Women had a big role in society during the Scarlett Letter era, but Hester Pryne went above and beyond what a normal woman did around this age. She was a very strong person and pretty much handled the "A" which was imprinted on her chest very well. She was not your normal woman though, she could take care of herself, by finding a good way to make money by using her own talents. One of her drawbacks though was Pearl who held her back from things like love or things that would require much change, but she was very different from all of the other woman during this time. Also she is very different from modern day women in the way she works and her hobbies.
Most women during this time basically stayed home all day, taking care and raising their kids and tending to some household chores like cleaning, cooking, etc.
English: Hester Prynne & Pearl before the stocks
Hester with airplane, 1917
Hester in airplane, 1923Some of their hobbies were to find a way to keep their children busy, knitting, reading, etc. For Hester Pryne on the other hand, her housekeeping meant that she had to basically "control" not take care of Pearl who was for most of the time, a very bad child.
When Bell stated that "Above all things else, to keep the mother's soul alive, and to serve her from blacker depths of sin into which Satan might else have sought to plunge for her!" (44-46) This basically meant that Pearl kept Hester from turning rebellious. And Nina Baym stated that Hester is not by nature rebellious, and she tried to accept the letter, but she is unable to see that she has actually done something wrong. She showed that Hawthorne tried a wierd way to show that the Hester is good and the Puritan rule is bad, but he...