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The fictional novel, The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, is a story of adultery, guilt and sin involving a New England puritan woman and her infant daughter that was a result of an affair. The start of this American Masterpiece of literature, explains the birthing of the story told by a narrator whom was the surveyor of the customhouse in Salem, Massachusetts. This person had been in the attic of the customhouse when he had stumbled upon a manuscript dated well over 200 years before his time, along with the letter “A” embroidered on a patch of cloth. Later this narrator decided to draft his own version which became “The Scarlet Letter” story.
The towns people of the Puritan settlement in a setting of seventeenth century Boston, shout and scold a young woman and her infant daughter at the scaffolds, urging the woman to name her lover. Accused of adultery for having an affair on her husband who was lost at sea and presumed dead- Hester Prynne, while now brandishing her punishment, a scarlet letter “A” on her breast stands before her fellow community. Although Hester held hope he would return she still gave birth to a baby girl, without any indication who the child’s true father is. Repeated whispers and ongoing shaming, yet Hester still holds up her head, she never utters the name of her lover, who is also the father of her child, born out of wedlock- to anyone. One individual among the crowd taunting Hester, is a doctor by the alias name of Roger Chillingworth. This man is really Hester’s long-lost husband, angry she won’t even inform him on the child’s father- he sets on revenge to find out the identify of his wife’s lover, himself. A young minister by the name of Arthur Dimmesdale, helps the young woman and her child stay together after the Governor’s attempt to separate them, by taking Pearl. Author starts to become ill with heart problems becomes the subject of the torment by Roger Chillingworth, after a suspicious Chillingworth moves in with the young priest to care for him since he has been posing as a man of medicine. Demanding a guilt-ridden Dimmesdale tell him what he knows in connection is with his wife and her lover, Chillingworth grows more and more suspicious of him. Eventually Chillingworth becomes satisfied he has found his answer when he locates something on Arthurs chest, a mark. Not just a mark, but one quite similar to adulterer herself. Hester has always maintained she felt she committed no wrong in committing adultery and that the child was a product of two people in love. With his guilt in hand Dimmesdale is found high atop a scaffold tower by Pearl and Hester, who rush to the top to stop him from jumping off. Instead they come up with a plan to runaway to Europe together, to finally live a life of peace. The sly Chillingworth has discovered their plans and sets forth a plan of his own right with them, on the same ship. Finally, the day comes for them to set sail to their new life in Europe, yet nothing goes as planned and Hester is aware that her husband won’t just let them go without a fight. Instead Arthur, after giving his last sermon, sprints to the top of the scaffold with Hester and Pearl, while baring his branded “A” on his own chest; announces to all that he, himself has committed adultery. Before much reaction, Arthur jumps, and his life is snuffed out by the fall. After this incident Hester and Pearl take refuge away from Boston and proceed to Europe. Chillingworth still full of revenge, meets his fate and dies about a year later. After some time, still bearing the scarlet “A” on her chest, Hester, alone, returns to Boston in her old cottage, for some work. Pearl, now a woman herself, is married and has a family of her own. Hester Prynne eventually passes away and is buried next to her dear love Arthur Dimmesdale, the two sharing a single tombstone escribed with a quote “On a field sable, the letter “A” gules.” Even in death they shared their letter.
I find that the book portrays women in different aspects. At first the story portrays Hester as a horrible floozy woman, a stereo type that us women still struggle with today. She had an affair on her missing husband, and it resulted a child. A husband she believed to be deceased. They also portray little Pearl, instead of being an innocent infant whose mother did something wrong, she, even though an infant, was depicted as a result from wrong, illegal and evil. The story I found, that even though they told how Hester lived her life with her daughter and essentially life went far better for her as time went on, that because of her adultery- a women has consequences. In majority of stories, movies and everything in between we have a type of romance, two main characters in love, and then we have a villain. Once the bad guy is defeated then the main characters can all live happily ever after, the basics for every fairytale, especially in a fictional book. Yet not in this story, Hester’s husband ends up dying, her lover ends up dying, her daughter marries and remains in Europe and Hester is all alone until her death. For myself, it seems almost as if it were to tell a story that if a woman cheats, she won’t have her happily ever after, instead she has nothing.
It seems Hester’s character was used to show that if you commit a sin such as this, happiness is only temporary, the man you commit your sins with will suffer and die as well. So, for me it seems to portray women as a vast majority of older novels and movies has, that a man is well and fine to be unfaithful but if a woman chooses to, well this is what happens. At the same time, I find it also depicts the strength and determination of a woman who would let a single “mistake” in the eyes of the towns people define her, her whole life. She never gave in, she never backed down, she held her ground, stayed true to herself and took her punishment with pride; even to her grave. She never let it define her or ruin her.
I was surprised reading how Hester never removed her letter, stripping herself from the punishment placed on her by others. There was nothing forcing her to keep the patch on her, why not remove it and rid yourself from tall that comes with it. Why not immediately remove the scarlet letter placed upon her? Nothing forced her to keep it on. On one hand, she could have possibly stripped herself from that “adulterer” title, on the other hand, I was surprised and almost satisfied to see that she embraced it. I actually respected her far more for not removing it, not running away and not exposing her lovers’ name. The book casted her in a negative life, a married woman whose husband could potentially be dead and instead of mourning him- she’s off sleeping around and getting pregnant. Yet, the story showed an independent woman who followed her heart instead of societies rules, fell in love, defeated the villain, protected her baby and raised her beautifully. I was surprised to read how, even in a time that far back with something illegal as adultery, they still allowed the main characters good qualities to show.
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