ipl-logo

Feminist Epiphany In The Scarlet Letter

991 Words4 Pages

What makes a feminist? Merriam-Webster defines feminism as the theory of equality of the sexes, as well as organized activity on behalf of women 's rights and interests. Hester Prynne of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel The Scarlet Letter theorizes feminist concepts, but she does not have the conviction to solidify her feminist epiphany. She is not a modern feminist. Despite the fact that she recognizes the flaws of Puritan society and its treatment of women, she does not speak out for women’s rights. It is her lack of decisiveness and her inability to advocate societal change that categorizes her as unlike a feminist of today.
The roles of women in Puritan society are oppressive and limiting of a woman 's ability to succeed. Society …show more content…

When magistrates threaten to take away Pearl, Hester pleads for Dimmesdale’s good word to decide her fate as a mother. Hester begs him to “speak thou for [her]!”, for he “wast [her] pastor,” he “hadst charge of [her] soul” (103). Her word is undervalued in comparison to Dimmesdale, to the extent that she cannot win a custody battle over her own daughter. Without the interjection of a man, Hester’s attempts are fruitless, as a woman who holds no power and has no say. Women’s roles are definitive and any deviation from them is dangerous. Mistress Hibbins, described as “bitter-tempered” (106). In the same sentence, it is revealed that she is later “executed as a witch” (106), drawing the conclusion her crabbiness is synonymous as a witch according to Puritan society. She does not embody the traditional feminine role, and is consequently vilified by society. With the label of ‘witch,’ it is impossible to advance past the negative association. Hester speaks of the scarlet letter and its effects on her and the way society perceives her. She is “repulsive” to the Puritan society that rejects her, the “attractiveness of her person [undergoing] a similar change” (148). Her personal choices lead to public shame, consequently leading to

Show More
Related

  • Puritan Women In Early Colonial Times

    712 Words  | 3 Pages

    A portion of society may say that puritanism was the foundation for nineteenth century feminism in America. With the increasing popularity of women’s studies and gender background the feminist outlook is becoming very popular in historical interpretation of the puritan woman’s experience. Although women in early colonial times had major roles in their everyday lives they enjoyed being busy mothers and wives. Living in a male assertive world while providing and caring for their relatives ladies were mistreated and under-appreciated. Puritan women had difficult lives; they lived in a male-dominated society, had few legal rights and many responsibilities.

    Read More

  • Strict Barriers In Puritan New England

    414 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the colonial era, women did not have many rights, and people did not consider them as equals to men, especially in Puritan New England where the Puritan beliefs governed society. Society expected women to get married, have children, and obey their husbands; they considered anything outside of these limitations as radical confrontations to the law. The woman’s main contribution to society was to teach the young girls about the customs and appropriate behaviors of a woman (Jolliffe, Roskelly, 242.45). Strict barriers existed in a woman’s life, and if a woman were to break those boundaries, like Anne Hutchinson - a revolutionary Puritan spiritual advisor - did, critics accused them of being non-compliant and harmful to society. They considered

    Read More

  • The Scarlet Letter: Dialectical Journal

    328 Words  | 2 Pages

    During the course of this past week and a half, I have been wearing the letter I chose to represent me. My results I received were very weak and almost unresponsive. But didn’t I wear it all day for a week? Yes, people tend to mind their own business while walking in-between classes.

    Read More

  • Similarities And Differences Between Anne Bradstreet And Mary Rowlandson

    1438 Words  | 6 Pages

    During the Puritan times gender roles in the society were very anti-feminist. Women were required to act as housewives and do womanly duties such as cook, clean, and take care of their children. Women had very little freedom as far as their rights were concerned also. Puritan writers, Anne Bradstreet and Mary Rowlandson both experienced the struggle of the anti-feminist movement. From their writings we see that they both were against anti-feminism and they tried their best to abandon the whole idea.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Sexism In Antigone

    742 Words  | 3 Pages

    According to Eastern Kentucky University on women and gender studies, “feminism is the issue of equality based on gender, gender expression, gender identity, sex, and sexuality as understood through social theories and political activism”. Feminism

    Read More

  • How Hester Prynne Changes In Scarlet Letter

    941 Words  | 4 Pages

    Her defiance becomes stronger and will carry her through different hardships. Her determination and lonely stand repeats again when she confronts Governor Bellingham over the issue of Pearl’s guardianship. When Bellingham wants to take Pearl away from Hester, Hester reply’s with, “God gave me the child! I will die first!”(Ch.). When also pressured even more for the child’s care, Hester pleads, “God gave her into my keeping.

    Read More

  • Hester Prynne Punishment In Scarlet Letter

    791 Words  | 4 Pages

    Hester and her daughter, Pearl, were constantly ridiculed by the inhabitants of the town, and many citizens believed that Hester deserved a harsher penalty for her actions. One woman mocked Hester while gossiping with her peers when she declared, “‘This woman has brought shame upon us all, and ought to die’” (36). Agreeing with this claim, many of the villagers continued to mock and scrutinize not only Hester’s actions, but Hester herself. Another woman suggested that “‘a brand of hot iron [should have been put] on Hester Prynne’s forehead’” (36). While this sentence seems less harsh than death, this woman’s comment proves that she too believed that Hester deserved a severe punishment for her despicable sin.

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast Mary Rowlandson And Anne Bradstreet

    1438 Words  | 6 Pages

    During the Puritan times gender roles in the society were very anti-feminist. Women were required to act as housewives and do womanly duties such as cook, clean, and take care of their children. Women had very little freedom as far as their rights were concerned also. Puritan writers, Anne Bradstreet and Mary Rowlandson both experienced the struggle of the anti-feminist movement. From their writings we see that they both were against anti-feminism and they tried their best to abandon the whole idea.

    Read More

  • Mary Shelly's Frankenstein: Towards A Feminist Figure Of Humanity?

    1075 Words  | 5 Pages

    It may skew her thinking and at times be subjective. The intended audience is someone who is studying literature and interested in how women are portrayed in novels in the 19th century. The organization of the article allows anyone to be capable of reading it.

    Read More

  • The Cult Of True Womanhood Analysis

    2199 Words  | 9 Pages

    The Cult of True Womanhood in “The Yellow Wallpaper” In her essay “The Cult of True Womanhood: 1820-1860”, Barbara Welter discusses the expected roles and characteristics that women were supposed to exhibit in accordance with the extreme patriarchy of the nineteenth-century America. The unnamed narrator in “The Yellow Wallpaper” is seen to conform and ultimately suffer from this patriarchal construct that Welter labels the Cult of True Womanhood. The narrator falls victim to this life of captivity by exhibiting several of the fundamental characteristics that Welter claims define what a woman was told she ought to be.

    Read More

  • Essay On Evil In The Scarlet Letter

    719 Words  | 3 Pages

    The townspeople “[began] to look upon the scarlet letter as a token, not of that one sin, for which she had borne so long and dreary a penance, but of her many good deeds since.” This quote exemplifies how sin is not a death sentence for Hester. Through hard work and charity it allowed the rigid Puritan society to see her as something different, and as someone who would not let society define who she was. Hester, thus, was not only able to change herself, but also the image in which society viewed her by working hard to benefit the public. Likewise, the scarlet letter which was supposed to represent sin was instead “fantastically embroidered with gold thread, upon her bosom.”

    Read More

  • Women's Equality During The American Revolution

    1509 Words  | 7 Pages

    Feminism, the belief that women are and should be treated as intellectual and social equals to men. By its nature, feminism supports the belief that “all people are entitled to freedom and liberty within reason --including equal civil rights-- and that discrimination should not be made based on gender, sexual orientation, skin color, ethnicity, religion, culture, or lifestyle.” Feminists campaign in areas such as “reproductive rights, domestic violence, gay marriage, and workplace issues” (EKU). When an issue includes stereotyping, objectification, infringements of human rights, or sexuality-based oppression, it's a feminist issue. Contrary to popular belief, feminism does not mean putting the female gender above the male one, rather it promotes equality.

    Read More

  • Theme Of Guilt In The Scarlet Letter

    842 Words  | 4 Pages

    The Scarlet Letter was written by Nathaniel Hawthorne in the 1800s, but the book is placed in the Puritan times of the 1600s. Hawthorne is an anti-transcendentalist, which means he thinks society is good and nature is evil and humans are naturally evil. Puritanism is a very strict religion in the 1600s. If you are a Puritan you are against all earthly pleasure and your life is hell on Earth. Hawthorne uses multiple symbols in The Scarlet Letter, symbolism is a literary device that uses symbols to represent ideas.

    Read More

  • Essay On The Treatment Of Men And Women In The Scarlet Letter

    999 Words  | 4 Pages

    The Scarlet Letter, a novel written by Nathaniel Hawthorne in 1850, functions as an evaluation of Puritan ideas, customs, and culture during the 17th century. Through this evaluation, we can get a good idea of what core values and beliefs the Puritans possessed, as well as the actions they take in cases of adversity brought about by “sinners”. Some Puritan virtues created stark divisions between groups of people, some of which led to discrimination under certain circumstances. One of the most prominent of these is the treatment and standards of men and women, a concept that surfaced during some of the major points in The Scarlet Letter. The divisions that were created by Puritan standards of men and women played a great role in shaping the plot of The Scarlet Letter, determining the fate of many of the characters.

    Read More

  • Advantages And Disadvantages Of Feminism

    1027 Words  | 5 Pages

    . Women are currently at a disadvantaged with respect to rights, compared with men such as respect and such conditions According to dictionary.com Feminism can be defined as a doctrine or movement that advocates equal rights for women. Feminism is both an intellectual commitment and a political movement that seeks justice for women and targets the end of sexism in all forms. However, there are many different kinds of feminism such as radical feminism, socialist feminism, cultural feminism, and liberal feminism.

    Read More

More about Feminist Epiphany In The Scarlet Letter

Open Document