Women in The Scarlet Letter - Universiteit Gent

Ghent University Faculty of Arts and Philosophy

Women in The Scarlet Letter

Supervisor: Prof. Gert Buelens

Paper submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of ,,Licentiaat Germaanse Talen: Engels?Duits by Sylvia Eeckman.

July, 2008

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Acknowledgements

First and foremost, I would like to thank my supervisor, Prof. Gert Buelens, who shared his ideas with me and offered his time and helpful comments during this stressful period.

I am further grateful to Prof. Dennis Berthold of Texas A&M University, whose lectures on Hawthorne and American culture provided me with inspiration and useful knowledge concerning Puritanism.

Many thanks also go to my parents and my brother for their endless patience and for having faith in me. Finally, I would like to extend a special thank-you to my best friend Jessica Waeterschoot who never failed to encourage me when necessary.

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Contents

Introduction .............................................................................................................................. 4

1. Hawthorne and Puritanism ................................................................................................. 6 1.1 The Puritan character........................................................................................................ 6 1.1.1 Fanaticism and superstition........................................................................................ 6 1.1.2 Gloomy portrayal of the New England inhabitants ................................................... 8 1.2 Puritan ideology: In Adams fall, we sinnd all................................................................ 9 1.2.1 Crime and punishment ............................................................................................... 9 1.2.2 The public life of Hester, Dimmesdale and Puritans: confining the individual....... 11 1.3 Conclusion ...................................................................................................................... 13

2. Sexual Politics in The Scarlet Letter .................................................................................. 14 2.1. The Patriarchal body...................................................................................................... 14 2.1.1 Patriarchy in New England ...................................................................................... 14 2.1.2 Consequences for the repressed ............................................................................... 16 2.2 Role Reversal.................................................................................................................. 19 2.2.1 Feminization of Reverend Dimmesdale................................................................... 20 2.2.2 Portrayal of Hester ................................................................................................... 24 2.3 Feminist Criticism .......................................................................................................... 26 2.3.1 Feminist utopia......................................................................................................... 27 2.3.2 Representing Hester Prynne: influential aspects..................................................... 29 2.3.2.1 Patriarchal binary thought............................................................................... 29 Intellect versus feeling ............................................................................................. 29 The private versus the public ................................................................................... 31 2.3.2.2 The silent woman: a variety of motives ............................................................ 32

3. Maternal ideal..................................................................................................................... 36 3.1. Hester and Pearl............................................................................................................. 36 3.1.1 A mutual connection ................................................................................................ 36 3.1.2 Motherly duties ........................................................................................................ 39 3.2. Mother of all .................................................................................................................. 42 3.3. Conclusion ..................................................................................................................... 43

4. The many-sided character of Pearl................................................................................... 44 4.1 Sin and salvation: "She is my happiness, she is my torture!" ....................................... 45

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4.2 The wildness in Pearl: "That wild and flighty little elf" ................................................ 46 4.2.1 Undomesticated nature............................................................................................. 46 4.2.2 Sensuality................................................................................................................. 48

4.3. Domestication and suppression: "Be quiet Pearl" ........................................................ 49 4.4 Conclusion ...................................................................................................................... 51

5. The scarlet letter: Hester Prynne and her "mark of shame" ......................................... 52 5.1 The adulteress in the market-place ................................................................................. 53 5.1.1 Objectifying Hester .................................................................................................. 54 5.1.2. "Being the object of severe and universal observation": the power of the gaze .... 56 5.2 "The scarlet letter had not done its office" ..................................................................... 58 5.2.1 Purpose and significance.......................................................................................... 58 5.2.2 Reforming Hester? ................................................................................................... 59

6. Conclusion........................................................................................................................... 61

Works Cited

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Introduction

Could it be true? She clutched the child so fiercely to her breast, that it sent forth a cry; she turned her eyes downward at the scarlet letter, and even touched it with her finger, to assure herself that the infant and the shame were real. Yes! ? these were her realities, - all else had vanished! (Hawthorne 55)

The Scarlet Letter, first published in 1850, is Nathaniel Hawthornes first "romance" and is thus far his most renowned and well-received novel. The subject matter is equally wellknown. Over the course of twenty-four chapters, Hawthorne portrays the fate of Hester Prynne, a woman who is condemned by Puritan law to wear the letter A on her bosom as a punishment for her adultery. Not only is Hester a central character "of majestic resonance and scope", but over time she has become one of the most intriguing and enigmatic female protagonists in American literature (Baym "Introduction" 7). The story has engendered numerous interpretations, seeing as it has been read as a tale of sin and its consequences, of social isolation, of redemption, of passion and love, of an individual struggling against societys conventions and so much more. The reasons for this variety of readings are manifold, but can undoubtedly be ascribed to the fact that the principles and attitudes of both Hester and her daughter Pearl are at times puzzling and hard to identify. The moral essence of these female protagonists is made up of contradicting characteristics, making it difficult for the reader to come to a straightforward conclusion. On the one hand, Hester, suffering from her social isolation, exhibits a desire to be once more accepted as a full member of the community. At the same time, however, her passionate spirit and her personal, moral laws seem to be directly opposed to the Puritan belief that her sin is truly evil and the docile, submissive attitude that is expected of her. Pearl, the elf-like child, is similarly selfcontradicting by representing both rebellion against and acceptance of the authority of the Puritan government. The girl effortlessly combine her wayward and unruly behaviour with her function as Hesters conscience and "the novels moral centre" (Colacurcio 17). Any assessment of The Scarlet Letter should therefore take into account the ambiguity and the still ongoing literary debate concerning the narratives moral. There does not seem to be one ultimate meaning and no interpretation can be called definitive.

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