preview

Scarlet Letter And Monica Lewinsky Scandal

Decent Essays

The Scarlet Letter and the Monica Lewinsky Scandal are stories about mistakes and their repercussions. In both stories, we focus on women having an affair with a man and the backlash that is received for doing so, but we also are asked whether the punishment they receive is necessary. The women are destroyed by what transpires and so, and so we must find a solution to these problems. Monica Lewinsky and Hester Prynne follow two very similar story lines. Both had affairs with very prominent men. Hester had an affair with Dimmesdale, the towns priest and also an important member of the towns government. Lewinsky having her affair with the President of the United States, Bill Clinton. We then see how people react to the incidents. In both instances the women took more blame then the men. In Lewinsky’s case she was fired from her job at the White House, and publicly shamed all over the internet, even today. Clinton however continued his presidency, and having a fine as his only punishment. In Hester’s case, she was publicly shamed in front of the whole town, and forced to wear an A on her chest for life; to remind people of her sin. The town however forgot about trying to find the man she had committed the crime with. In turn Dimmesdale had no repercussions, except for the self harm he inflicted. It is obvious that gender roles played a part in the punishments received. The women were seen as committing a horrible sin, and were punished brutally for it. On the other hand for

Get Access