Who Hester Prynne is
Hester Prynne first appears outside Boston's prison, carrying her baby and wearing a scarlet letter she has sewn herself. The crowd sees a woman marked by sin, but she holds her head high and endures its scrutiny.
After her release, she lives in a cottage near the sea and woods, apart from the town. Her needlework supports her, even as the people who need her skill continue to scorn her.
Hester Prynne and the others in the story
Pearl is both Hester's deepest joy and a constant reminder of the punishment that shapes their lives. When the town's leaders question her right to raise Pearl, Hester pleads to keep her daughter. Arthur Dimmesdale, her minister, speaks in her defense and helps persuade the Governor to let them remain together.
How Hester Prynne changes
Hester stays in Boston because she believes she must bear her punishment where her wrongdoing took place. Yet her life outside respectable society also gives her room to think more freely.
Through nursing the sick and helping the poor, she gradually changes how some townspeople understand the letter.
Questions
Why does Hester Prynne wear the scarlet letter?
Hester must wear it because she has a child outside marriage. The A marks her publicly as an adulterer.
Who is Hester Prynne's daughter?
Her daughter is Pearl, a lively, fearless child who asks searching questions about her mother's letter.
Who is Hester Prynne's husband?
Her husband is the learned physician who takes the name Roger Chillingworth. He asks Hester to keep his identity secret when he arrives in Boston.