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Conflict between hester and puritan society in The Scarlet Letter
Conflict between hester and puritan society in The Scarlet Letter
Conflict between hester and puritan society in The Scarlet Letter
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In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne is a single mother struggling in a Puritan society. Hester plays a vital part as a strong feminist, and her character is discussed in “Hester Prynne: Sinner, Victim, Object, Winner” an NPR interview, and the essays, “A Representative of the New Female Image––Analyzing Hester Prynne’s Feminist Consciousness in The Scarlet Letter” and “When We Dead Awaken: Writing a Re-Vision”. From being isolated from her own society and ridiculed for her sins, Hester defies their expectations and creates a sense of individuality by being self-reliant and bold minded– characteristics that represent an early feminist of the new female image.
Jacki Lyden, host of the NPR interview, “Hester Prynne: Sinner,
Yamin Wang analyzes this in the essay, “A Representative of the New Female Image––Analyzing Hester Prynne’s Feminist Consciousness in The Scarlet Letter.” Wang points out that Hester is not afraid of her situation. She disregards the burden and ignominy placed upon her and describes her with a “rebellious spirit.” She goes on to say that Hester “defies the power and puts up a tenacious fight against the colonial rule combined by church and state” (Wang). Hawthorne first shows Hester’s bold disobedience against her Puritan community with her infamous scarlet letter. “The point which drew all eyes, and, as it were, transfigured the wearer,––so that both men and women, who had been familiarly acquainted with Hester Prynne, were now impressed as if they beheld her for the first time––, was that SCARLET LETTER, so fantastically embroidered and illuminated upon her bosom” (Hawthorne 37). The extravagant and skillfully made “A” is one of many indications of Hester’s rebellious attitude. Despite the letter representing Hester’s scandalous sin, she wears it pridefully. She continues to mimic her own actions by dressing her daughter, Pearl the same prominent way as the letter. Hester decides that even with her newly altered life, she continues to live it day by day, and provides for her and her daughter despite their situation. Wang states that with a female
Rich explains that the male judgement of a women has contradicted the lives of women writers. She explains, “No male writer has written primarily or even largely for women, [...] every woman writer has written for men” (Rich). Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter and Hester’s character directly oppose this idea. As Rich explains, women in literature almost always struggle with their lack of beauty and youth. In the novel, she is immediately noticed for her beauty. “The young woman was tall, with a figure of perfect elegance, on a large scale [...] and a face which had impressiveness belonging to a marked brow and deep black eyes,” however, Hester’s character lacks love (Hawthorne 37). It seems as if the most important people in her life– her daughter, Arthur Dimmesdale, and Roger Chillingworth, refuse to reciprocate her emotions. Hester represents a woman who relies on love for her own worth. She falls into the vulnerability of her relationship with Dimmesdale as it obtains its secrecy from their sin, but after Dimmesdale’s death, Hester finds herself as independent as she continued to be. She consecutively carries out her self dependence, her structure, and her nobility. Hester proves that against Rich’s claims, her role in poetry is the complete opposite, and follows a defiant path of self
In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s well known novel, The Scarlet Letter, extensive diction and intense imagery are used to portray the overall tone of the characters. In particular, Hester Prynne, the wearer of the Scarlet Letter, receives plentiful positive characterization throughout the novel. Hester’s character most notably develops through the town’s peoples ever-changing views on the scarlet letter, the copious mentions of her bravery, and her ability to take care of herself, Pearl, and others, even when she reaches the point where most would give up and wallow in their suffering.
A change is to make or become different. In the Scarlet Letter change is very evident in the main character Hester Prynne. Hester has undergone both physical and emotional changes that have made her more acceptable to the Puritan Society.
Hester Prynne is a character who gave up everything, even love, for her child. Hester Prynne sacrificed her peace, her beauty, her entire being for her child and this shows her determination and profound understanding of the world. Nathaniel Hawthorne’s piece, “The Scarlet Letter” shows the other side of the sinner’s story and not as a villain, but a victim.
The guilt that now rests in Hester is overwhelming to her and is a reason for her change in personality. The secrets Hester keeps are because she is silent and hardly talks to anyone. “Various critics have interpreted her silence. as both empowering. and disempowering. Yet silence, in Hester’s case, offers a type of passive resistance to male probing”
Hester Prynne, the heroine of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, exhibits considerable character growth both over the course of her life and during the events of the novel. Her view of herself and her perspective on the role of women in the world evolve as she learns from new experiences. She moves through the stages of self-centered happiness in her childhood, deep despair and depression as an adult, and a later more hopeful and selfless existence.
"Lovely ladies ready for the call. Standing up or lying down or any way at all. Bargain prices up against the wall" (Boublil). The selling of one's body is consensual. When a woman decides to put herself for sale, she will be given the cold shoulder by her peers. Many women make the decision to sell themselves solely to provide for a child. The song "Lovely Ladies" from the musical Les Misérables, involves whores in France selling themselves to men in a Parisian back ally. The musical Les Misérables was based on a book written by Victor Hugo. One character in this book goes by the name of Fantine. She had a child out of wedlock to a man who left her and their child alone. She had to work to support not only herself but also her daughter, Cosette.
The characterization of Hester Prynne demonstrates a contrast to pure society, as writer and critic D.H. Lawrence suggests in his article, “On the Scarlet Letter.” There is a genuine disparity in the methods Lawrence uses to portray Prynne, and the methods used by The Scarlet Letter’s author, Nathaniel Hawthorne. Because of his utilization of impactful syntax, religious allusion, and critical tone, D.H. Lawrence’s claim that Hester Prynne is a contradictory character to pure society is effectively justified when compared to the misleading seductive elements of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s writing.
The novel The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne was an objective description of the life of Hester Prynne, an adultress. The novel does not go into specific details of the thoughts of the woman except to describe the mien of her character. Throughout the novel she faces humiliation by the other people of Boston, but never loses her sense of pride. Hester Prynne suffers enormousely from the shame of her public disgrace and from the isolation of her punishment; however, she retains her self-respect and survives her punishment with dignity, grace, and ever-growing strength of character.
Within the novel The Scarlet Letter, the author, Nathaniel Hawthorne uses many ways to characterize Hester Prynne, and to show her importance in the development of the plot. This essay will show some ways Hester is characterized and will also show why and how she develops the plot.
In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne is virtually banished from the Puritan society because of her crime. She was guilty for adultery with the town’s minister, Arthur Dimmesdale. However, the reader is kept in the dark that Dimmesdale is the child’s father until latter part of the novel. Although Hawthorne’s novel accurately depicts the consequences that Hester and Dimmesdale suffer from their sin, the novel does not accomplish the task of reflecting upon the 17th century Puritan gender roles in Hester and Dimmesdale. For one, the mental and physical states of Hester and Dimmesdale are switched. Hester takes on the more courageous role throughout the novel whereas Dimmesdale takes on the more sensitive role. In addition, Hester is examined in accordance to the gender roles set for today’s American women. Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter is written in a manner that accurately depicts 17th century Puritan society, but does not accurately show gender roles.
With a strong female protagonist and two mentally weak males, it is hard to consider Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter anything but a feminist treatise. He obviously intended to put down not only Puritanism, which is an obvious aspect of the novel, but to establish a powerful, secure female in American literature. Hester proves, although she has sinned in the past, she can confront her mistakes, take care of herself and her child, and help others at the same time. She can withhold a position in society that many can respect because of her character something the males of the story obviously could not succeed at doing.
In contrast to the typical Puritan women in Boston, Hawthorne depicts the female protagonist of The Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne, as physically discrete. Hester has a perfect figure, a rich complexion, dark hair, and deep eyes. She dresses in modest clothing, but the symbol of her sin, the golden embroidered scarlet letter, remains the focus of her attire (Bloom 219). Hester’s breathtaking features and the scarlet letter give her a sense of individuality.
Hester, the protagonist in Hawthorne's novel The Scarlet Letter, effectively challenges the efforts of the Puritan theocracy to define her, and at the same time, contain the threat she poses to the social order.
D.H. Lawrence belittles Nathaniel Hawthorne’s portrayal of Hester Prynne in The Scarlet Letter. The critic scorns Hester by recognizing her as a disgrace to the Puritan community and epitomizing her as the embodiment of sin. He berates Hester effectively with a range of literary allusions and concise, jabbing syntax. Lawrence also sharpens his critique on Hester with a sardonic tone to epitomize her ignominy.
The portrayal of Hester Prynne in the novel, The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, has led to many different opinionated views. Many debate whether or not Hester Prynne should be portrayed in an angelic or sinful light. The author and critic, D.H. Lawrence, focuses on Hester’s sin itself, and focuses on having the reader view an alternate perspective of Hester, seeing her not as the victim, but as the criminal, as she should be viewed based on traditional Puritan values. Lawrence achieves the perspective that Hester should be viewed in a sinful light through his rhythmic and fluid syntax, negative and hateful diction, as well as his sarcastic and critical tone.