Isolation And Alienation In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter

Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter portrays Hester Prynne’s apparent detachment from the rest of society, which not only supports the Puritan attitude that she cannot make amends for her adultery, but also the idea of alienation in Marxist literary theory of her inability to connect with the goods she has created from her needle as she cannot personally afford them. Throughout Hawthorne’s novel, Hester undergoes isolation and alienation through the physical, social, moral, and Marxist aspects. Thus, Marxist literary theory is necessary to truly appreciate Hester’s position in society.

Marxist thought focuses on economics being the driving force of history and subsequently creating different social classes, and through these social classes’ different historical backgrounds, they clash. In Marxist literary theory it specifically emphasizes how circumstances influence separate classes and how the elite oppress those below them. In his treatise on class struggle, The Communist Manifesto, Karl Marx discusses the interactions between different socioeconomic strata to illustrate the difference in goals and motivations of the population. Marx himself never wrote about employing his ideas for literary

criticism, but Marxist scholars use his writings and the ideas within to deconstruct the connections between a work and the socioeconomic situation surrounding it (Tyson 119). Marxist literary critics state that an author writes not in the heat of divine inspiration but under the influence of unconscious social pressures and biases; both the subject matter of the work and the more formal aspects of the author’s writing and style betray the author’s biases and views on society.  Even if the work has no immediately obvious political messages, under the surface lies a host of deeper societal and political critiques born from the author’s life experiences (Guerin 152). This dynamic plays out in history; for example, as related in A Handbook of Critical Approaches to Literature, the German playwright Bertolt Brecht, in his Threepenny Opera, ostensibly wrote about beggars and thieves in London, containing many provocative political undertones undetectable to the casual reader (127). In Marxist literary theory, there are a few key terms repeatedly utilized, namely alienation. The Marxist term emphasizes how the worker feels foreign to the product of his own labor, due to the inability of using the goods he himself created. Thus, there creates a disjunction between the laborer and its product; without the incentive to wield it himself later, the toiler will not expend as much energy to perfect the item and thus the value of the product lessens.
In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, society isolates and estranges Hester Prynne, leaving her at the lowest social level due to her sin of adultery.

While she labors for the upper classes and creates marvelous articles of clothing that she herself cannot don, Hester feels the alienation often found in Marxist literary theory of the disjunction between a worker and the products that she makes. Thus, she feels the Marxist form of alienation as well as the physical and social form. Yet, Hawthorne clearly indicates that Hester separates herself positively when refusing to bend to the Puritan society’s norms. This scenario clearly argues the Marxist literary theories of the alienation and disparities in how economic status plays out to help or hinder social

strata.
Hawthorne also physically and socially separates Hester from the rest of society. While many of the townspeople in Boston live in the center of the town within each others’ vicinity, Hester lives geographically “on the outskirts of town, within the verge of the peninsula, but not in close vicinity to any other habitation” (56). Her small house becomes a physical symbol of her social status, creating a discrepancy between Hester and the townspeople’s surroundings. While the villagers envelop themselves in civilization and each others’ company, Hester secludes herself, yet keeps a close proximity with nature. Again, Hawthorne clearly depicts society alienating Hester physically.
Nathaniel Hawthorne repeatedly indicates the social isolation Hester Prynne faces. In one passage, Hester ingrains herself in the community by providing clothes for both the upper and lower classes, yet she still feels alienated by everyone: “In all her intercourse with society, however, there was nothing that made her feel as if she belonged to it” (58-59). Clearly, Hester experiences detachment and segregation, creating a social and moral barrier as well as physical between her and the rest of the town. She does integrate herself by complying to the aristocrats’ requests for clothing and devoting time and energy to create charity garments for the poor, yet even the beggars feel no appreciation for Hester. Hester’s valid attempts to help the people that are not as well off as her come across as meaningless efforts; no matter what she does, she cannot compensate for her blasphemous sin of adultery. While Hester indeed attempts to redeem herself and create hearty relationships with the rest of the town, the Puritan lifestyle continuously argues that she cannot truly atone for her sin due to the belief that everyone has been born evil and cannot change their sinful ways. Thus, Hester would perpetually remain at the bottom of the social strata. As Michael T. Gilmore states in Rethinking Class: Literary Studies and Social Formations, “Hester Prynne is said to receive abuse equally from the poor on whom she bestows her charity and from the ‘[d]ames of elevated rank’ for whom she plies her needle” (600). While the upper and lower classes diverge due to economic status, they later merge together to sequester Hester even more. Not only do the aristocrats look down on her for her economic inferiority, but also the commoners view her as inferior due to her passionate affair.
Hester feels the Marxist literary theory version of alienation as well, as Hawthorne portrays: “Deep ruffs, painfully wrought bands, and gorgeously embroidered gloves, were all deemed necessary to the official state of men assuming the reins of power…there was a frequent and characteristic demand for such labor as Hester Prynne could supply” (57). Evidently, society values Hester for her talented needlework, yet she cannot afford creating these articles of clothing for herself. While she has large amounts of business from mainly the upper classes to sew works for the Governor, military men, ministers, and children, she has no incentive other than monetary value to attempt her best at needlework. The disjunction between her and her artful products is clear because along with the onset of social backlash she receives from her adultery, she feels a disconnect between herself and her products, yet she cannot find any other occupation to employ herself in as needlework is her greatest skill. Clearly, The Scarlet Letter represents a marvelous example that argues the Marxist literary criticism of alienation.
In one passage of the novel, Hester Prynne stands alone on the scaffolding and the general public looks upward at her place of shame. Hawthorne writes that Hester “kept her place upon the pedestal of shame, with glazed eyes, and an air of weary indifference” (50). This evinces the Marxist literary aspect that individuals undergo isolation and alienation due to class struggles. Hawthorne undoubtedly applies specific words and connotations to argue his assertion. For example, by using expressions like “glazed eyes” and “weary indifference,” he demonstrates that while society places Hester on the scaffolding for disgrace and embarrassment, she feels no need to adhere to society’s rules and thus treats standing on the scaffolding more like a tedious pastime than truly atoning for her sin. Furthermore, in this passage, Hawthorne utilizes the phrases “glazed eyes” and “weary indifference” to imply that Hester Prynne represents an animal or beast that was put on show at the zoo. To begin with, “glazed” implies losing brightness and animation, while “indifference” indicates Hester’s lack of interest and concern. Like zoo animals aware of being observed by spectators, she occupies herself in an act of defiance, appearing like she does not care for the general public as they are not worthy of her time or energy. Thus, while society isolates her, Hester revolts to not feel the alienation society impresses upon her. Although society may force her to stand alone for many hours, they cannot pressure her to feel the shame she ought to feel for her sin. Clearly, Hester Prynne acts uninterested in the crowd below and unconcerned with the alienation society pressures her to feel through this public shame and punishment. Since society places Hester as an animal on display for everyone to view and scrutinize, this characterization aligns with the Marxist concept of alienation and isolation. While society morally separates Hester due to her sin of adultery, Hawthorne clearly physically isolates her as well by her standing alone on the scaffolding. This passage explicitly relays the alienation Hester undergoes, and yet she refuses to participate in feeling the ignominy of her sin.
Furthermore, Hawthorne describes Hester’s scaffolding as a “pedestal of shame,” creating a disjunction between the connotation and denotation of “pedestal.” The word’s denotation conveys a base or support of a great piece of sculpture or art piece, which evidently implies a positive overtone. However, Hawthorne describes Hester standing on the “pedestal of shame,” leaving a negative connotation that Hester should feel humiliation and disgrace because society physically shuns her, which ties back into the idea of alienation found in the Marxist literary theory. Again, not only are the aristocrats judging Hester while she stands alone on the scaffolding, but the middle and lower classes are as well. With the phrase “put someone on a pedestal,” it entails that a person serves to be the ideal form of a character; thus, Hawthorne connotes Hester’s placement for others to admire and revere her; her elevated standing above the rest of society serves to not only separate her, but also reveals her as an extraordinary member of the community (Gilmore 604).
As seen through this quote of “Hester Prynne, meanwhile, kept her place upon the pedestal of shame, with glazed eyes, and an air of weary indifference” (50), Hester’s isolation upon the scaffolding may force her to be recognized in the community as a sinner and she stands by herself, but she does not feel regret. She treats the situation essentially with boredom as she revolts against the alienation society compels her to feel. Hawthorne, in the end, even paints this scene in a positive light as he highlights Hester physically above everyone else on the “pedestal of shame.” Thus, while society shames her for being different, Hester may even be positively one-of-a-kind by standing out from the rest of the crowd.
Throughout The Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne undergoes the social and Marxist literary theory versions of alienation. She feels the social backlash of being publicly known for her sin, so the town physically and socially ostracizes her. Then, Hester feels the Marxist disconnect found in the common worker who cannot personally attain the goods that she created. Next she stands alone on the scaffolding for the town to view her, yet she manages to bend the perspectives in a way that she ultimately finishes in a positive light, apparently both physically above and superior to the rest of the townspeople.