Hester Prynne: The First Feminist

Hester Prynne: The first Feminist When one hears the word feminist what comes to mind? Feminist, is a very strong social theory run by women, that entails women achieving a level of social justice. Throughout the novel, The Scarlet Letter portrays many arguments that in fact show the readers that Hester Prynne is a strong female character and the idea that The Scarlet Letter is a feminist novel. The Scarlet Letter is a feminist novel because Hester is rising up over her public humiliation, standing up to the strict puritan ways, and showing the spirit of being a women. The Feminist movement has been a strong movement for quite some time now. There are three main waves of the feminism movement that had occurred throughout history.

Hester is considered an outcast in the society and because of that she is faced with the punishment of wearing the scarlet letter. In the text it states “passport into regions where other women dared not tread” (pg. 137). In this quote Hester recognize that she is going into and facing parts of the society where almost all other women never went and never want to go. This show that Hester is facing the society by herself and is trying to be a strong women while the women in her society are scared of. Hester is also trying to show the difference between the way the men and the women of the society are treated. Hester is trying to show strength between her self and other women in the society. Hester is also trying to show the audience the real pressure she felt from the society. In the text it states “she had not known the weight, until she felt the freedom!”(139). This is trying to show Hester did not know the real weight she felt until she took off her scarlet letter in the woods and let her real beauty shine through. Hester is trying to show she really didn't know the affects of the puritan judging society until she got to experience real freedom away from their

Hester shows that she can do anything that a man can do but even better. One text example is “let men tremble to win the hand of woman, unless they win along with it the utmost passion of her heart!”(121). Hester is trying to show that she men should be trembling at women which is a very feminist thing to say. Throughout the novel Hester is constantly showing that she has the responsibility to do anything a man could do throughout a society. Hester raises a child, gives back to the community, and has a steady job and does this all while being considered a outcast to the society. Hester was one of the first women of the time period to recognize the importance women have on a society which really impacts her character as a