The book was written during the time when feminist rights and values were not established and considered in the society. Hawthorne’s story about a feminine representing feminism culture and importance in the society attempts to highlight the equality and justice that much exist in a societyUnlike those Puritan women in the community, Hester follows what she wishes even against the strict Puritan beliefs and norms. Therefore, the novel is considered as feminist because it brings the ideas about gender
Women are generally portrayed as weak, but in The Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne is a strong female character. This was shown through various accomplishments in the novel such as, raising a daughter on her own, wearing the letter “A”, and protecting her lover by not giving out his name. Hester is also a form of feminism for Hawthorne. The definition of feminism can be seen as, a wanting in of equality for the female race. In this novel, Hester represents strength and independence within females. She
marginalized and represented by their male counterpart, such as their husband. Hester Prynne, the protagonist of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, defies these social standards as she survives without the guidance of a man. Hester is a self-sufficient single mother who creates her own position within the strict Puritan community- the epitome of a Feminism. Throughout the novel, Hester has the challenge of single-handedly raising a child while bearing her punishment for adultery. Pearl is Hester’s
Most simply put in a quote from Cheris Kramarae, “feminism is the radical notion that women are human beings” (Good Reads.) In the 19th century, when The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne was written, it was most commonly used to “label” the fight for women’s vote and property ownership. Now in the 21st century it is used to fight for equality between men and women in politics and the workplace. Hester Prynne is a feminist because it can be inferred that she disagrees with the notions that women
Hester Prynne: A Modern Feminist Trapped In Puritan America When one thinks about feminism, they may think of women’s suffrage in the 1900s or women fighting to end the wage gap and gender equality today. Few would expect that an example of feminism could be found in The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne (a man) in 1850, through the protagonist, Hester Prynne, in seventeenth-century Massachusetts. The novel follows Puritan Boston when faced with a case of adultery involving forward-thinking