The Scarlet Letter Patriarchal Society
Men are stronger, smarter, and they wield more opportunities. The men want a sense of control over their property, reputation, and people. “Under common law, an unmarried woman can own property, make a contract and sue or be sued. A married woman gives up her name and all her property to her husband” (Bloomsburg). A woman can do anything a man can until she marries one. The protagonist of this novel, Hester Prynne, breaks the stereotypes created by the society she lives in. Though the society exiles and punishes Hester by ways of humiliation and isolation, she endures these retributions with strength and acceptance. She embodies feminism as she withstands more than what a woman could usually tolerate in any society. Hester is the strongest character among her fellow men and
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As explained by Evan Carton, "The drama is really the drama of the patriarchal society's need to control female sexuality in the most basic way” (Seabrook). Since the society is controlled by men, there is to be a sense of control over the women. Carton states, “If you don't know if your woman and your child are actually yours, then you have no control over property, no control over social order, no control over anything” (Seabrook). Instead of men governing her sexuality, Hester challenges that and creates chaos in her Puritan society. Even as Hester is exiled, she harbors the determination to still be remembered. She achieves this by using her needlework to decorate fabrics. As lusciously as she embroidered her own letter on her chest, she soon embroiders almost anything that is worn. “By degrees, nor very slowly, her handiwork became what would now be termed the fashion” (79). This shows Hester’s resilience to her punishments as she still finds a way to import her presence in her society, even as it exiles her. Hester Prynne is a feminist of her era, proving that women can do anything that a man would be able to do. She shows fortitude in her situations and is a quintessence among feminist protagonists. She does not rely on anyone except herself and possesses her own happiness and
As explained by Evan Carton, "The drama is really the drama of the patriarchal society's need to control female sexuality in the most basic way” (Seabrook). Since the society is controlled by men, there is to be a sense of control over the women. Carton states, “If you don't know if your woman and your child are actually yours, then you have no control over property, no control over social order, no control over anything” (Seabrook). Instead of men governing her sexuality, Hester challenges that and creates chaos in her Puritan society. Even as Hester is exiled, she harbors the determination to still be remembered. She achieves this by using her needlework to decorate fabrics. As lusciously as she embroidered her own letter on her chest, she soon embroiders almost anything that is worn. “By degrees, nor very slowly, her handiwork became what would now be termed the fashion” (79). This shows Hester’s resilience to her punishments as she still finds a way to import her presence in her society, even as it exiles her. Hester Prynne is a feminist of her era, proving that women can do anything that a man would be able to do. She shows fortitude in her situations and is a quintessence among feminist protagonists. She does not rely on anyone except herself and possesses her own happiness and