The scarlet letter was her passport into regions where other women dared not tread. Shame, Despair, Solitude! These had been her teachers - stern and wild ones, - and they had made her strong, but taught her much amiss.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Shame and isolation taught the speaker strength but also distorted her worldview.
- In plain terms
- Hardship makes you stronger but teaches you wrong lessons too.
- What can you take from it?
- Suffering has mixed lessons.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- What did hardship teach you?
- Was the cost worth it?
Another view
It suggests trauma can teach bad habits or beliefs.
More from Nathaniel Hawthorne
'Never, never!' whispered she. 'What we did had a consecration of its own.'
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