The Genesis of Feminism in Literature

In the 1850’s, America was undergoing a massive internal changes via the industrial revolution. With this new era, American culture was drastically changed as women started to take a more prominent role in American society. In his novel The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne attempts to stimulate this change by illustrating the positive influence of a strong female character in a Puritanical society through his heroine, Hester Prynne, by putting her in a scandalous situation capable of drawing out the worst in people.

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.

     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

Her being forced to wear the scarlet letter which led her to becoming a women’s advocate reflects the theme that good things come from bad. There was plenty of negative backlash to Hester's mistake, however she gained the ability to help other women struggling just like her. “They said that it meant Able, so strong was Hester Prynne, with a woman's strength” (pg 177, Hawthorne). The sin she committed and the experience gained through the aftermath of that sin, gives her insight on what it's like to be a woman who's being discriminated. Raising her daughter on her own and her saving her from harming herself reflects the theme that everyone makes mistakes. After all Hester is human just like everyone else. It is in our nature to make mistakes or even sin. “It is remarkable, that persons who speculate the most boldly often conform with the most perfect quietude to the external regulations of society” (pg 181, Hawthorne). The actions we take to reverse or to compensate for that sin is what makes us who we are as individuals. Her being alienated from society and developing an independent thinking mindset mirrors the theme that one must acknowledge their mistakes to learn from them. Hester’s society made it abundantly clear that what she did was absolutely heinous and that she needs to repent and beg for forgiveness. The isolation she suffered through helped her become an independent thinker and develop thoughts that we would consider ahead of her time. “The world's law was no law for her mind” (pg 180, Hawthorne). Being excluded socially gave her a chance to dwell in her own thoughts and gather perceptions different from that of other puritans. This decision that Hester makes is very important to the story because it mirrors many of the major themes the author tried getting across to its

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.

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

Most people identify Feminism as an anti-male movement hell-bent on making women the dominant gender, but this is not the case. In this novel, The Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne executes these ideas by overcoming her public humiliation and rising up against the predetermined ideas that her Puritan town holds for her. She is a perfect example of what a feminist should be, which is a real treat considering the time period and the fact that Nathaniel Hawthorne really had no inspiration for his radical ideas. The Scarlet Letter is “accidentally” a feminist novel because of the way Hester stands up against the Puritans’ harsh criticism, and because of the

Nathaniel Hawthorne uses The Scarlet Letter to draw parallels between feminism and women’s rights in his era to that of the 17th century. Hawthorne uses Hester and Dimmesdale to draw comparisons between the treatment of men and women throughout the novel. His progressive views become more apparent through the actions of the characters in his writing.

While Puritan women are weak and dependent upon their husbands, Hester Prynne is empowered and self-reliant. A character designed by Hawthorne to show 19th century women that women’s work could be valuable, Hester supports herself and her daughter by needlework. “For, as the novel unfolds, the letter, intended by the Authorities to signify harsh but just condemnation, is made by Hester to signify something entirely different—able, admirable.” (Bell 109) All aspects considered, the ability of Hester, a woman who committed sin and was publicly punished for this crime, to manipulate this punishment into a virtue

Hawthorne is trying to advocate about the women in the society though the main protagonist, Hester Prynne and her actions. He is able to utilize the character of Hester to show the contrast of what the society wishes women would be and act like. She endures the shame of public humiliation from the other ‘perfect’ Puritans and is eventually able to put up a shield to protect and save herself from all the negativity; this shield ultimately establishes an improved female image. Hester acquires unruly and bold energy along with a tough mindset, “the tendency of her fate and fortunes had been to set her free. The scarlet letter was her passport into regions where other women dared not tread (174). Perhaps Hawthorne was trying to get across that

The scholar emphasizes the feministic qualities the novelist surrounded Hester in, allowing her to first appear impressively independent; furthermore empowering women. Nonetheless I see eye-to-eye with Chase on how the novel is far from a theme of feminism. He informs readers, “So magically various is the book that one may sometimes think it is a rich sensibility and profound mysteries are not usually associated with feminist literature” (147). While reading, there is diverse argumentations on how tightly Hawthorne holds onto the significance of feminism. I agree with the fact that despite maintaining feministic thoughts to accentuate surrealness in the time period, the author still reduces Hester to an object of society, withdrawing any competence she may possess. Due to the abrupt change in thought while reading of Hester, multiple conclusions around Hawthorne’s use of feminism is up for interpretation. The novelist clearly show readers how sin has engulfed the female lead’s conscience. Hawthorne writes, “Hester turned again towards Pearl with a crimson blush upon her cheek, a conscious glance aside the clergyman, and then a heavy sigh”. Pearl’s mother cannot erase her past from the minds of society, nor can she leave. In my opinion, if she

Throughout past times, women have been assumed to be inferior to men. They were refused human rights such as education. Some civilizations view women as a surmised evil. Others believe women were to birth, attend worship, and agree with their husband. Nonetheless, the promoting of women’s rights in regards to political, economic, and social tolerance prevailed within society. Such feminists anticipated to fight for their power. One intent for the protest of inequality could have possibly resulted from the strict regulations of society put in place by the government. These regulations had a direct impact on the conformity of women. Women were directed to avoid self-loving reasoning, which led to the questioning of political and societal leaders. “It was an age in which the human intellect had taken a more active and a wider range than for many centuries before” (Hawthorne 154). This quote emphasizes the uprising of change in peoples’ minds regarding abuse towards women. Hester serves as the face of the crowd that thinks freely. She is unsatisfied with the destiny a puritan society has in place for. She demonstrates this by challenging the female role and attempting to reconstruct the patriarchal society she lives in. The other women that live in the town are shocked by Hester’s actions. This shows how they are afraid that if other women start acting out, the society structure

Feminism advocates women’s rights based on the equality of the sexes. Elizabeth Barrett Browning may have been one of the first feminists of Britain, during the nineteenth century, women were still viewed as inferior to men. Although men at the time did not believe women had a greater purpose in

Hawthorne’s ability to portray the protagonist as selfless is another strong characteristic that exemplifies feminist attributes in the book. For instance, Hawthorne is able to show Hester as being calm and under control, to the crowd while exiting the prison or being on the scaffold. The description of Hester stepping into the open air, as if by her own free-will and standing on

1848 began the feminist movement that continues to evolve centuries later. Many things in today's society are labeled as “feminist”. Feminism being the common idea of a sex along with women strength and equality (dictionary.com). According to the Puritans, the society was to move to England to right their sins. Hester is forced to wear the letter “A” on her clothing to symbolize her sin, the “A” standing for adultery. In the Brooks scene of the novel, Hester rids herself from the “A” and becomes unrecognizable to Pearl. That’s when Hester realizes the “A” has become apart of who she is. Despite the whispers and judgements, Hester decides to stand against society and stay in Boston to deal with the consequences good or bad. Hawthorne also describes her daughter, Pearl, as a strong, young female that represents the sin between Hester and Dimmesdale. Hawthorne then goes on to persuade the readers into seeing the two male characters, Chillingworth and Dimmesdale, as evil. The actions of the two men leave