The Public Sin That Changed Who I Am

     My sophomore year in high school, we read The Scarlet Letter for Honors English. This book completely changed the way I viewed myself. As I read about Hester being so strong and not trying to hide what she had done, I realized I needed to be honest in all of my endeavors as well. As Hester was publicly humiliated and scorned, she never let what those people said define her.
     Hester also taught me a lesson about unconditional love. Not the way she gained her Scarlet "A", but the way she protected the one she loved. She never gave him up so that he could share the blame with her. She stayed strong, and she gave her baby a bright future with her love and strength.
     The Scarlet Letter changed me. No, it did not teach me how to gain public humiliation, but something more. This book taught me that love can keep you strong, honesty is the best policy, what other people say don't define you, and bringing others down to your level so you don't get ALL of the blame is wrong. I have been able to use these lessons in my daily life and I'm so grateful for the opportunity I had to read this book.