Question

Read the excerpt relating to Hester Prynne from Chapter 3 of The Scarlet Letter.

She had borne, that morning, all that nature could endure; and as her temperament was not of the order that
escapes from too intense suffering by a swoon, her spirit could only shelter itself beneath a stony crust of
insensibility, while the faculties of animal life remained entire.
Which character trait of Hester Prynne does Hawthorne develop in this excerpt from the chapter?
O weakness of spirit
O inner strength
© carelessness
desire for revenge
lark this and return
Save and Exit
Hext
Submit

Answer 1

I believe the answer is Inner Strength

Step-by-step explanation:

It seems that she has become hardened due to harsh experiences. It doesn't show that she has a weakness of spirit, because the excerpt does not allude to her being weak at all, quite the opposite actually. It's not carelessness either, it doesn't say that she's reckless in any way and gives no examples of this either. I don't think she desires revenge, at least not from what I've read from this short text. The key word: Insensibility. It means she is unfeeling, stoic. Usually, if someone desires revenge, they feel anger, resentment, venomous, but it sounds like Hester is just numb to the world. Stay cool.<3