Hester Pyrnne As An Early Feminist Of Nathaniel Hawthorne 's The Scarlet Letter

Who would have guessed a sense of feminism would be located within a book published in 1850, over 100 years before the feminist movement? Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter gives a glimpse into an adulterous woman’s life in a strict Puritan town located in Boston. Her name is Hester Prynne and her triumphs and tribulations are held within the novel. The reader gains an emotional connection to Hester and wants her to be happy. Support for an independent and shamed woman was controversial but may have helped spark a need for equality within the readers then and even now.

This page describing her crime shows how Hester defies the Puritan belief system through rebellion because the crime of adultery is a serious sin in their religion, showing that she purposely disobeys the laws of their religion by having an affair. Hester Prynne also defies the Puritan belief system through the scene where she immerges from the jail cell and is seen in public with her wedlock child for the first time. Hawthorne describes the manner in which she immerges from the jail and how the town reacts, in the quote “Those who had before known her, and had expected to behold her dimmed and obscured by a disastrous cloud, were astonished, and even startled, to perceive how her beauty shone out, and made a halo of the misfortune and ignominy in which she had enveloped” (46). This quote shows Hester’s rebellion against the Puritan beliefs because, due to how serious her crime is seen in the Puritan community, the town members had expected her to show sorrow, shame, and weakness as she walked from the jail cell. But, instead she walks out with her head held high, ignoring their judgment, showing no shame and in the crime she committed, and disregarding the mannerisms the Puritan’s expected of her. Along with her rebellion, Hester Prynne defies the Puritan belief system

A feminist is defined in the British Dictionary as a person who advocates equal rights for women. However incredulous it may sound, women had to fight for rights for equality in things such as politics, economics, and their personal affairs. If the revolutionary feminist concepts were surfacing in the time of Nathaniel Hawthorne, circa 1850, then how was it that he was inspired to write Hester’s character? However,one consideration may be that it was written unintentionally with a feministic tone. This novel stands for the main ideas that gave feminism its momentum: gender equality and love for oneself as a woman. Hawthorne displays Hester as a free woman in the ending of the book, and also deems her and Dimmesdale as equals by having them receive identical markers on their tombstones. The Scarlet Letter epitomizes the strength of women while also providing as an indicator for early feminism, as it’s profound perceptions were not something yet established in this earlier time period. The Scarlet Letter is indubitably a feminist piece of literature.The three main characters work off of one another; Hester is strong while Dimmesdale is feeble and Chillingworth is corrupt; She effortlessly conquers her sin and continues with her new life, while Dimmesdale cannot admit his sins, and Chillingworth seeks revenge on Dimmesdale.

When they came over to America their wish was to have access to more freedom, especially freedom of religion. However, this was not the case, the end result wasn’t freedom for all Puritans, especially for women. Hawthorne characterizes Hester as someone who chooses to be silent and to effect change by her consistent goodness in the Puritan community instead of through her words. Originally, the scarlet letter was a badge of his dishonor for Hester, but, because she has the bravery to stay in Boston and live with that shame, the tables eventually turn. She breaks her isolation by campaigning with the love she has found in herself, giving back to the people even though they have hurt her. Today we are a country divided with many people using angry words that are supposed to result in peace, but it often ends up in violence; Hester chose silence and charity over argument and anger to persuade others to look at things differently. Currently, women are still victimized and are seen as weaker than men because of stereotypes that arose in these earlier times. However, women in the 21st century are building on the hard work of strong women throughout history and exercising their rights. Recently, there have been many accusations of sexual harassment by men against women in the media. It has taken many years for women to speak out, and still not all are able. We,

This quote from the top of page fifty two surrounds the most controversial event in the book from when Hester was publicly shamed and humiliated because of her crime of adultery. In concurrence with this event, Hawthorne embodies the three most prevalent anti-feministic ideas from the book: objectification, ostracization, and targeting of women in 17th century Puritan society. Even though the shaming of Hester had just begun and the trial had just been concluded, the town was already beginning to push her away and view her not as Hester Prynne, but as the “A” for adultery. When I read this, I began to feel astonished at the fact that people would begin to judge her so quickly while having such little knowledge of the event for which Hester was in trouble. Not only was Hester ostracized for a crime that we now know as a relatively conventional event, to make matters worse, everyone in the crowd scapegoated solely her which was uncanny to me since with the crime of adultery, there must be another person involved, specifically a man. This made me think about why nobody had done anything to

It is a few times were a greatly honored work of literature demonstrates and promotes feminism. It is even greater when two different sides of the spectrum of feminism is highlighted. The novel The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, is one of the first works to present Hester Prynne, a woman capable of raising a child alone, and influences altering discriminatory views against women. One the other side of the spectrum, Nurse Ratched, from One Who Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, by Ken Kesey, shows feminism but to an extreme level, so much so that she emasculates men whom already feel lessened by the societal norms from its time period. Both, Hawthorne and Kesey, use independent female characters to embody feminist ideals, through characterization

Written in 1850, The Scarlet Letter stood as a very progressive book. With new ideas about women, main characters’ stories intertwined, and many different themes, The Scarlet Letter remains today as a extremely popular novel about 17th century Boston, Massachusetts. Not only was the 19th century a time for the abolition of slavery movement but it was also the beginning of the first wave of feminism. Women such as Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony, and Lucretia Mott catalyzed the women’s rights movement. These prominent women believed that a woman’s role was no longer in the house and that women should be afforded the same opportunity as men. Nathaniel Hawthorne’s sympathy for women is evident in a feminist reading of his novel

According to the website Puritan Women, “...women were considered to be ‘the weaker vessel in both body and mind’ and ‘her husband ought not to expect too much from her.’” With this being said, it’s obvious that it must have been dreadful being a woman in these times. They were never able to live up to their full potential and they were never given chances to express themselves or their freedoms. That is what brought about the second perspective; Hester Prynne is a hero for standing up against the standards of women in her time and her rebellion showed true bravery and selfless sacrifice. It might be true that she was a true advent of the time and she would be remembered as a legend to everyone...

Throughout history, Puritans have been known for extremely strict views towards other religions and people of other religions. Because they “deeply and fervently believed that they were doing the work of God”, Puritans often punished and shunned those who did not follow their rules or share their same views (Collier 62). In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne presents these popular ideas and truths about the Puritan way of living in a symbolic story of submissive defiance. He creates a strong feminist that contradicts the majority of the Puritan views on feminism. This rebellious main character, Hester Prynne, greatly sins and, thus, the town punishes her and shuns her in hope that she will repent and take on her proper duties once more. However, Hester shows the strength of a woman through this public humiliation, and takes on the role of a feminist by showing this feminine strength. Despite the attempts from society to force Hester into their Puritan ways, Hester Prynne fulfills the notion of a feminist through her rebellious qualities and actions, and she proves to be a contrast by assimilating into the role of a Puritan woman and thriving in this role despite her public humiliation.

Nathaniel Hawthorne highlights the habitual societal conflict of surfacing gender equality ideology throughout The Scarlet Letter. The typical female role in society during the mid-seventeenth century was to be a caretaker. Hester Prynne’s sentence for breaking this stereotype through adultery is to wear a large, red letter A on her chest. Hawthorne uses Hester’s character to add characteristics of early feminism. For example, Hester not only takes on the so called male and female role put in place by society at some point throughout the story, but she also challenges societal views of women. To fully understand the situation women were going through, you must be familiar with the historical context. The story takes place in a Puritan

While Hester is a feminist, not only does she share the ideals but shows superiority to the town while being fearless. " It may seem marvelous, that this woman should still call that place her home, where, and where only, she must needs be the type of shame.” (chapter 5, paragraph 2) Hester does not let the shame and remorse of the sin keep her away from the town like most would do. Hawthorne even states that Dimmesdale is weaker than Hester by punishing himself and holding his heart while Hester embraces the sin and is strong while carrying the letter on her chest. She leads a self-righteous life, although she could keep what she earns, she gives most away. Even the townsfolk say Hester is "so kind to the poor, so helpful to the sick, so comfortable to the afflicted."(chapter 13, paragraph 5) Hester can be seen over the townspeople helping them although they shamed her. Hawthorne presents that Hester’s “tendency of her fate and fortunes had been to set her free.” (chapter 18, paragraph 2) With this Hester has a “radiant and tender smile, that seemed gushing from the very heart of womanhood. (chapter 18, paragraph 12) These quotes from Hawthorne show that Hester’s kindness helps her overcome her sin on her own. With Hester’s contribution to the town, “Her handiwork became what would now be termed the fashion.” (chapter 5, paragraph 6) In his research, Sacvan Bercovitch remarks that “Hester Prynne ‘builds upon the tradition of the biblical Esther -

“Women belong in the kitchen.” “All women should be barefoot and pregnant.” “Women are strictly homemakers.” These are a few of the commonly used phrases regarding the female role in society that date back to the mid-seventeenth century. However, ardent supporters of gender equality have surfaced in almost every culture where this ideology is practiced. Nathaniel Hawthorne explores this inveterate societal conflict through his story The Scarlet Letter. The main character, Hester Prynne, is punished for committing adultery by being forced to wear a scarlet letter upon her bosom; Hawthorne created a story sympathetic to the female cause and demonstrated, through Hester, qualities of early feminism that later establish themselves during his

     Hester with society also proves to be a strongly feministic aspect of The Scarlet Letter. Hester, as a female sinner, throughout the book, proves not to be a burden on society. Although she is an outcast, many find it hard to not admire the way she holds herself, especially due to the situation she is in. The admiration grows as the story continues. At first, the main admiration for Hester is her skill with the needle. Many of the townspeople regard Hester’s work as the latest trend. “Her

Throughout the novel The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne displays powerful feminist ideas and behaviors present in many of the novel’s characters especially Hester Prynne. As the personalities and beliefs of the characters in The Scarlet Letter develop, rebellious acts against the traditional ways of Puritanical life unfold. Hawthorne depicts the rebellious nature of Hester, her daughter Pearl, and a few others to demonstrate the severe impacts these individuals have on the oppressing Puritan society, as well as the importance of breaking free from the strict and harsh Puritan lifestyle. Hawthorne reveals his bias mainly through Hester Prynne, the defiant anarchist and main character in the novel. By making Hester society’s antagonist,

For over a hundred years, women have struggled to gain their desired rights of being equal to men. Feminism has granted women the privilege of embracing their beauty, strength, and power amongst society. In The Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne is overwhelmed with criticism after the news of her sinful love affair with a man she was not married to is exposed to the public. She is then imprisoned for her evil acts and must raise her baby, Pearl, on her own. Later on, Hester learns to accept herself for her mistake, preventing any more criticism from shattering her self-esteem. There are many factors as to why feminism plays an important role in the novel, including society’s general viewpoints on women’s rights, Hester Prynne’s feminist character, and Nathaniel Hawthorne’s stance on women’s rights. But what makes feminism the most argumentative topic in the novel and why is it so significant?