What is an example of an inference that you could make about the character of Hester Prynne in Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letterthrough her...

To make an
inference means to draw conclusions from the data with which you have to work. In the case of
any work of literature, it is the author's words which are your data. In the case ofin
, Hawthorne has given the reader a great deal of data from which to draw
conclusions. Furthermore, as the novel progresses to its , the reader learns much more about
Hester through her actions. From the very beginning of the tale one can infer that she is proud;
she refuses to give in to the mockery of the gossiping villagers. She wears her letter without
trying to cover it. She stands silent during her ordeal on the scaffold, looking right out at
her audience. She is also stubborn, refusing to give the name of her partner-in-sin, the father
of her baby. She is a good mother; she takes good care of her daughter. She is brave and kind;
she endures her poor treatment at the hands of her neighbors without indulging in bitterness or
meanness herself. Her behavior is so impeccable that eventually it makes her neighbors feel
ashamed of the way they have treated her.