Hester Prynne's Character in the Scarlet Letter (1850): A Cognitive Stylistic Approach

Abstract

The present study aims to conduct a cognitive stylistic analysis of the characterization in Nathaniel Hawthorne's novel The Scarlet Letter (1850), specifically the character of the protagonist, Hester Prynne. Combining the perspectives of cognitive psychology and literary analysis, the study explores the linguistic and stylistic devices that Hawthorne employs to create and develop the character of Hester Prynne by utilizing the theoretical framework of cognitive linguistics (Gavins & Steen, 2003). The study employs a qualitative research approach to analyze selected excerpts of the novel from the perspective of cognitive stylistics, resulting in the fact that the combination of linguistic and stylistic devices used by Hawthorne, such as metaphor, imagery, and irony, constructs a character in Hester Prynne that is multi-dimensional and complex. The study provides a greater insight and analysis of Hester Prynne's character construction as the novel's protagonist, as well as an enhanced grasp of the literary character development process in light of the cognitive progressions in the novel.