In The Scarlet Letter, why can Hester be seen as a heroine?

Admittedly,
, an adulteress who has a child by a man not her husband, might come across as a hard sell for
the heroine of a drama set in Puritan times. Nevertheless, she is the moral center of the novel
and the strongest person in it. Unlike bothand , she has the courage to do what is right rather
than doing what is expedient.

Dimmesdale, though ironically seen as an
emblem of purity in his society, wishes he had Hester's strength. Much as he would like to come
clean and publicly acknowledge himself as Hester's lover and 's father, he falters at the idea
of sacrificing his position and reputation. Likewise, Chillingworth is ashamed to be known as
Hester's cuckolded husband, so he has Hester promise to keep their relationship secret.
Meanwhile, he goes around in underhanded ways to get revenge on Dimmesdale.

Hester is an admirable character in that she stays and faces up to what she has done, rather
than going off with Pearl and starting a new life where...