Hester Prynne's Scarlet Letter

The scarlet letter had the effect of the cross on a nun's bosom. It imparted to the wearer a kind of sacredness which enabled her to walk securely amid all peril. Had she fallen among thieves, it would have kept her safe. All the light and graceful foliage of her character had been withered up by this red hot brand. Her rich and luxuriant hair had either been cut off or was so completely hidden by a cap that not a shining lock of it ever once gushed into the sunshine. Even the attractiveness of her person had undergone a similar change.