Is The Scarlet Letter A Feminist Novel - 1659 Words

Is The Scarlet Letter a Feminist Novel? Women all have something in common: they have all encountered a form of gender-based discrimination. Some women in countries have experienced harsher segregations than others. For instance, women in Pakistan have experienced severe discrimination a prohibition of education. One woman who is well known for being an activist for the education of women is Malala Yousafzai. Malala is a woman who has inspired many oppressed others to fight for their education. Through her efforts, she is now well-known for being a powerful and independent woman (Kettler). Literature observes strong figures like Malala. Hester Prynne, from the novel The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, in such a character that†¦show more content†¦Instead, the women in this scene , â€Å"are no longer maternal, and therefore have no value in a patriarchal system, except what they can appropriate for themselves as faux men. They have denied their gender, their maternal power, and have no recourse in a patriarchal society but to adopt masculine power,† (Last). It is not only these women who the narrator gives masculine qualities. Hester Prynne, the protagonist, is also given vigor and resilience against a tough environment. The many stresses in the plot burden Hester, including her own young daughter named Pearl, and the fiery scarlet letter. Yet, she somehow maintains a stable mentality and ensures the joy of her daughter. Although Hester is unhappy, she remains calm and accepts her punishments without complaint or resistance. Rather, in a scene in which Hester is threatened with the prospect of Pearl being taken away from her, Hester manipulates her burdens as a way to protect Pearl when she says, â€Å"Nevertheless†¦ ‘this badge hath taught me—it daily teaches me—it is teaching me at this moment—lessons whereof my child may be the wiser and better, albeit they can profit nothing to myself,† (Hawthorne 84). Additionally, Hester’s strength is comparable to Reverend Dimmesdale’s strengt h. Both characters are placed in the same situation: with strict Puritan rules and pressures, the fear of punishment, and the shame of the crime of adultery. Even so, Hester, as a female, lives throughShow MoreRelatedIs The Scarlet Letter A Feminist Novel?1456 Words   |  6 PagesAshley Noack M. Chau-Lee English 3H 11/ 13/14 Is The Scarlet Letter A Feminist Novel? A feminist is defined in the British Dictionary as a person who advocates equal rights for women. However incredulous it may sound, women had to fight for rights for equality in things such as politics, economics, and their personal affairs. If the revolutionary feminist concepts were surfacing in the time of Nathaniel Hawthorne, circa 1850, then how was it that he was inspired to write Hester’s character? HoweverRead MoreIs the Scarlet Letter a Proto Feminist Novel1510 Words   |  7 Pages21, 2012 Is The Scarlet Letter a Proto Feminist Novel? â€Å"Is The Scarlet Letter a Proto Feminist Novel?† The Scarlet Letter is a very well-known novel, between the scandals and lies. It starts off with a woman named Hester Prynne. Hester decides to leave her husband behind to migrate to Boston. A couple years later, Hester gives birth to a baby girl named Pearl in prison. Hester refused to reveal the father of Pearl. The town then forces Hester to wear a scarlet letter A upon her dressRead MoreScarlet Letter Feminist Novel Essay769 Words   |  4 PagesIs The Scarlet Letter a feminist novel? Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel, The Scarlet Letter is about a woman living in Boston during the 1630s. Her name is Hester Prynne and she has committed the crime of adultery and is caught when she is found to be pregnant. The book picks up when she is having a scarlet A placed on her breast for â€Å"adultery† and after the child is already born. After 7 more years, it picks up and the readers can see what she goes through and how she and the townspeople around herRead MoreHester Prynnes The Scarlet Letter : A Feminist Novel805 Words   |  4 Pages The scarlet letter would be considered a feminist book because of the strength that Hester showed while all of society rejected her, and her daughter pearl. In the scarlet letter there is a women who is introduced to us known as Hester Prynne. In the story it tells us the life of Hester and her struggle living in a society that has alienated her because she has committed adultery. The scarlet letter is a feminist nov el because of the strength that Hester has as a women throughout the bookRead MoreHester As A Strong Female Character And The Scarlet Letter1572 Words   |  7 Pagesand The Scarlet Letter as a Feminist Novel In The Scarlet Letter, written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, a question arises: Is The Scarlet Letter a feminist novel? First, what is feminism? Feminism is â€Å"the advocacy of women’s rights on the grounds of political, social, and economic equality to men†. Feminism is really about a woman’s strength since the act of feminism causes a woman to go against traditional views and be ridiculed for that. What does feminism have to do with The Scarlet Letter? HawthorneRead MoreHow Is Hester Prynne A Feminist Novel989 Words   |  4 PagesAmerican Literature’s first feminist character A trend was started by the novel, The Scarlet Letter. Nathaniel Hawthorne took a path with the character Hester Prynne that took many by surprise. Hester Prynne from the acclaimed novel, The Scarlet Letter, is one of American Literature’s first and influential feminist characters that shows superiority while being fearless and having an influence on modern literature and culture. In the novel, The Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne is accused of adulteryRead MoreFeminism In The Scarlet Letter Essay1313 Words   |  6 Pagesinterests† (Merriam-Webster). The way feminism is related into literature is similar to that of society. Feminist literature discusses how a female character or some part of the fictional world is being hurt or deprived of a certain right that women deserve. In such a way, readers and authors alike are able to dispute whether classic literary reads are feminist literature, such as The Scarlet Letter. Author Nathaniel Hawthorne’s writing did not portray a new right being made for women in society dueRead MoreThe Scarlet Letter By Nathaniel Hawthorne1641 Words   |  7 PagesThe Scarlet Letter is a story about a woman, Hester Prynne, who painfully lived her life in shame because of the adultery she committed in a1840s American colony. The way she and the other characters conducted themselves after the reveal of Hester’s baby all show a deeper meaning into what kind of person each character was, which can be interpreted in many ways. The story was written by a man named Nathaniel Hawthorne, only about a decade after his story took place, which meant that society in hisRead MoreHester Prynnes Development Of Women In The Scarlet Letter By Nathaniel Hawthorne1204 Words   |  5 PagesNathaniel Hawthorne’s,The Scarlet Letter, conveys Hester Prynne’s struggles against the oppressive Puritan society of the 1630s, which leads to the illumination of her progressive feminist views. Hester’s sin of adultery leaves her shunned from her pious New England community, but the extreme consequences that she encounters highlight the notion that she recognizes women as possessing equal capabilities and strengths as men. Hester evinces feminism throughout Hawthorne’s novel, without ever truly mentioningRead MoreFeminism in Hawthornes The Scarlet Letter Essay551 Words   |  3 PagesWritten in 1 850, The Scarlet Letter stood as a very progressive book. With new ideas about women, main characters’ stories intertwined, and many different themes, The Scarlet Letter remains today as a extremely popular novel about 17th century Boston, Massachusetts. Not only was the 19th century a time for the abolition of slavery movement but it was also the beginning of the first wave of feminism. Women such as Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony, and Lucretia Mott catalyzed the women’s