Mystic Sisterhood in the Scarlet Letter
Szczepanek, Anett English 11 AP, Per 6 October 24, 2013 Mystic Sisterhood
“There is a special place in hell for all women who don’t help other women” –Madeleine Albright
A mystic sisterhood. In The Scarlet Letter, written by the Nathanial Hawthorne, speaks of the astounding life of Hester Prynne and her shameful yet intellectual experiences with the scarlet letter resting on her bosom. In the midst of her time bearing the scarlet letter however, Hester begins to feel a throb on her bosom whenever a certain person walks past her. This develops into a peculiar sixth sense; the scarlet letter detects the guilt of a person walking by and relays the information to Hester. This sense of shared guilt provides a bond between Hester and the sinners of her community, producing a mystic sisterhood that is the sole tie to community that Hester has. Hester’s hidden unity to all sinners due to her sixth sense gradually uncovers itself towards the end of her life. Producing a thematic couplet, the mystic sisterhood brings Hester spiritually closer to her community by being an emblem of overcoming sin.
The sixth sense, at first, worked in a completely surreptitious fashion. Never was the link between the two sinners spoke of aloud, only Hester would feel the eyes of a woman “…glancing at the scarlet letter, shyly and aside, and quickly averted…” (90). This quick connection that the sinners had would send an electric thrill through her bosom that gave Hester a warning that she was not alone. It “…seemed to give a momentary relief, as if half her agony was shared…” (89), which in turn connected them in a bond of self-guilt and compassion for the others need of forgiveness. In these few moments it become clear to Hester that many of the people in the community were draw to her and her scarlet letter, and they looked up to her strength of being able to handle the shame of her sin openly, although the need for help always stayed hidden
“There is a special place in hell for all women who don’t help other women” –Madeleine Albright
A mystic sisterhood. In The Scarlet Letter, written by the Nathanial Hawthorne, speaks of the astounding life of Hester Prynne and her shameful yet intellectual experiences with the scarlet letter resting on her bosom. In the midst of her time bearing the scarlet letter however, Hester begins to feel a throb on her bosom whenever a certain person walks past her. This develops into a peculiar sixth sense; the scarlet letter detects the guilt of a person walking by and relays the information to Hester. This sense of shared guilt provides a bond between Hester and the sinners of her community, producing a mystic sisterhood that is the sole tie to community that Hester has. Hester’s hidden unity to all sinners due to her sixth sense gradually uncovers itself towards the end of her life. Producing a thematic couplet, the mystic sisterhood brings Hester spiritually closer to her community by being an emblem of overcoming sin.
The sixth sense, at first, worked in a completely surreptitious fashion. Never was the link between the two sinners spoke of aloud, only Hester would feel the eyes of a woman “…glancing at the scarlet letter, shyly and aside, and quickly averted…” (90). This quick connection that the sinners had would send an electric thrill through her bosom that gave Hester a warning that she was not alone. It “…seemed to give a momentary relief, as if half her agony was shared…” (89), which in turn connected them in a bond of self-guilt and compassion for the others need of forgiveness. In these few moments it become clear to Hester that many of the people in the community were draw to her and her scarlet letter, and they looked up to her strength of being able to handle the shame of her sin openly, although the need for help always stayed hidden