"The Scarlet Letter"

Chapter II (pg. 59, 60, 64) The Unavoidable Truth         The isolation and courage that Hester Pryne felt when she walked to the scaffold to face reality brought out my deepest sympathy and respect for her. Hester, followed by a crowd of 'stern-browed men,' 'unkindly visaged women,' and 'curious school boys,' begins the walk from the jail to the scaffold. She seems to be proud and dignified. However, internally, she feels great agony, for she was …

…dinner together. We often try to evade reality, but reality is unavoidable. When Hester was on the scaffold, facing shame and humiliation, she thought of her past in order to forget her present situation on the scaffold. Similarly, when I was eight years old, kneeling down in front of everybody, I too tried to lose myself in past memories. However, both Hester and I are still faced with reality, no matter where are minds are.