The Scarlet Letter - Two Symbols of His Crime "It is not the pleasure of the magistrates to take away this badge," replied Hester calmly. “If I were worthy to get rid of it, it would lose its very nature or transform into something that should speak of a different meaning.” (163)Hester Prynne, the central character of The Scarlet Letter, realizes and accepts the consequences of the adulterous act committed against her husband, Roger Chillingworth, as Hawthorne shows in this quote. Hester, throughout the book, shuts herself out and humiliates herself because of her crime, rather than simply running away. At the same time, he advertises his sin through the brilliantly embroidered “A” and through his daughter Pearl, born of this sin. Hester realizes that she has actually sinned by committing adultery and, being the strong person she is, accepts the consequences of her actions. Indeed, much of the suffering suffered by Hester's sin comes from her own actions. She, by choice, wears humble and gloomy clothes; he moves to the outskirts of his city, but refuses to escape to a place where no one knows about his crime; she excludes herself from society, while society does not always exclude her. Instead of running away from her crime, Hester embraces it. He states: "It is not in the pleasure of magistrates to take away this badge... If I were worthy to be freed from it, it would fall from its very nature, or be transformed into something which should speak of a different meaning." ”, realizing the crime he had committed and the fairness of his punishment: the scarlet letter (163). Hester goes so far as to dwell on the letter as a symbol of her guilt. The bright crimson “A” resides on his humbly clad chest, making the letter stand out even more; Pearl, the daughter of sin, runs alongside her mother, dressed in spectacular gowns “abundantly embroidered with patterns and flourishes of gold thread,” in effect personifying that same symbol (102). In any case, Hester publicizes the fact that she has sinned and is paying for her crime, bringing even more suffering upon herself. And once again, he accepts it. He realizes that the letter should only be removed when he is no longer guilty of his crime. He knows, therefore, that that day will never come. Society, however, thinks differently.