Kayla Kelly
Mrs Melisse Aiello
English III Honors
November 2, 2016
Hester Prynne: Slut or Feminist Icon? The thing women have yet to learn is that nobody gives you power, you just take it. ~Roseanne Barr. In the novel The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Hester shines as a feminist throughout the story. A feminist is described as having the belief that men and women should have equal rights and opportunities and partake in organized activity in support of women 's rights and interests. Hester portrays many feminist traits as this story progresses. Throughout the novel, Hester Prynne blossoms as the wronged woman, which shows her feminist side. During the puritanical setting of this novel, the woman who commits adultery is the scorned individual rather than the man. As Hester’s punishment for adultery, she is forced to wear a scarlet “A”. Although this is supposed to reprimand her and publicly shame her, she takes it in stride.When the story begins, Hester is introduced as someone who committed adultery. The townspeople are awaiting her arrival from the prison to the scaffold in the town center. She exits out the prison doors waiting to go to the scaffold, with the townspeople making degrading comments and publicly humiliating her. She walks out with confidence with an infant in her arms. “When the young woman-the mother of this child- stood fully revealed before the crowd, it seemed to be her first impulse to clasp the infant closely to her bosom…”(36-37). As she is awaiting, she is standing in pride, which shows her strength she has. Also, when Hester first emerges she has “On the breast of her gown...fantastic flourishes of gold thread, appeared the letter A.”(37) The letter is supposed to be her punishment, yet she turns it into something beautiful, even if it represents wrongdoing. Even though Hester was completely alone in society, she did not let that break her down. As she should have been banished from the colony, she was allowed to stay on the outskirts as she is an amazing seamstress. In addition, Hester’s scarlet letter gives her a sense of purpose, it gives her the freedom to become the role model of scorned women. Although Hester committed adultery, she got something wonderful out of the whole fiasco: Pearl. Pearl was given her name because of “Being a great price purchased with all she had-her mother 's only treasure!”(61). Pearl is the treasure as she is Hester’s only “friend” and is there with Hester throughput everything.. Pearl gives …show more content…
Hester, throughout the novel, brazenly goes against the Puritans idea of how a woman should live their life. Puritan women were expected to be in charge of everything involved in the house including cooking, cleaning and taking care of the children. They were mostly housewives. The “tendency of her fate and fortunes had been to set her free” (137). She no longer has to live by the same rules as other Puritan women after having committed her crime and wearing the scarlet letter. In addition, Hester also gains “a passport into regions where other women dared not tread’ (137). By having a passport, she lives an extraordinary life. She doesn’t have to slave over a family. She is allowed to do what she wants, when she wants. She can do or go what she pleases. She has nothing to
Mrs Melisse Aiello
English III Honors
November 2, 2016
Hester Prynne: Slut or Feminist Icon? The thing women have yet to learn is that nobody gives you power, you just take it. ~Roseanne Barr. In the novel The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Hester shines as a feminist throughout the story. A feminist is described as having the belief that men and women should have equal rights and opportunities and partake in organized activity in support of women 's rights and interests. Hester portrays many feminist traits as this story progresses. Throughout the novel, Hester Prynne blossoms as the wronged woman, which shows her feminist side. During the puritanical setting of this novel, the woman who commits adultery is the scorned individual rather than the man. As Hester’s punishment for adultery, she is forced to wear a scarlet “A”. Although this is supposed to reprimand her and publicly shame her, she takes it in stride.When the story begins, Hester is introduced as someone who committed adultery. The townspeople are awaiting her arrival from the prison to the scaffold in the town center. She exits out the prison doors waiting to go to the scaffold, with the townspeople making degrading comments and publicly humiliating her. She walks out with confidence with an infant in her arms. “When the young woman-the mother of this child- stood fully revealed before the crowd, it seemed to be her first impulse to clasp the infant closely to her bosom…”(36-37). As she is awaiting, she is standing in pride, which shows her strength she has. Also, when Hester first emerges she has “On the breast of her gown...fantastic flourishes of gold thread, appeared the letter A.”(37) The letter is supposed to be her punishment, yet she turns it into something beautiful, even if it represents wrongdoing. Even though Hester was completely alone in society, she did not let that break her down. As she should have been banished from the colony, she was allowed to stay on the outskirts as she is an amazing seamstress. In addition, Hester’s scarlet letter gives her a sense of purpose, it gives her the freedom to become the role model of scorned women. Although Hester committed adultery, she got something wonderful out of the whole fiasco: Pearl. Pearl was given her name because of “Being a great price purchased with all she had-her mother 's only treasure!”(61). Pearl is the treasure as she is Hester’s only “friend” and is there with Hester throughput everything.. Pearl gives …show more content…
Hester, throughout the novel, brazenly goes against the Puritans idea of how a woman should live their life. Puritan women were expected to be in charge of everything involved in the house including cooking, cleaning and taking care of the children. They were mostly housewives. The “tendency of her fate and fortunes had been to set her free” (137). She no longer has to live by the same rules as other Puritan women after having committed her crime and wearing the scarlet letter. In addition, Hester also gains “a passport into regions where other women dared not tread’ (137). By having a passport, she lives an extraordinary life. She doesn’t have to slave over a family. She is allowed to do what she wants, when she wants. She can do or go what she pleases. She has nothing to