Question

In Chapter 3 of The Scarlet Letter, what does Hester Prynne mean when she states, “It is too deeply branded. Ye cannot take it off,” with respect to the scarlet letter on her breast?

Answer 1

Chapter 3. Answer: Hester means that she has already been marked with shame for life whether she wears the letter or not.

Answer 2

Answer: she is already signalled as a sinner, and she will always be seen as one by the town's people.

Explanation: In Chapter 3 of "The Scarlet Letter" by Nathaniel Hawthorne, what Hester Prynne means when she states, "It is too deeply branded. Ye cannot take it off," with respect to the scarlet letter on her breast is that she is already signaled as a sinner, and she will always be seen as one by the town's people. In this case, it resembles the brand that is made to an animal by burning its skin that is deep and cannot be taken of.