Cambley 1

Zoey Cambley

English 10H

Ms. Moss P.2

7 April 2019

The Scarlet Letter​ - Feminist Approach

Chapter 2
9) In ​The Scarlet Letter​, Hawthorne actively describes the women of Boston during this
Puritan time. Forcing in his depiction of their physical and internal appearances. When
describing the evolution result of the towns women he declares, “Morally, as well as materially,
there was a coarser fibre in those wives and maidens of old English birth and breeding, than in
their fair descendants…” (44). He goes on to explain that women from the older generation have
these very harsh features and the younger generations are now delicate looking and overall have
more beauty. This evolution trend creates a barrier of beauty between the generations. Therefore
the different generations share different ideologies about occurrences in town like the adultery of
Hester Prynne.

Chapter 8
14) In the Puritan era when a woman is widowed, people often judge and prosecute her
more harshly than a woman who is under the influence of a man in the household. Although
Mistress Hibbins was the sister of Governor Bellingham and the widow by another
Massachusetts governor, she was still alienated for being a ‘free’ woman. Which played out to
her being a known witch and being executed for it. Mistress Hiddins certainly doesn’t hid the
fact that she is witch especially when she asks, “Wilt thou go with us to-night? There will be a
merry company in the forest; and I wellnigh promised the Black Man that comely Hester Prynne
should make one” (93). Hibbins promotes her unholy activities outwards on to Hester in this
moment because she’s not afraid to be her truest self. But her being executed for being a witch
later on, suggests the power of these puritans. Hibbins had two counts of governor affiliation, yet
because she was not afraid of being a widow nor an outed witch, she was prosecuted for it.

Chapter 20
15) Dimmesdale councils a plethora of people in the town because he has a strong
following of townspeople who under is angelic force. One of those loyal followers is this young
girl who has a lot of sessions with Mr. Dimmesdale. But her intentions with her vast admiration
of the minster is clear, he also governors her heart. So to completely paint the picture of the girl
Hawthorne describes, “-to barter the transitory pleasure of the world for the heavenly hope, that
was to assume brighter substance as life grew dark around her, and which would gild the utter
gloom with final glory. She was fair and pure as lily that had bloomed in paradise” (172).
Undeniably, the young girl is beautiful and Dimmesdale does notice her beauty too. But
Hawthorne also adds that the girl has this dark force around, which is her intentions. The young
girl is described as beautiful yet with a cautious tone because her intentions underly for beauty.
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16) With the young girl that Dimmesdale councils, he does notice her affection towards
him during their sessions. So when he is strolling through the town and plagued with the feeling
of wanting to act out, he notices the young girl and recounts her beauty. To describe why
Dimmesdale won’t approach the girl Hawthorne conveys, “Such was his sense of power over
this virgin soul, trusting him as she did, that the minister felt potent to blight al the field of
innocence with but one wicked look, and develop all its opposite with but a word” (173).
Hawthorne acknowledges that Dimmesdale has all the power to take advantage of the young girl
because she is so devoted to him. But his feeling of temptation is disrupted by his realistic goal
of starting a new life with Hester Prynne now. Dimmesdale goes on to walk past the girl and
ignore her because although she is tempting he doesn’t want that to mess up his new relationship
with Hester. Especially since they just planned to run away together her their daughter Pearl.

Chapter 13
20) Four years have passed by with Pearl being 7 now and Hester making a name for
herself. Yet it is in a good connotation this time, but with her growing older her appearance
dwindles. Hester Prynne has gone through many transformations throughout ​The Scarlet Letter​,
but now this is a completely different transformation. Instead of the townspeople constantly
ridiculing her, they have started to accept her and even look up to Hester. Although, Hester has
happened to loose something in return, her beauty. Hawthorne declares, “All the light and
graceful foliage of her character had been witheresd up by this red-hot brand, and had long ago
fallen away, leaving a bare and harsh outline, which might have been repulsive, had she
possessed friends or companions to be repelled by it” (128). Hawthorne is implying that over
time Hester has gone through this transformation, but has lost her beauty along with her passion.
Her warmth and charm has been replaced by coldness and drabness. Which leads to Hawthorne
declaring that Hester is no longer a woman because of her cold transformation. That her coarser
appearance lead to her not being very womanly anymore.
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Socratic Seminar Questions

1) During this time women were under copious amounts of pressure, with all the
expectations of needing to be perfect and accepted by society. In ​The Scarlet Letter​, Hawthorne
describes all the women, excluding Hester, in some negative connotation. Whether it be that they
are gossips or just nodding to the fact how patriarchal the town really is. But to try and help the
balance with their weak stereotypes Hawthorne admits to the fact that women have a lot to bare
in these times. To conclude this Hawthorne admits, “If she be all tenderness, she will die. If she
survive, the tenderness will either be crushed out of her, or- and the outward semblance is the
same- crushed so deeply into her heart that it can never show itself more” (128). Nodding to the
fact that this tenderness that was seen in Hester will inevitably destroy her, and that women have
to act really strong internally and have a thick skin. Yet in the book Hawthorne draws to a lot of
conclusions that women are weak because they think too much and that’s why they are gossips.
Hawthorns claims, “...she has long ago decided in the negative, and dismissed the point as
settled. A tendency to speculation, though it may keep women quite, as it does man…” (129).
Women are seen as overthinkers and often suppressed for it. One of their most negative
stereotypes is that women dwell and speak too much for a mens liking, so over time they have
started to just talk less.

2) Governor Bellingham is given the title of political power because he is an elected

official. He governors all the townspeople, places all the laws, and can often change the people’s
lives drastically. On one occasion he asserts his power when talking to Hester about her child
and whether she is a fit mother. Bellingham asserts, “Here is a child of three years old, and she
cannot tell who made her! Without question, she is equally in the dark as to her soul, its present
depravity, and future destiny! Methinks, gentlemen, we need inquire no further” (90). He takes it
into his account that because Pearl is different, Hester is an unfit mother and calls on his fellow
male colleagues to dispute the argument. Although Pearl isn’t taken away, this demonstrates that
men can insert their misogynistic dominance over a woman. Therefore the real political power is
upheld by men in general. Hawthorne explains this dominance by claiming, “Men bolder than
these had overthrown and and rearranged… the whole system of ancient prejudice, wherewith
was linked much of ancient principale” (128). Over the years men have been able to get away
with so much, and to do this they are put in a place of power over women. In The Scarlet Letter
some big political powers are Governor Bellingham, Minster Wilson, Roger Chillingworth, and
Reverend Dimmesdale, all who decided many choices for the futures of the townspeople.

3) Overall in the book, moral power is also described alongside political power. But
unlike political power, moral power is kept by one man, and that man is Reverend Dimmesdale.
The majority of the town look up to Dimmesdale for guidance on how to governor their life. The
townspeople are so devoted to Dimmesdale, that even at unquestionable times they promote their
leader. Like when the town was waiting for Hester’s first appearance a townsman explaims,
“That Reverend Master Dimmesdale, her godly pastor, takes it very grievously to heart that such
a scandal should have come upon his congregation” (44). The people paint Dimmesdale as a
martyr in most occasions and that he can never be faulted. Dimmesdale also councils a lot of
people in the town and that is how he is able to reach such an audience of loyal followers. But
most of his followers take his actions and explanations very seriously. One situation to
demonstrate this conclusion is when Hawthorne mentions, “She ransacker her conscience,-which
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was full of harmless little matters, like her pocket or her work-bag,- and took herself to task, poor
thing, for a thousand imaginary faults; and went about her household duties with swollen eyelids
the next morning” (173). The she is the young girl that Dimmesdale gets slightly tempted by
after making his glorious speech. Dimmesdale realizes her affections towards himself and that
she is a temptation. But this young woman is ready to through away all her morals for
Dimmesdale and when he ignores her it crushes her so much that she cried for him. Dimmesdale
has this lasting effect on all of the town and most would do anything for him.

4) Female characters in ​The Scarlet Letter ​are often suppressed by men with power, yet a power
they still hold is social power. Women are in charge of the households and what is being said
around town. Children reflect what they are taught in their households by their mothers. To
display this Hawthorne mentions, “Thus the young and pure would be taught to look at her, with
the scarlet letter flaming on her breast,-at her, the child of honorable parents , -at her, the mother
of a babe, that would hereafter be a woman -at her, who had once been innocent ,-as the figure,
the body, the reality of sin” (66) Women hold this social influence greatly over the younger
generation since their main job is barring children. This generation grows up to have the same
ideologies as their mothers, and even at young ages they judge things they don’t understand.
Especially like the scarlet letter and why Hester is under so much heat, they just know what their
mothers have an influence over them. Also one of the most social influencers in the town turns
out to be Hester Prynne. Towards the end of the book she makes a great name for herself. To
draw out her progress Hawthorne adds, “And, as Hester Prynne has no selfish ends, nor lived in
any measure for her own profit and enjoyment, people brought all their sorrows and perplexities,
and besought her counsel, as one who has herself gone through a mighty trouble” (204). Hester
Prynne holds this social power when she comes back to Boston and then becomes this beacon of
hope for women to talk to. She holds this power over women because they trust her with their
hardships and trust her enough to help them governor their lives.

5) The Scarlet Letter​ deals with a lot of underlying themes, especially having to do with feminist
issues. But the number one theme seen is finding peace in turmoil, this is explained through
Hester since she is the main character. Her turmoil is the scarlet letter and being ridiculed for it
in the majority of the book. After standing on the scaffold all day Hester has met her greatest
task. To explain this Hawthorne reveals, “The infant, during the latter portion of her ordeal,
pierced the air with its wailings and screams; she strove to hush it, mechanically, but seemed
scarcely to sympathise with its trouble. With the same hard demeanour, she was led back to
prison, and vanished from the public gaze within the its iron-clamped portal” (57). Hester had to
deal with the whole town ridiculing her while her newborn wailed. This turmoil had caused her
shame and isolation form the town. Everyone saw her as this hussy and she couldn’t even stand
up for herself. But slowly over the make of the book, Hester Prynne makes a full 360 with the
townspeople impressions of her. Her peace is raising her daughter Pearl, and that people finally
look up to her in admiration with how much she has overcome. Hawthorne comes to the
conclusion [that], “The letter was the symbol of her calling. Such helpfulness was found in her,
-so much power to do, and power to sympthis, that many people refused to interpret the scarlet A
by its original signification. They said that it meant able; so strong was Hester Prynne, with a
woman’s strength” (127). Hester Prynne’s transformation was slow and a great journey. But by
the end she had become this great symbol of Hope for the towns woman and mainly she was
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finally respected. Hester found the peace of being accepted by herself and others, over her
turmoil of being suppressed for her scarlet letter. Therefore the theme is supportive towards
women, it comes to the conclusion that women have big strengths when having to overcome
obstacles.

6) Although​ The Scarlet Letter​ does describe this full transformation of Hester Prynne,
overall it has a derogatory tone for women. Therefore the book is a anti-feminist piece of work
by Hawthorne. It is without question that men have all power in this puritan era but the women
are judged even harsher than men because of the impossible expectations of them. Hawthorne
describes, “Morally, as well as materially, there was a coarser fibre in those wives and maidens
of old English birth and breeding, than in their fair descendants…” (44). He clearly states that
these older women are uglier with harsher features. Men in the book are judged based on their
personalities or morals. But women are judge overall, especially over their appearances since
that is all that men care about in the book. Plus Hawthorne’s conclusions for why women act the
way they do adds to this anti-feminism tone. When describing how Hester is not womanly
anymore he suggests, “​She who has once been a woman, and ceased to be so, might at any
moment become a woman again, if there were only the magic touch to effect the transformation”
(92). Hawthorne discusses how because Hester has turned cold and drab over time, she is no
longer a woman anymore. So the only way she can possibly return to being a ‘good’ woman
again is being touched by that of a man. A man will distinguish a woman’s happiness, and in all
her womanhood. Not only is this misogynistic it sure isn’t very feminist for having such a closed
mind on how women can only act a certain way.

7) Female characters and situations in which they are in, are presented fully. Although
there is a generalization for the generation of women. The characters are explained fully and
deeply. One of those characters is Pearl, as a child she is talked about a lot especially about her
weird tendencies. Pearl is often described as an elvish child but leading towards the end of the
book, Hester notices her other attributes. Hawthorne explains,​ “In the little chaos of Pearl’s
character, there might be seen emerging—and could have been, from the very first—the steadfast
principles of an unflinching courage,—an uncontrollable will,—a sturdy pride, which might be
disciplined into self-respect—and a bitter scorn of many things, which, when examined, might be
found to have the taint of falsehood in them.” (140). Along with Hester, Pearl has had a
transformation for her personality. As a young child she was seen as very elivish and creepy, but
now her mother sees her having all this courage and determination. Her personality is described
often at length since she does go through this transformation. Another female character that often
gets looked over is Mistress Hibbins. She is a vital role because like Hester she was isolated from
the townspeople, but she choose the dark path. But still, she is loyal to Hester because she knew
that Dimmesdale was the father yet did not share this information. She even professes to
Dimmesdale [that], “The next time, I pray you to allow me only a fair warning, and I shall be
proud to bear you company. Without me taking overmuch upon myself, my good word will go
far towards gaining any strange gentleman a fair reception from yonder potentate you wot of”
(174). Hibbins is acknowledging to Dimmesdale about his relationship with Hester and that she
has kept it a secret for herself. Hibbins is often pegged as this creepy witch trying to get Hester to
become a witch. But really she is on the same side of Hester and can kind of relate to her.
Hibbins’ character progression is outstanding, first she is just seen as this evil witch that later
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gets prosecuted. But then ends up being a confidant for Dimmesdale and Hester’s relationship.
She presented fully and accurately.