Hawthorne and Feminism in The Scarlet Letter

Feminism is defined by Webster’s as organized activity on the behalf of women’s rights and interests aiming toward political, economic, and social equality of the sexes (“Feminism”). It would stand to reason an author of feminist works of literature would create characters and storylines based on struggles associated with these ideals. Feminist viewpoints and feminist works are quite common, if not expected, in the 21st century, hardly raising an eyebrow of readers today. Such pieces tell stories of women’s suffrage, equal rights in society, and Title IX competition. Feminism was also a topic of those most educated in the 19th century when Hawthorne wrote The Scarlet Letter (Doubleday). Assuredly, the views of the 17th century Puritans serving as characters in the novel may have viewed feminism quite differently, if at all, even though the need for feministic change certainly existed. It is argued that Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter is a feminist literary work with circumstances and characteristics that depict the treatment of Puritan women to convey feminism and convince readers that, in order to live in a moral society, there must also be equality among all.

The Scarlet Letter should be classified as a feminist work according to many, even though Hawthorne wrote the work before the Feminist movement had really begun. There are many aspects of The Scarlet Letter that lead the reader to believe it is a feminist work. Perhaps the most compelling lean toward feminism is the creation of Hester Prynne as not only the leading character in the novel but also the strongest character; whereas, the leading male characters eventually succumb to their weaknesses of guilt and revenge. This would certainly be a forward-thinking idea for Hawthorne in the 19th century as most authors at the time chose male characters to convey the heart of their message to readers. By using both male and female characters to convey important meaning in the story, Hawthorne includes a variety of readers who may relate to his story. This back and forth idea allow the male characters to be strong and rigid in their stereotyped position while also allowing Hester her own voice (Last). It seems to be argued among many who study Hawthorne that he portrays his own feminist views through Hester. A Study of Hawthorne by G.P. Lathrop suggests Hawthorne shows great sympathy toward Hester when Hawthorne lessens her sexual crime by focusing on her broken heart and lost love while implying that had Hester not been left alone, she would not have found her way into this sin (Doubleday). This somewhat suggests that perhaps the blame for Hester’s sin should at least be shared by the man who sent her to the New World alone. Hawthorne continuously allows the reader to feel sympathy toward Hester and other female characters. This style shows he, as the author, understands the full effects of the challenges of womanhood in this era and, therefore, also understands that these challenges cannot simply be fixed with a change in attitude or circumstance. David Stineback also mentions Hawthorne’s sympathies toward Hester and women in general as foolish in comparison to other authors at the time (Stineback). In chapter 13 of The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne indicates a tendency toward feminism by writing:

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A tendency to speculation, though it may keep woman quiet, as it does man, yet makes her sad. She discerns, it may be, such a hopeless task before her. As a first step, the whole system of society is to be torn down and built up anew. Then, the very nature of the opposite sex, or its long hereditary habit, which has become like nature, is to be essentially modified, before woman can be allowed to assume what seems a fair and suitable position. (pg. 172)

Here, Hawthorne reveals his idea for the need for society to start over with the way men and women view each other to create a more equal environment for everyone. This further justifies the idea that Hawthorne both sees a need for feminism reform and supports the ideas as well, even if only through the characters in his novel.

The portrayal of Puritan women in The Scarlet Letter plays an important role in the complete telling of Hawthorne’s tale. Hawthorne portrays the female characters in his novel in many complex ways. As mentioned above, the Puritan women are viewed most often with sympathy. While seen as motherly and matronly, the women are also seen as oppressed and worn in a patriarchal world. The exception to this idea lies with the older women at the marketplace who vocally judge Hester as she stands on the scaffold. These women are harsh, bitter, and maybe even jealous of the young woman under scrutiny and the lost years and opportunities she represents to them. The older women seem to believe in a black and white, right or wrong world with no room for gray, which Hester’s sin represents. With their younger years and matronly duties behind them, these women adopted the more rigid patriarchal views of the men in the community (Last). The other Puritan women of the story, Hester and Pearl, are seen with sympathy but also as strong characters with important messages to convey to not only readers but all Puritan women of the time. Hester could be a great reformer and feminist through modern-day eyes. Hester revolts against Puritan expectations and oppressions by shrugging off the town beadle and moving forward of her own free will. By admitting her guilt and accepting her punishment, rather than shrinking into isolation, she creates a beautiful “A” and wears it boldly, rather than complaining about her punishment (Last). By confessing her sin and accepting her punishment, Hester can move forward with a strong voice while Dimmesdale suffers from guilt, and Chillingworth suffers from revenge. Pearl also portrays a strong feminist and reformer role as she represents everything Hester wishes to rebel against (Last). Pearl is raised by Hester away from all others, which allows Hester to do away with stern Puritan rules. As a result, Pearl is strong, independent, and at times rebellious in her behavior. Even though Pearl is a direct result of Hester’s sin, Hester does not hide Pearl in embarrassment and shame. Hester wears her sin, loves Pearl, and accepts the scarlet letter, never choosing to deny or excuse them away. In doing this Hester becomes strong and can leave her past mistakes behind her.

It stands to reason that feminism is the quest for equality for women in all areas of life. Hawthorne strings feminist views and depictions throughout his novel. Hawthorne endeavors to educate 19th century readers using17th century Puritans to understand that equality is necessary for the moral society they deem so important. As mentioned at the end of the last paragraph, Hester becomes strong and moves forward, but the male characters have a much different outcome. Dimmesdale and Chillingworth suffer greatly under punishments they bring on themselves. There is no equality in the bearing of one's sins or the suffering of silence. The guilt Dimmesdale lives with leads him to physically and mentally suffer until his death. At the same time, Hester suffers public humiliation and separation on her own. Had the guilt been shared between them equally, as the sin was shared between them, perhaps both characters would have moved forward, possibly together as Hester had so much hoped for. Chillingworth suffers mentally as revenge becomes his only desire, while Hester suffers under his oppression. Had Chillingworth and Hester both shared responsibilities equally, Chillingworth would have been free to move away to a new life, and Hester would have been free to help Dimmesdale recover from his guilt. Here, Hawthorne shows that equality must be present in all areas of life for a moral society to exist. Without equality, bitterness, jealousy, and revenge spring forth, and society cannot move forward successfully in that way.

This novel set in the earliest colonial times at the beginning of the country’s existence and written on the verge of the feminism movement, still rings forth as truth for today's readers in the 21st century. Hawthorne weaves his own views in the voices of Hester and Pearl and his own fears in those of Dimmesdale and Chillingworth. By infusing The Scarlet Letter with feminist sympathies, portraying strong feminist characters, and showing readers the importance for equality, Hawthorne creates a love story ahead of its time, yet one that will stand the test of time.

Work Cited

1. Doubleday, Neal Frank. “Hawthorne's Hester and Feminism.” PMLA, vol. 54, no. 3, 1939, pp. 825–828. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/458487.
2. “Feminism.” Merriam-Webster, Merriam-Webster, www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/feminism.
3. Hawthorne, Nathaniel. “Another View of Hester.” The Scarlet Letter and Related Readings, McDougal Littell, 1997, pp. 172–172.
4. Last, Suzan. “Hawthorne's Feminine Voices: Reading ‘The Scarlet Letter’ as a Woman.” The Journal of Narrative Technique, vol. 27, no. 3, 1997, pp. 349–376. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/ 30225475.
5. Stineback, David. “Gender, Hawthorne, and Literary Criticism.” Mosaic: A Journal for the Interdisciplinary Study of Literature, vol. 18, no. 2, 1985, pp. 91–100. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/24777585.