Modern Feminism In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter

A famous quote from G.D. Anderson states, “Feminism isn’t about making women stronger. Women are already strong. It’s about changing the way the world perceives that strength.” This quote captures the true purpose of feminism. Modern feminism is perceived as women who hate men, want the right to choose life or not, and equal pay, but true feminism is about fighting about the oppression of women. Although The Scarlet Letter is not a novel about “modern” feminism, a reader can find the roots of what modern day feminism is based on in the powerful classic novel from the 17th century. Hester Prynne is a woman who is labeled by her personal sin and put on display while the whole community shames her and hardly questions who her lover is. At first

This is an unavoidable similarity between the two women. Another strong similarity is that both women faced shame, but overcame it with grace and powerful feminist voices. Although one notable difference between the two women is that Hester would not discuss who the other man was and would not stand up for herself in the beginning of the story. Ann Hutchinson is the opposite in that sense, she would gladly stand up to the bigots and state what she believed in, even when unacceptable. Ann Hutchinson plowed down the feminist path by being loud and stern, meanwhile, Hester is not vocal about her feminism throughout the novel because she believed the law of their society could not be changed by

Pearl and Jesus are a well thought comparison because even though Pearl was not well liked, but she made a point to show kindness and grace against the evils she faced through life. Although the comparison of the symbol of adultery and the symbol of virgin purity seems far-fetched, it is a wonderful comparison due to the shame Mary faced for also being an unwed mother. Hester Prynne is a strong character who faced hardships but used those times to make her a better person, despite the hatred. She protected her lover and took responsibility for her actions and raised a strong feminist daughter, Pearl. Instead of running, Hester stayed in a community she knew she was unwanted to face her punishment and attempted to show everyone love and compassion even if they did not return her grace. Feminist stand up for not only themselves, but for what is right, this is what Hester Prynne, Pearl, Ann Hutchinson, and Nathaniel Hawthorne attempted to