Originally the scarlet letter A stood for adultery; however, as time progressed, Hester proved her worth by bearing her shame and reciprocated peoples judgemental ridicule by being kind to the homeless and giving charity. The people inevitably began to see Hester as good and strong, to the point of refusing the A’s original meaning and claiming otherwise. “ They said that it meant Able; so strong was Hester Prynne, with a woman’s strength.” (168) The people no longer saw Hester as a woman of adultery, but rather a person with a kind heart and a helpful soul. This shows how strong Hester was, and how she was able to endure the shame thrust upon her by society. Hester didn 't need the help of anyone to change her image. By transforming the meaning of the scarlet letter, Hester was seen by society as an equal. The people began to think of Hester as one of them and not just an …show more content…
The scarlet letter proved that Hester is a strong, independent woman who is adept of caring for herself without the need of a man or anyone else. Hester had been a strong and competent woman before she extracted the symbol of shame off her chest, it was only a matter of whether people perceived her strength as feminism. People are incessantly going to perceive feminism as a bad and wrong; however, as Hester Prynne proved otherwise, feminism will invariably exist no matter the situation or time. Time is progressing and tolerance and change are inevitable as more and more women become stronger and rise to