Protecting People - Strong or Weak ?

In the book, The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Hester Prynne committed adultery, a sin highly dishonorable in the Puritan community of Boston. She is then forced to wear the letter A on her chest for the rest of her life, and live in exile from the rest of the people,

According to the text, Hester is protecting 2 men - the man she committed the sin with, and the man she was married to, Robert Chillingworth. I believe that this makes Hester Prynne a much stronger character. Hester was publicly shamed for her sin, has the burden of an "illegitimate child", and must learn to live with her own company. With all the problems that Hester has, she still decides to add another load onto her back by choosing to protect the 2 men, while simultaneously taking a load off of the other men's backs. Anyone, and a woman at that, who would choose to save someone else from being shamed like she was is truly a person of strength. Hester Prynne is that exactly.

I also, believe that the only person Hester should protect is her husband, because she committed adultery. Even though her husband was not there, she should have remained loyal to him, and not sinned. However, Robert seems to have a much darker side, even Hester noticed it, so she may only be protecting him to protect herself and her daughter. I can also understand why Hester would want to protect her fellow sinner as well. More than likely, Hester has feelings for him, so she would not want him to go through the torture she was going through.

Aissata Diallo ❤️