“Good wives, I will tell you what I think. It would be a great advantage to the public if we women, being of mature years and members of the church in good standing, were to deal with evildoers like this Hester Prynne. What do you think, gossips? If that slut had appeared for judgment before the five of us, who are now joined here together, would she have come away with a sentence similar to the one the lovely magistrates awarded? I don't believe it!" (p. 78, paragraph 2) said one of the old hypocrites. This was the judgment that poor Hester Prynne had to endure... The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne is one of the most popular books of all time. It has become standard reading material in English classes across the country, and it's not hard to see why. The majority of the book is made up of various symbols, or concrete objects that represent something more than themselves, which is an important component of an exemplary piece of English literature. One of the main symbols in The Scarlet Letter is a scaffolding in the center of the city. This symbol changes throughout the book, not literally, but in how the viewer is inclined to see it. At the beginning of the book it is presented as a place of shame, hatred, weakness and humiliation. Hester, the protagonist and bearer of the scarlet letter, is shamed and scorned in front of the entire town. Dimmesdale, the reverend who impregnated Hester, holds a high and respected position. He's not necessarily happy, but he still doesn't feel any shame or pain. As the story progresses, however, these characters and their relationship to the gallows change. Because of the shame, she became an outcast and learned to live alone, financially supporting herself and her daughter through sewing. This independence has made her stronger, so much so that the gallows is not as intimidating