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Jace Brock

Ms. Moss

English 10H

19 March 2019

Feminist Lense

Throughout history, authors have portrayed women in a very similar fashion. In the book,

The Scarlet Letter Hester Prynne committed adultery, consequently, she has to wear a large “A”

on her chest for the duration of her lifetime. Her child, Pearl, was born out of this sin. Even

though Hester tries to right her wrongs, Pearl seems to be the manifestation of all the bad that

Hester is repenting of. Father Dimmesdale, who is the father of Pearl, and Hester decide to run

away together at the end of the book. Nathaniel Hawthorne portrays women in a strong, yet

affectionate light in order to emphasize their strengths and attributes.

Hawthorne’s generalizes women’s attributes. Hawthorne is comparing the townswomen

to Queen Elizabeth, Hawthorne states, “When the man-like Elizabeth had been the not altogether

unsuitable representative of the sex.” (30). This comparison exemplifies the fact that the women

of the town had lost a lot of their women-like qualities. This loss in qualities let the women be

jealous of those who still have it. Whenever anyone sees someone who can be a threat to their

social status, they immediately start trying to find stuff that’s wrong with them. These women

saw Hester as a threat and immediately started tearing her down with insults. The other way

Hawthorne presents women is that they’re evil and witch-like. Hawthorne writes, “Not a

Parable-was already an illustration of the young minister’s argument against sundering the

relation of a fallen mother to the offspring of her frailty” (66). The witch-like women are seen as
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a leech, trying to suck others into their darkness. These women only want to spread evil, and are

seen as ugly and a detriment to the society. Some women in these Puritan towns, had no place in

them. So the women had to find something that they could fit in to. Even though it is a negative

way to find a place in society, they still were just trying to fit in. These set ways sheds a light on

how well rounded a view of a woman Hawthorn depicts.

Throughout the novel, Hawthorne makes women seem weak, and affectionate.

Hawthorne gives the women many trials, he writes, “Some attribute had departed from her the

permanence of which and had been essential to keep her a women. Such is frequently the fate,

and such the stern development of the feminist character and person, where the women has

encountered and experienced.” (92). Throughout the book, Hester is going through many

hardships and trials, but even through all of this, she tries to keep herself together. Hester uses

her affections towards Pearl to be able to stick it out in these hard times. Once she realizes she is

free from the town, she reveals her beauty that she has kept concealed over her years of being

persecuted. Hawthorne was describing the descendents of the town, and how their children were

born with weaker frames. Hawthorne writes, “throughout that chain of ancestry, every

successive mother had transmitted to her child a fainter bloom, a more delicate and briefer

beauty, and a slighter physical frame, if not a character of less force and a solidity than her own.”

(30). This “slighter physical frame” is one of the weaknesses that Hawthorne has given to the

women in this town. The picture of women changes as Hawthorne degrades women to be

fragile. Being fragile makes the women have to rely more on men, causing men to be seen as the

backbone of the society. Hawthorne gives these weaknesses to the women in order to treat them

inferior.
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In the society of the book, Hawthorne uses the political power of men to exploit women.

In the book, the clergymen utilize their political power to objectify and mistreat women. Those

who have political power either have religious authority, “magic”, or some special talent that is

useful for the society. Through these obstacles, Hester Prynne has to work her way through these

challenges. Hester’s scarlet letter, after the unexplained “A” shaped fire, gave her power in

society. Hawthorne writes, ”The effect of the symbol-or rather, of the position in respect to

society that was indicated by it-on the mind of Hester Prynne herself was powerful and peculiar.”

(91). In the book’s time period, any unexplained occurrence was believed to have a divine

reason to it. Since Hester had the only “A” with significance, the “A” shaped fire led the people

to believe that she was Godsend. Hester’s moral power is unknown to the society, through this,

she tries to do the right thing. Hawthorne writes, “But here if we suppose...Even thus early had

the child saved her from Satan’s snare.” (66). Hester protects pearl and strives to make a good

example to her to follow. Hester’s purpose in the book is to defy the standard that Hawthorne

has set for women. Rather than being submissive, Hester is stubborn. She is able to live with the

insults and attacks from the townspeople, just waiting for the right time. Through this, she is

able to hold her tongue, and brush off the insults.

Political power is more important than moral power. Through politics, one can help the

poor and needy, make sure that the people are safe, and help society grow economically.

Although moral power is important, once can’t get enough done with it. In order to create a more

balanced and fair representation of women in literature, authors should write it how it is.

Authors shouldn’t sugar-coat the different gender roles in society. In whatever time era the book

may be set in, the authors should accurately create the representation for women, according to

the roles in that time era.