Book Reports / "Men are Cowards!" - Feminist Essay on The Scarlet Letter [2]

Men are Cowards!

There are no legal punishments for the act of adultery here in the United States. Sure one can take the case to the judge, but the worse someone will get out of it is money. Despite the loss of money from the one who committed adultery, personal problems such as family relationships might have a greater impact on the human being. This act is very personal, the involvement of the government, even the community is not necessary, yet during the Puritan times in Massachusetts, adultery was the worse sin one could ever commit. In Nathaniel Hawthorne's novel, The Scarlet Letter, the protagonist, Hester Prynne, cheats on her husband (believing he was lost at sea) with a minister. The town becomes aware of her sin after realizing the birth of her child, Pearl. As a result, Hester must wear a scarlet letter "A" on her clothing so that the town can look down on her shameful action and recognize her as a woman who committed adultery. Hester Prynne was an example of what women should not be, during this time, women were seen as inferior and men had total authority. Through her oppressions, Hester became a stronger woman, redefining the roles of society and the abilities of women.

In the novel, the women were strictly defined within a spectrum in order to label women as a whole. Hawthorne mentions that "Women derive pleasure, incomprehensible to the other sex, from the delicate toil of the needle" (page 76). The author exposes the hidden pleasures of women that cannot be expressed on public. The choice of diction within this quote further emphasizes the role of women. Quickly, the reader gets the impression that women are nothing in comparison to men, that they are fragile human beings, yet deep inside, they are hard workers who struggle to gain a voice. Hester does not have to work so hard in order to be recognized because of the sin she has committed. However, she does have to work hard to gain respect, which is something she earns through her hard work and warm heart. But at the end of it all, Hester is still a sinner, "Thus the young and the pure would be taught to look at her, with the scarlet letter flaming at her breast... as the figure, the body, the reality of sin" (page 73). Hester plays an example of what women should not be and what can happen if they do chose to follow Hester's footsteps. Hester stood through all her punishments; she took them like a man. Instead of running away from her consequences, the faced them and it only made her stronger.

One of the most evident symbols in the novel is the scarlet letter, as the novel progresses, the meaning of the symbol changes. This letter not only signifies adultery but it also reveals Hester as a self-controlling woman, for she defines the letter embroidered on her chest instead of vise versa. "The letter was a symbol of her calling. Such helpfulness was found in her, - so much power to do, and power to sympathize, - that many people refused to interpret the scarlet A by its original signification. They said that it meant Able" (page 150). Instead of being recognized as a sinner, society started to see her as a capable, strong woman. This shows how Hester is able to control over the person she is and what she does. She proves to society that she is a good person who does not have to be miserable in the process of her punishment. But whatever she did, Hester was still a sinner, "in the lapse of the toilsome, thoughtful, self-devoted years that made up Hester's life, the scarlet letter ceased to be a stigma which attracted the world's scorn and bitterness" (page 246). In other words, her sins still haunted her; society knew what she had committed. There was nothing Hester could possibly do because she was a woman. So although the letter on her chest was redefined by society, she was still a helpless woman, not even the man who helped her with this sin was there by her side to help.

The distinction between the role of men and women are obscured throughout the novel because of Hester's actions. Arthur Dimmesdale is a young minister who committed adultery with Hester. Dimmesdale refuses to reveal who he is and lets Hester take all the blame for their actions. Because of this, he looks like a coward, which is not a trait that society applies to men. Hester on the other hand takes the role of the man and confronts the humility. Though many would try to "Exhort her to tell the truth" (page 61) on who the man she had an affair with was, Hester "kept her place upon the pedestal of shame... She had borne... all that nature could endure" (page 63). Hester was able to intake the public shame, unlike Dimmesdale because he worried too much of his reputation. It was the woman who suffered on a man's behalf which contradicts the role of women and men. In reality, women were the ones who worked hard and sacrificed everything they had. But just like Hester, deep inside, Dimmesdale was an adulterer as well. Dimmesdale himself was not able to remove that "scarlet token on his naked breast, right over his heart" (page 138). Yet Dimmesdale avoided the truth for seven years, he was not man enough to confront his fears. Women may have been seen as a weaker sex, but Hester broke that generalization by being who she truly is. Moreover, Hester is able to restrain from telling her community who her companion was, and after all the obstacles, she still stands strong.

The oppressions of Hester Prynne are what made her a much stronger woman. The fact that she was able to refuse to her community who Pearl's father was shows how strong she is. This was a move that no person, not even man, would ever commit. On top of this, Hester Prynne was a woman which meant that her punishments and obstacles would be much more difficult to withstand. However, Hester endured it all. After breaking society's rules she completely redefined the role of men and women and revealed the true capabilities of women.

Please help (: You can be mean.