Feminism In The Scarlett Letter

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Author and poet G.D Anderson once said, “Feminism isn 't about making women stronger. Women are already strong. It’s about changing the way the world perceives that strength.” This idea has been ignored throughout history because women have always been seen as the inferior gender, victimized by men and society. Women of all races and cultures have always been given a lower status than men. Religion plays a role in misogyny and add to the factor of sexism towards women. A novel that explores Puritan life has the opposite idea and demonstrates the strength of a woman stuck in a Puritan society.. The Scarlet Letter is a feminist novel written by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Hester is a proud woman. As Hester walks out of the prison branded with a scarlet …show more content…
Originally the scarlet letter A stood for adultery; however, as time progressed, Hester proved her worth by bearing her shame and reciprocated peoples judgemental ridicule by being kind to the homeless and giving charity. The people inevitably began to see Hester as good and strong, to the point of refusing the A’s original meaning and claiming otherwise. “ They said that it meant Able; so strong was Hester Prynne, with a woman’s strength.” (168) The people no longer saw Hester as a woman of adultery, but rather a person with a kind heart and a helpful soul. This shows how strong Hester was, and how she was able to endure the shame thrust upon her by society. Hester didn 't need the help of anyone to change her image. By transforming the meaning of the scarlet letter, Hester was seen by society as an equal. The people began to think of Hester as one of them and not just an …show more content…
The scarlet letter proved that Hester is a strong, independent woman who is adept of caring for herself without the need of a man or anyone else. Hester had been a strong and competent woman before she extracted the symbol of shame off her chest, it was only a matter of whether people perceived her strength as feminism. People are incessantly going to perceive feminism as a bad and wrong; however, as Hester Prynne proved otherwise, feminism will invariably exist no matter the situation or time. Time is progressing and tolerance and change are inevitable as more and more women become stronger and rise to

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