"She had returned, therefore, and resumed,—of her own free will, for not the sternest magistrate of that iron period would have imposed it,—resumed the symbol of which we have related so dark a tale. Never afterwards did it quit her bosom. But . . . the scarlet letter ceased to be a stigma which attracted the world’s scorn and bitterness, and became a type of something to be sorrowed over, and looked upon with awe, and yet with reverence, too." (page 202)
Similar to the previous passage, the sense of empowerment and overcoming obstacles is the basic way to sum up the last chapter of the book. We, as readers are left with Hester being a hero in a way. Through the entire book, Hester is regarded as a sinful woman who struggles to make her true personality known. However, it is evidences through Hester returning back home and her continuing to wear the scarlet letter, that she is not ashamed of who she is. Rather than being ashamed, Hester knows that her past is a part of her, but she wants to move forward. A theme of forgiveness that accompanies the theme of sin is present in this very action. To me, I thought that ending the book with a courageous Hester, was the best way to make the upsetting tale surprisingly inspiring and uplifting.
The ending definitely shows some irony in the fact that Hester was disgraced at the beginning of the novel, and now she has the courage to hold her head high because she endured so much ridicule and hardship. In a way, I think Hawthorne was satirizing the hypocrisy of society and pointing out how everyone sins, but sometimes the ones who receive the greatest punishment are actually the most mentally strong and upright individuals.
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