Daisy Rodriguez
English 1B
December 1, 2010
The Role of Hester Then, Compared to Today
In the novel The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne makes Hester look as a woman that at the time was a woman of sin. He states throughout the novel that because Hester had a relationship with another man other than her husband, she is a bad example of a woman. The truth though is that just because Hester is a woman, who committed adultery, she is viewed as a sinner and a criminal. Today, a woman like Hester would not have been viewed as a criminal or have been exposed with such a punishment as Hester had to go through. A woman today has more rights and freedoms than back then. A woman can commit adultery but not be equally punished as back then in the Puritan society.
In the beginning of the novel we learn that Hester is a woman that has been condemned for adultery. Hester’s husband, Roger Chillingworth, whose identity is kept a secret, had sent her to America and said he would follow her. He never went with Hester, but when he arrives where Hester is he finds out that she cheated on him. Chillingworth becomes furious and wanting revenge. As a result of this love affair with a man she would not mention, which we later learn is Reverend Dimmesdale, a child is born, and whose name is Pearl.
Hester’s punishment was to stand in front of all the townspeople in the scaffold, and to wear the scarlet letter on her chest for the rest of her life. This scarlet letter was a big “A” which stood for adulterer. In the essay, Hester’s Double Providence: The Scarlet Letter and the Green by Daniel G. Hoffman, he states, “It is apparent that the Puritans badly bungled the case of Hester Prynne. The scarlet letter they condemned her to wear was a self evident judgment: A for Adultery. Giving up her individuality, she would become a general symbol at which the preacher and moralist might point, and in which they might vivify and embody their images of woman’s frailty and sinful passion” (343-344).This shows that all the people would see her and know that she was an adulterer. It allows us to see how significant this symbol was and what problems it would cause. Problems like the townspeople pointing at her and remembering her that she was an adulterer. Everyone would know and she would be pointed to whenever they talked about an adulterer and to show what would be the punishment.
Although it was alright for them to do that at the time, today not a lot of women would be punished as then. Today if a woman cheated on the husband, he would simply leave her and ask for the divorce. He would probably let everyone close know that his wife cheated on him, but not everybody would know nor would she have to wear an A on her chest. Thus, having an “A” engraved on Hester’s clothes was not going to change anything. It is clear that if a woman made a mistake back then in the Puritan society it would be a big deal. Even though Hester’s punishment was embarrassing and exposed her to the whole society, she did not let these obstacles overcome her. Instead she was going to make up for her mistakes and show the people that although she was marked, she was still good.
Hester is good and we can see this in many occasions. For example, when Hester is released from prison she had the choice of leaving to somewhere completely new or staying there where everyone knew her and her “crime”. Yet, Hester decides to stay there in Boston and face her mistake and show the townspeople that she is good and that a little mistake is not going to let her go down. Thus, her actions show that she is not only good, and brave, but also a responsible and independent woman.
One can see that Hester is capable of living by herself with the help of no one. Her qualities and actions make her an independent woman who is able to work and raise her child at the same time. In the novel, the narrator states, “She possessed an art that sufficed, even in a land that afforded comparatively little scope for its exercise, to supply food for her thriving infant and herself. It was the art-then as now almost the only one within a woman’s grasp-of needle-work” (Hawthorne 57). This shows that Hester was able to work in order to feed herself and her daughter. She did not need of a man to work and take care of her and her child. She was more than capable of doing this on her own. And even though her talent and her work of needle-work still made her an outcast, she still kept on doing it. The society still saw her as the adulterer but also as a woman that was very independent which was not right for a woman to be so.
Women back then in a society like of that of the Puritans were to be at home taking care of the children while the husband worked. In Hester’s case this situation obviously did not apply. Hester was very independent and with no husband after her mistake of adultery. Yet as Michael J. Colacurcio describes Hester in Footsteps of Ann Hutchinson: The Context of The Scarlet Letter, “Like Ann Hutchinson, Hester Prynne is an extraordinary woman who falls afoul of a theocratic and male dominated society, and the problems which cause them to be singled out for exemplary punishment both begin in a sort of relationship with a pastor…” (215). This shows that Hester is viewed differently and bad by the society because the society that they live in is dominated by men. And one can see if a woman were to change this by her actions she would be viewed differently and with bad eyes. Even through all the townspeople comments Hester tries her best to regain the respect of the townspeople and show that she is good.
Throughout the novel one can clearly see that Hester tries to be a better person. She does this for herself and her daughter. We can see that Hester is a good person. Her only mistake was being with another man but that was because her husband never went with her. She didn’t even know if he was ever going back. Now that Hester had a daughter she knew that she had to take care of her. Even when the town judges were discussing whether or not to allow Hester to keep Pearl, Hester said that she should keep her because she would learn from her mistake. In another occasion when Hester is at Governor Bellingham’s mansion, Mistress Hibbins invites Hester to a witch gathering. Hester answers and says, “I must tarry at home, and keep watch over my little Pearl” (Hawthorne 81). This shows that Hester cares for her daughter and that she is a good mother. Hester could have responded yes, but she didn’t because she knew that as a mother she had more responsibilities.
Today, in society being a single mother is common. Women that are single mothers are even viewed different than back then. Today a woman that is capable of raising a child and still work and sometimes even still go to school is seen as someone great. They are seen as independent woman capable of doing so much. It is clear that women’s rights and freedoms have dramatically changed from Hester’s time to our present day. Women are way more independent and are not seen with bad eyes, in the contrary they are seen as amazing role models. Some women too like Hester still manage to work, take care of their children, and even still help out in the community. They help out those that are less fortunate just like Hester did.
Hester also sets a good example because she cares for the poor, and aids those that need help. For example, in the book she is described, “Such helpfulness was found in her, so much power to do, and power to sympathize, that many people refused to interpret the scarlet letter by its original signification. They said that it meant Able; so strong was Hester Prynne, with a woman’s strength” (Hawthorne 111). This shows that the view of what the townspeople used to have of Hester changed. They now saw her as someone caring, helpful, and with great strength. Even though everyone criticized her in the beginning and called her so many things she still came out and decided to help out. Even when some of those she helped didn’t want it, she still did. She earned back the respect of the people because she alone was able to go through so much and still in the end be liked by the people. Even the significance of her “A” was viewed differently. People saw it as something completely different.
It is evident that throughout the novel Hester is really someone who can do so much because since the beginning she was viewed as an outcast. Though the type of outcast she was seen as changed. It is clear that Hester is a woman that did commit a mistake and was punished for, but that learned to surpass. She gained the peoples respect and kept her daughter. She was able to survive without the need of anyone and still help out others while taking care of her child. She still kept on working and although a women being independent at the time might not have been seen with good eyes she still did it. It is evident that a woman today who commits adultery would not be punished as Hester was back then in a Puritan society. Hester’s role though, compared to a woman’s role today is similar in that Hester was an independent woman like many woman today are. Even though at her time it was not seen right, today it is very common and right.
Works Cited
1.) Colacurcio, Michael J. "Footsteps of Ann Hutchinson: The Context of The Scarlet Letter." The Scarlet Letter: an Authoritative Text, Essays in Criticism and Scholarship. New York: W.W. Norton &, 1988. 213-30. Print.
2.) Hawthorne, Nathaniel, and Seymour Gross. The Scarlet Letter: an Authoritative Text, Essays in Criticism and Scholarship. New York: W.W. Norton &, 1988. Print.
3.) Hoffman, Daniel G. "Hester's Double Providence: The Scarlet Letter and the Green." The Scarlet Letter: an Authoritative Text, Essays in Criticism and Scholarship. New York: W.W. Norton &, 1988. 343-49. Print.
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