Stitches

What does this excerpt from The Scarlet Letter mean?

“Lonely as was Hester’s situation, and without a friend on earth who dared to show himself, she, however, incurred no risk of want. She possessed an art that sufficed, even in a land that afforded comparatively little scope for its exercise, to supply food for her thriving infant and herself. It was an art, then, as now, almost the only one within a woman’s grasp-of needlework. She bore on her breast, in the curiously embroidered letter, a specimen of her delicate and imaginative skill, of which the dames of a court might gladly have availed themselves, to add the richer and more spiritual adornment of human ingenuity to their fabrics of silk and gold.’

Public Comments

1. hester prynne was convicted of adultery and had to wear the letter A on herself. she made hers VERY fancy because of her skill with embroidery and sewing. thereby she was able to earn a living by doing these for the ladies of the town. hence "needlework" in the quote. it was an honorable way for a defensless, single woman to earn money to support her child.
2. It means that, although Hester was alone in the world, she was able to support herself through her skill in embroidery, which was practically the only profession women were allowed to practice. In fact, the author adds ironically that the embroidered red letter A, standing for adultery, which she was forced to wear was itself an advertisement of her skill.
3. Though Hester was lonely, without a friend on Earth who dared visit her, she was never in danger of going hungry. She possessed a skill that allowed her to feed her growing baby and herself, though there was less demand in New England for her work than there might have been in her homeland. Her profession was—and still is—almost the only art available to women: needlework. The intricately embroidered letter that Hester wore on her breast was an example of her delicate and imaginative skill. Ladies at court would have gladly added such a testament of human creativity to their gold and silver garments. http://www.sparknotes.com/nofear/lit/the-scarlet-letter/chapter-5/page_2.html ============================================= The Scarlet Letter Quotes http://www.bookrags.com/notes/sl/QUO.htm http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/scarlet/quotes.html http://www.shmoop.com/scarlet-letter/quotes.html