The Scarlet Letter Literary Analysis

Zechariah Jones

Professor Caskey

Literature 251

16 September 2015

Analysis of “The Scarlet Letter”

“A throng of bearded men, in sad-colored garments and gray, steeple crowned hats, intermixed with women, some wearing hoods, and others bareheaded, was assembled in front of a wooden edifice, the door of which was heavily timbered with oak, and studded with iron spikes” (Hawthorne 476). This is the opening sentence of Nathanial Hawthorne’s 1850 gothic romance The Scarlet Letter in which Hester Prynne, an adulteress, is awaiting trial in the “prison-house” and will soon walk out on to the scaffolding in front of the entire Massachusetts Bay Colony while she “clasps” the three month old evidence of her sin and shame in her arms. The seventeenth

century puritan colony was strict on rules and were very religious. They believe that sin should be brought out in the open and exposed for all to see. Hawthorne used this to set his novel in motion. Nina Bayme, general editor of the Norton Anthology of American Literature, states that “Hawthorne was born on July, 1804, in Salem, Massachusetts. His prominent Puritan ancestors on the Hawthorne side of the family were among the first settlers of Massachusetts and included a judge in the Salem Witchcraft trials of 1692” (370). Unlike most writers during the romanticism era, Hawthorne writes this novel in the same time period in which his ancestors settled in Boston. Throughout the novel the sin of adultery is mentioned and is the basis for the entire piece. Hawthorne uses his character “Hester Prynne” to convey the life and struggles of a sinner during the puritan era.
From the very beginning, Hester could have easily given up on herself, but instead when she stood in front of the entire colony “she took the baby on her arm, and with a burning blush, and yet a haughty smile, and a glance that would not be abashed, looked around at her townspeople and neighbors. On the breast of her gown, in fine red cloth, surrounded with an elaborate embroidery and fantastic flourishes of gold thread, appeared the letter A (Hawthorne 480). Hester is proud and does not show her inner self to the puritan crowd. Throughout the novel it seems that Hester grows from her sin, unlike Dimmesdale and Chillingsworth. Samuel Chase Coale expands on this thought by writing in his book review that, “I see no redemption in either man but only in the women who manage to grow in compassion and understanding. Hester and Pearl expand. Chillingworth and Dimmesdale shrivel and die neither benignly nor comfortably” (Coale 184). After being in shame in front of the entire colony, seven years passes, but Hester still lives with the shame of her sin. At one point in the novel Hester takes the scarlet letter off and says, “[w]ith this symbol, I undo it all, and make it as it had never happened” (Hawthorne 561). By doing this Hester breaks the puritan law that has envelops her life thus far. Robert Milder a critique argues that “she is symbolically rejecting the structure of communal values amid which she has lived. What the world calls sin, she proclaims in effect, is not "sin" at all but something natural, lifeenhancing, and holy. And so far as we as readers applaud her, feel she is right, and actively want the lovers to run away, we become accomplices to their adulterous relationship, whatever its moral and social implications. So, it seems for the moment, does Hawthorne” (Milder 114). Milder analyzes Hester’s decision to discard the letter and elaborates on the idea that Hester has not committed a sin but something which is “holy”. Milder is saying that it seems as if Hester never commits a sin throughout the novel, but those around her who commit sins.
The judging of Hester’s trial is different than most criminals who commit an act such as Hester does. Back in seventeenth century Massachusetts offenders received beatings and whippings in front of the townspeople. In Laura Hanft Korobkin’s “The Scarlet Letter of the Law: Hawthorne and Criminal Justice” she writes that “[w]hipping was not only the most historically common punishment for adultery and other sex crimes in Boston in 1642, it was also one of the hottest social and literary subjects of Hawthorne's day” (Korobkin 203). It is odd that Hawthorne does not depict Hester being whipped or physically disciplined in public; rather Hawthorne uses the scarlet letter “A” as a disciplinary tool in which the whole novel revolves. Other women like Hester Prynne for example an adulteress from the Plymouth colony, Anne Linceford, were whipped for the crime of adultery during this time the novel takes place. Next, Hawthorne describes the scaffolding in comparison to the French guillotine. Hawthorne writes that, “[i]n Hester Prynne’s instance, however, as certain time upon the platform, but without undergoing that gripe about the neck and confinement of the head, the proneness to which was the most devilish characteristic of this ugly engine. Knowing well her part, she ascended a flight of wooden steps, and was thus displayed to the surrounding multitude, at about the height of a man’s shoulders above the street” (Hawthorne 481). Hawthorne uses this disciplinary action against Hester instead of having her beheaded in front of the puritan crowd. The whole crowd glared at the letter and began to think about the sin in their lives. In Elizabeth Hoffman’s “Political power in The Scarlet Letter” she writes, “ while all fix their gaze on the letter, many can not be actually thinking of it in relation to Hester, at least not as much as they fear that some stigma will be attached to them (par. 9). Hoffman concludes that while the puritan crowd looks at the scarlet letter they do not look at it in comparison to the adulteress, but they look at it and conjure in their minds their own sins. Hester Prynne is not the only one affected by her “sin”, but it is the entire colony that is affected as well. Hawthorn makes this very clear by not physically disciplining Hester, but instead using her as a symbol for all of the other members of the colony of what can happen to a sinner who goes against puritan law.
Hester develops a sense of individualism throughout the novel.

In chapter two Hawthorne writes, “It had the effect of a spell, taking her out of the ordinary relations with humanity, and inclosing her in a sphere by herself” (Hawthorne 480). The scarlet letter “A” is like magic and it takes Hester out of this world and places her in her own world where she is alone. From R.V. Young’s “Individual and Community” he writes “Hester's story shows that the longings of the heart will inevitably conflict with the order of society—even a society established to resolve such conflicts” (Young 39). Hester is set apart from the rest of society and has her own longings and wants such as a family with Dimmesdale and Pearl. Hester’s longings go against the colony and their morals. Young goes on to say “that tension between the individual and the community can never be resolved, nor should it be” (Young 39). Young is conveying his thoughts that there will always be individuals in communities, because it is those individuals that set themselves apart from the norm of society. Hester is the individual in this novel who sets herself apart from the rest of the characters in the novel. Hawthorn writes it this way because Hester’s life reflects his own personal life. During the preface of the novel Hawthorne discusses his time at the custom house in which he later loses his job. Hoffman analyzes this and argues that “[t]he publicly punished Hester plays out this aspect of the author's life”

(par. 5). This can be drawn from Hawthorne’s portrayal of Hester in the novel. Hester just like Hawthorn is set apart from the rest of the society. Hoffman continues saying that “Hawthome suggests that her ostracism by society results, as we are to assume his own ejection from the Custom House did, in her achieving a position which enables her to obtain a critical perspective of the disciplining methods in the community” (par. 5). Hester has a better view of what is going on in the society because she is in the position all by herself, and this is what sets her apart as an individual.
The puritan society of the Massachusetts Bay colony as depicted in Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter is a society that punished sinners publicly.

The adulteress Hester Prynne endures these punishments and hardships throughout the novel. Hester shows bravery and a strong will to rise above the puritan law. Hester’s punishment is different than other woman who commit the same sexual offenses during this era. Hawthorn did this for a reason and that is to use Hester as a symbol of what can happen to law breakers during this puritan era. Hawthorn also did this to ensure that Hester will be set apart from everyone else in the novel. Hester’s sense of individualism is born from Hawthorne’s past. Even though most writers were writing about new American life, Hawthorne was a transcendentalist in which he wrote less about the puitan religion itself but instead more about the relationships. He wrote the setting of his novel in the same time period as when his ancestors lived during the Salem witch trials. Hawthorne describes Hester’s life so that readers will gain a better understanding of how certain people were treated during the puritan era, and to show his own personal transcendentalist views. This contrasts with today’s culture in that Hawthorns idea that society needs individuals who are strong and who stand out from the rest just as Hester Prynne

does.

Works Cited
Baym, Nina, gen. ed. The Norton Anthology of American Literature. 8th ed. Vol. A.
New York: Norton, 2012. Print
Coale, Samuel Chase. "Afterword: "A" Is For Antinomian: Theology And Politics In "The Scarlet Letter.." Nathaniel Hawthorne Review 39.2 (2013): 182-185.Literary Reference Center. Web. 15 Sept. 2015.
Hawthorne, Nathaniel. "The Scarlet Letter." The Norton Anthology of American
Literature. 8th ed. Vol B. Gen. ed. Nina Baym. New York: Norton, 2012. 476. Print
Hoffman, Elizabeth Aycoc. "Political Power In The Scarlet Letter." Atq 4.1 (1990): 13. Academic Search Complete. Web. 15 Sept. 2015.
Korobkin, Laura Hanft. "The Scarlet Letter Of The Law: Hawthorne And Criminal Justice." Novel: A Forum On Fiction 30.2 (1997): 193-217. Academic Search Complete. Web. 15 Sept. 2015.
Milder, Robert. "The Scarlet Letter--Again???." Nathaniel Hawthorne Review 40.1 (2014): 104- 122. Literary Reference Center. Web. 15 Sept. 2015.
Young, R. V. "Individual And Community In The Scarlet Letter." Intercollegiate Review 42.2 (2007): 32-40. Academic Search Complete. Web. 16 Sept. 2015.
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