The gender theory is based around the idea that Western culture is generally patriarchal, or controlled by men, but throughout time, the gender theory has evolved to allow feminist culture to be more prominent. This is evident in The Scarlet Letter, a novel written by Nathaniel Hawthorne. The main character, Hester Prynne, is portrayed in a positive light as a strong female who copes with the judgement of a traditional Puritan society. The tribulations that individuals are forced to endure can result in a progression of character.
The inception of the novel marks the condemnation of Hester Prynne, the main female character throughout the story. Located in a seventeenth century traditional Puritan community, she is harshly judged and looked down upon due to the mistakes of her past. Emerging from a prison door, holding her child, Hester makes her
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In the Puritan community, adultery was seen as a grave sin. As Hester makes her way towards the scaffold in the center of town, people begin to shout demeaning phrases towards her. A woman shouts “This woman has brought shame upon us all, and ought to die” (Hawthorne 34-35). Having been publicly shamed, Hester was now only viewed as the woman who has committed a tremendous sin and all other characteristics were irrelevant. While the town begins to glare at Hester, they become enthralled in the scarlet letter embroidered on her chest. Hawthorne states, “It had the effect of a spell, taking her out of the ordinary relations with humanity, and enclosing her in a sphere by herself” (Hawthorne 36). The fact that Hester was branded with the scarlet letter was enough to cause her to be isolated from the rest of society. Regardless of the humiliation and isolation Hester was faced with, she was not debased. Instead, she served as a paragon for overcoming tribulations and using her personal experiences to grow as an