Gender in The Scarlet Letter
Essay Topic: Gender in The Scarlet Letter Approach Gender is a major preoccupation of cultural and literary studies. What can be learned about how gender may be culturally constructed from studying Hawthorne’s Scarlet Letter? And how does such gender construction illuminate that novel? Essay Prompt Where do you see gender assumptions and inferences at play in the narrative? What role do considerations of gender play in shaping Hawthorne’s handling of the story? Form a hypothesis about this and consider how it affects the ways in which Hawthorne seeks to control his readers’ understanding of the story’s characters and themes. In doing this, you may well anchor your interpretation in analysis of one character or relationship more than the others. However, this is not the same as just simply analyzing the characters. To do a college level analysis, you must get beyond the “character analysis” genre of high school by focusing on broader issues and patterns. To get started, I don’t recommend that you start with some general notion of gender. Instead, start with a specific passage that you think raises specific questions or problems of interpretation having to do with gender. Use this as the basis of your introduction. Don’t worry about your thesis. You can leave that till your conclusion if you wish. Use the introduction to launch a detailed analysis that will clarify what is involved for Hawthorne in the novel. In developing your analysis, QUOTE the text extensively. If you use secondary criticism, you must document all your sources properly using MLA style. Expected length: minimum 5 pages.
Gender in the Scarlet Letter
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Gender in the Scarlet Letter
Just like in most of his works, Hawthorne in The Scarlet Letter compels the reader to discern his portrayal of gender relations in an implicit and analytical way. He stages the encounters of men and women united by various factors. Hawthorne further depicts the male characters as being anxious and possessing an aggression disguised as ambition or obsession for example, Chillingworth’s desire for revenge (Hawthorne, 2010). The men refuse the full human life offered by the women since they view it as complex. In such cases, the men yield the futile and meaningless lives that they have all along been looking for. Therefore, Hawthorne highlights the cultural construction of gender in The Scarlet Letter through his focus on humanity’s unrelenting struggle with sin, pride and guilt.
The Scarlet letter takes place in Boston, which was a Puritan society in 1600s. Strict moral codes were evident in the Puritan society. Hawthorne depicts a hypocritical society that is quick to judge others while they are not perfect. The situation is apparent in an instance where Hester is coming from prison and some Puritan women say that she deserves to die because of her adultery (Hawthorne, 2010). Therefore, the Scarlet A’ is more than punishment that encourages her consent for accepting the governance of communal morality. Her subversion comes the moment the society tries to impose morality on her. The scarlet letter rather than committing her to shame strengthens her resolve to decide her own definition of principles. Hester adapts to her situation by reconstructing her own perception of what womanhood entitles her. Hawthorne highlights Hester’s reinvention of her own strength, meaning and virtues.
Hawthorne further shows his repudiation of the male flight from women who evade the rigidity of the society, which seems to support and induce such poisonous evasiveness. Dimmesdale trapped by the rules of the society suppresses his desire to be with Hester and his child Pearl (Hawthorne, 2010). It thus follows that he cannot fulfill his obligations as a father and a lover. In a society that judges harshly, Dimmesdale is afraid to lose his status as a respected reverend. The society demands a reverend or a man of God to be chaste and so Dimmesdale must maintain his identity of presumed righteousness (Hawthorne, 2010). The fact that Dimmesdale cannot face up to the people and pay for his sin of passion drives him into a state of mental instability since he can no longer view himself as a complete man who stands up for those he claims to love.
Female sexuality according to Hawthorne is that possession and natural power that forms the basis for male horror or control and punishment, which becomes the secret goal of the male endeavor. It depicts a culture of the destruction of a gratifying and innate relation to humanity. It is clear that Hawthorne seems to focus on a broader concept of values and release from self-suppression (Hawthorne, 2010). Individuals have no right to express their intimate thoughts and feelings since there are regulations. Hester and Dimmesdale have to go into the woods away from the town context since there they have the freedom to exploit their sexuality. Furthermore, Chillingworth’s urge for vengeance comes from the fact that he does not fathom Hester being intimate with any other man despite being apart for some time. It shows the domineering nature of men in the Puritanical society (Hawthorne, 2010). Chillingworth expected Hester to remain faithful in his absence, but how sure can she be that he was faithful to her, as well? Thus, the reader can conclusively assert that Chillingworth’s absence drove Hester to adultery.
The society induces the notion of sacrifice in women. It is for this reason that Hester adamantly refuses to disclose the man who sired her child. She does not rethink her decision even when faced by the possibility of losing her daughter (Hawthorne, 2010). Hawthorne leaves the reader wondering whether the man would have done the same for hi...