she is one of the first feminists. Hester is in love with the Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale. However, she is a married woman. She married years ago to a doctor named Roger Chillingworth. Although she is married to him, she doesn't really love him, hasn't seen him in years, and presumed him dead. She becomes pregnant with Dimmesdale's child, but no one knows it is hers. She sees Chillingworth while she is on the scaffold. He is dressed like an Indian and has a deformed shoulder. On the scaffold before the city, Hester publicly refuses to name Dimmesdale as the child's father. "'I won't speak!' replied Hester, pale as death, but responding to this voice that she too surely recognized. “And my child must seek a heavenly father; she will never know one on earth!' » (66) Hester also demonstrates incredible strength when she raises Pearl as a single mother in a 17th-century Puritan village. At the time, single mothers and bastard children were considered rejects of society and socially unacceptable. However, she always kept Pearl as her child and raised her well. When she is brought from the prison to the scaffold to be mocked and condemned by the entire community, she does not cry, break down, or attack back. She is stoic, even if she feels attacked and weak inside. The scarlet letter she carried was meant to shame and ruin her, and the opposite is true. The letter, once considered an ignominious and humiliating mark, was taken by villagers to mean "capable." “The letter was the symbol of his vocation. Such helpfulness was found in her – so much power to act and power to sympathize – that many people refused to interpret the scarlet A by its original meaning. They said it meant Able, so strong was Hester Prynne, with the strength of a woman. (158) She was ostracized and considered.