hester
...ne committed the sin of adultery before the novel began. During the seventeenth-century, the Puritans of Massachusetts believed that breaking the seventh commandment (Thou shalt not commit adultery.) was punishable by death. “…Hester Prynne appeared more lady-like, in the antique interpretation of the term….” Maybe it’s her background and her pride that keeps her “in control” throughout the novel. However, Hester is a victim of a time when women were forced to marry without necessarily loving their partners. That is what happened to Hester. She was forced to marry Chillingworth without loving him. Chillingworth sent Hester off to Massachusetts while he stayed in Amsterdam. As time passed, Hester received no correspondence from Chillingworth. (He was captured by Indians.) Hester believed he may be dead. So, Hester is a victim of Chillingworth’s lack of concern for her. She is also a victim of Dimmesdale’s weakness of not owning up to the fact that he was the father of Pearl. He chose to hide his sin. Hester also demonstrates her passion for loving Dimmesdale and her daughter, Pearl. Her passion to conceal the identity of the father of her daughter keeps her...