Throughout the novel The Scarlet Letter. written by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Hawthorne presents the seventeenth-century Puritan society as the setting for the main character known as Hester. Being branded as an adulteress by society, Hester was forced to confront the life of wearing the scarlet letter “A”, to observe the relationship between Dimmesdale and Chillingwonh, and to care for Pearl, the child of her consequence With the role of the novel’s main character being played by a female, the result was the feminine characterization of the novel by various critics and readers such as Nina Baym. Contrary to this, many critics and readers ruled in opposition of this characterization such as Louise DeSalvo. This “feminine” characterization depicts what it means to be a woman as having independent and modifying qualities.
With the novel depicting the capability of women to take on an independent nature/quality and also advocating a change in how people should perceive women, to a high degree The Scarlet Letter is a story about “the feminine’l While the majority of the novel possesses qualities that suggest The Scarlet Letter is a story about “the feminine” to a high degree, critics and readers favoring the contrary claim have provided substantial reasons for opposing the feminine side of the novel. According to “Nathaniel Hawthorne and The Feminists,” DeSalvo argues, “It is not all the years of Hester’s toil which saves Pearl… Rather, Pearl becomes a happy woman because of this single moment that she shares with her father Dimmesdale which unlocks her ability to feel grief.” Throughout the book. Pearl was depicted as the consequence of Hester’s sin.
With the embodiment of her sin within her sight1 Hester played the important role of caring for Pearl and ensuring that Pearl would be a content woman with a great future. However, being that Hester‘s own burden was alleviated by Dimmesdale, this action serves to balance both “the feminine” side, the toil of Hester, and “the masculine” side, the kindness of Dimmesdale, of the noveli With both sides essentially neutralizing each other, DeSalvo claims that the novel is more about “[removing] the burden of guilt… from his male forebears.“ Nevertheless, the capability of women to take on an independent nature/quality represents that to a high degree The Scarlet Letter is a story about “the feminine.” Throughout Hester’s struggles, the stigma of the scarlet letter forced her to live “on the outskirts of the town”. Despite this, Hester “did not flee”. Contrary to the Puritan and dominant belief of womanhood, women being dependent on and subservient to men, Hester adapted to a life in which she had to care for Pearl by herself and also provide the necessities for themselves to survive.
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According to “Revisiting Hawthome’s Feminism,” Nina Baym argues in favor that most women from Hawthome‘s novels “can and do get along without men, but they prefer not to.” With Hester having gone against Puritan beliefs and even her own preference, Hester‘s every action would emphasize the gap between how the Puritan society regulates women and the independent qualities that women are capable of. Despite the fact that Hester’s toils from her independent life failed to humanize Pearl while Dimmesdale’s emotions effectively did. which balances out the feminine side and masculine side of the novel as aforementioned, Hester was at least capable of leading an independent life. Rather than the destination, it‘s the journey that matters most. Along with depicting the capability of women to take on an independent nature/quality, The Scarlet Letter emphasizes “the feminine” to a high degree by advocating for a change in how people perceive women.
With the scarlet letter “A” originally symbolizing the sin and iniquity of Hester, her continual wearing of it transformed its definition into “on the mind of Hester Prynne herself… powerful and peculiar. In addition, according to “Revisiting Hawthorne’s Feminism,” Nina Baym argues, “That feminist ideas are uttered by flawed women, that activist women generalize from their own situations, does not invalidate those ideas… imperfect women who utter feminist sentiments are treated sympathetically and admiringly.” Through carrying the scarlet letter “A”. Hester is rendered as an “imperfect” women through the eye of the Puritan society. However, Hester’s “imperfection” would dissociate her from Puritan society, free her from the society’s regulations, and thus allow her an opportunity to change the scarlet letter “A‘s”meaning.
With Hester being able to change the scarlet letter “A’s” meaning into something that defines her true identity, the novel highlights that women are and should be capable of changing their definition of femininity. The Scarlet Letter depicts the capability of women to lead independent lives and also advocates for a change in how people perceive women. In regards to that to a high degree, the novel can be considered a story about “the feminine.” In addition, by building upon the identity given to her by the scarlet letter “A”, Hester was able to stand as an exemplification of what it meant to be a woman.
