Scarlet Letter Identity Quotes

In The Scarlet Letter, the alienation of Mistress Hibbins is particularly prominent, mainly manifesting in her alternative behavior and special identity under the dual influence of gender oppression and religious persecution. Mistress Hibbins is mentioned four times by others and appears personally four times. Hawthorne employs words and phrases like “bitter-tempered widow”, “ill-omened physiognomy”, “sour and discontented face”, “ugly-tempered”, and “the cankered wrath of an old witch”, significantly highlighting Mistress Hibbins’ deviation from the Puritan ideal of femininity and, thus, emphasizing her uniqueness and social rejection. Furthermore, in Puritan society, witches were seen as evil forces aligned with demons, and their existence posed a threat to social moral order and

The core of this process lies in the prominence of psychological feelings and self-awareness. In The Scarlet Letter, Mistress Hibbins stands out as a typical character struggling on the path of self-identity amidst a society deeply rooted in Puritan beliefs. She is the first character mentioned in the novel. In describing the scene in which Hester is about to be released from prison, the narrator speculates on the type of criminal that might be present: “a witch, like old Mistress Hibbins, the bitter-tempered widow of the magistrate, was to die upon the gallows” (66). In the eyes of the public, Mistress Hibbins is a maverick witch aligned with the “Black Man” and makes excursions into the forest with demons and spirits at night. She becomes a symbol of social repulsion. However, the author does not directly mention the reasons for her eventual execution as a witch several years