Proud Mary: Hester Prynne's Pride and the Virgin/Whore Complex in The Scarlet Letter.
This paper addresses the character of Hester Prynne in Hawthorne's classic novel The Scarlet Letter. From a feminist perspective, it critiques the position of the character as woman, mother, and adulteress, using modern literary criticism as well as foundational essays by D.H. Lawrence and Mark Van Doren. The novel is discussed as an example of Romantic literature, and Hester is put into perspective with other comparable heroines of the Romantic, and other, eras. 7 pgs. Bibliography lists 10 sources.