"Scarlet letter"

The Scarlet Letter takes place in the Puritan Mass Bay Colonies, written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, and centers on Hester Prynne. Hester is an outsider in her puritan community, because she has committed a horrific crime in her neighbor's eyes. She has broken one of the Ten Commandments adultery, and is therefore going to hell. She has an illegitimate child outside of her marriage and this child has no known father. As such, the puritan leaders …

…It has reached her heart. The letter is part of her and she understands that. Still she caries herself with dignity, self respect, and pride. Her pride does not falter in the face of public disgrace; she does not allow her shame to dim her spirit. She answered not to her community, but to herself and to her God. As such, she is a role model for every person who reads about her extraordinary personality.