Scarlet Letter Essay -- Literary Analysis, Hawthorne

Weak and powerless are so me of the words that describe women’s role in Puritan society. Men were the breadwinners and women were confined to the household. Most women lived their lives under the authority of men, but because of her unusual place in society Hester was able to overcome this. In The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne switches the typical male and female roles to prove that when given the opportunity, women can be strong and independent members of society. Hawthorne uses Hester’s reaction to her punishment of wearing the letter A, to show women can survive in society without being dependent on men. Additionally, Hawthorne uses Hester’s relationship with Chillingworth and Puritan authorities to represent how women can be dominant. Furthermore, Hawthorne breaks down normal gender characteristics by switching the typical male and female traits of the characters in the novel. Because Hester was able to take care of herself and Pearl socially and economically as a single mother, Hawthorne proves that women can survive in society without being dependent on men. Hawthorne states â€Å"The tendency of her fate and fortunes had been to set her free. The scarlet letter was her passport into regions where other women dared not tread† (137). Hester was an outsider in her community and was able to look at society and the world with a unique point of view. Unlike most women during the seventeenth century, Hester was not confined to the household and was not under the authority of a husband. Hester defies the stereotype that women are weak and frail and cannot survive on their own. Because Hester does not have a husband to provide for her and Pearl, she is forced to provide for her family economically. â€Å"She possessed an art that suf... ...y become active members of society, just like men, if they are allowed to be gender neutral. Hawthorne breaks down normal gender characteristics by switching the typical male and female traits of the characters in the novel to prove that when society allows women to be gender neutral they can be just as important and able members of society as men. In The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne uses Hester as a symbol of women’s liberation from male authority. Hawthorne believed women could be strong, independent and able members of society if only they were given the opportunity to prove themselves. Hester was a single mother that successfully provided for herself and her daughter and additionally stood up for herself when threatened by male authority. Hester is proof that when women are not under the restrictions of society they can be just as independent as men.