Hawthorne describes the character of Hester as a woman with many heroic qualities. Hester is described as brave and loyal, although she is ridiculed for her "sin", she refuses to name her father, saying she "never will", because she does not want him to endure the pain. The community even starts to see her differently, the “adulterer” symbol now represents “able”. He continues to be charitable and kind despite enduring terrible hardships. His inner strength, his defiance of convention, his honesty and his compassion may have always been in his character, but the scarlet letter brings them to our attention. She shows us how strong-willed she is, during her confrontation with the Governor she makes it clear to him that "he won't take her", "he'll die first!" By the end of the book he becomes an angel of mercy who ultimately lives his life as a figure of compassion in the community. His charitable actions continue to go from strength to strength throughout his fight. Hawthorne's portrayal of Hester showed us that women can be heroic too