The Feminist Scarlet Letter Essay -- essays research papers

The Scarlet Letter can easily be seen as an early libber piece of work. Nathaniel Hawthorne created a story that exemplifies Hester as a strong female character living with her choices, whether they were good or bad, and also as the protagonist. He also presents the daughter of Hester, Pearl, as an intelligent female, peculiarly for her age. He goes on to prove man as imperfect through both the characters of Dimmesdale and of Chillingworth. With the situation that all the characters face, Hawthorne establishes the female as the triumphant one, accomplishing something that, during Nathaniel Hawthornes time, authors did non attempt.In the beginning of the book, Hawthorne paints the picture of a female named Hester who has sinned. Not only is she publicly ostracized for having an affair while unmarried, but her major repercussion, her daughter, receives her punishment as salutary because she derives directly from sin. It is through these tribulations that Hawthorne exemplifies Hest er and Pearl, no matter how young, as strong, independent females. These feature films were not easily applied to females during this time. Hawthornes ability to show Hester collected and under mesh to the crowd, although she may have felt otherwise inside, while she exits the prison and while she is on the scaffold, exhibits her as a strong woman. The fact that Hester exits the prison by an action marked with natural dignity and force of character, and stepped into the open air, as if by her own free will, and the fact that while on the scaffold, under pressure, Hester refuses to introduce the name of the father of her child, also proves her strength and compassion. She states, Never....It is too deeply branded. Ye cannot take it off. And would that I might endure his agony, as well Lewis 2as mine To Hester, there is no reasons to put both shame on her and her partner when she can take all the shame. She proves herself to be selfless, another strong characteristic that exemplif ies womens liberationist attributes in the book. At first, when Hester is confronted by her ex-husband Chillingworth, she is portrayed as weak and feeble. This trait does not go on to prove Hester as a huge feminist character for the Scarlet Letter, but as the book continues, Hester receives the strength to stand up to him and cods there is no need ... ... him feeble. In the end, he frees himself from his guilt by admitting to everyone his sin. He crumbles under the anxiety of holding his secret inwards revealing Dimmesdale to be a rather weak male protagonist. He also is not strong enough support Hester, to show love towards Hester, or to take his own burden of sin on himself, although he does realize how wrong he is. His inability to outwardly show his sin like Hester proves Hester to be the stronger one which supports the idea that Hawthornes The Scarlet Letter is a feminist composition.With a strong female protagonist and two mentally weak males, it is hard to consider Hawthor nes 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 ordination that many can respect because of her character something the males of the story obviously could not succeed at doing.