# Epigraph explained — Hester

> Chapter companion for Hester by Margaret Oliphant.

## What happens

The epigraph, a poem by Charles Lamb, celebrates Hester's spirited and independent nature, describing her pride, joy, and untamable heart as gifts of nature rather than social conditioning.

## Themes in this chapter

### Pride and Independence

The poem explicitly celebrates Hester's pride and joy as inherent traits, framing them as virtues bestowed by nature.

### Youthful Idealism vs. Reality

Hester is portrayed as a figure of untamed, idealistic youth—'a heart that stirs, is hard to bind'—suggesting a contrast with the constraints of adult society.

## Character check-ins

### Hester Vernon

The subject of the poem, praised for her pride, joy, and natural, unbound spirit.

## Key lines

> A springy motion in her gait, A rising step, did indicate Of pride and joy no common rate That flush’d her spirit

Her lively walk and uplifted step showed an uncommon level of pride and joy that filled her spirit.

_Establishes Hester's vibrant, proud character from the outset._

> A waking eye, a prying mind, A heart that stirs, is hard to bind: A hawk’s keen sight ye cannot blind, Ye could not Hester.

An alert eye, an inquisitive mind, and a restless heart cannot be restrained; you cannot blind a hawk's sharp vision, and you could not subdue Hester.

_Emphasizes Hester's ungovernable and perceptive nature, central to her role in the novel._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/hester_se/chapters/epigraph
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/hester_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/hester_se/chapters