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Similarities Between The Scarlet Letter And The Awakening

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Lily Ferguson, Mrs. Settembrino American Literature Honors 10 May 2024 Edna Pontillier and Hester Prynne’s Divergent Paths to Freedom Is prioritizing personal freedom inherently selfish? Or is it a fundamental human right? Do their motives reflect their ideas of freedom? Hester Prynne from The Scarlet Letter lives in a Puritan society where freedom for women is hard to come by. The society she lives in is not easy to accept, especially as she is well known for her crimes of adultery. She prioritizes her freedom and the freedom of her daughter, Pearl. Edna Pontillier from The Awakening also lives in a patriarchal society, where she feels held captive by her mother and wifely duties. She ends up unfaithful to her husband, with two different men. …show more content…

He had a New England upbringing and a Puritan background, which influenced his works. He was most renowned for his novel The Scarlet Letter, which takes place in an early Puritan society where men were valued more than women. This novel explores topics of sin, redemption, and societal judgment. It also features feminist themes, laying out the main character- Hester Prynne’s- path to freedom. Kate Chopin was a naturalist and feminist author during the late nineteenth century. She was considered a “pioneer” of feminist literature, often discussing the patriarchal culture of the time. Her works have Creole and French influences, frequently debating women’s roles in Southern society. She was well known for her novel The Awakening, which challenged societal expectations of the time, as the main character, Edna Pontillier, puts her desire for independence before her children and husband. To begin, Hester Prynne and Edna Pontillier’s forbidden romances have a distinct impact on their paths toward freedom. Hester Prynne forms a relationship with Arthur Dimmesdale, proving her loyalty to her husband, …show more content…

Chopin writes, “I would give up the unessential; I would give my money, I would give my life to my children, but I wouldn't give myself. I can't make it clearer; it's only something I am beginning to comprehend, which is revealing itself to me” (52). Although Edna cares about her children, she is unwilling to give up on them, as she desires independence. An excerpt from The Novel 100 states, “Chopin's refusal to condemn her protagonist, Edna Pontellier, as she eventually sacrifices her husband, her place in society, her children, and even her life in pursuit of an expanded sense of self-identity and self-determination” (Burt). The societies in which Hester and Edna live expect them to conform willingly to everything demanded. They have strict expectations as wives and mothers, with little room for fault and opposition. Hester Prynne and Edna Pontillier's motivations cause their fates to differ despite similar societal expectations. Edna pursues freedom by rejecting societal expectations and her role as a woman. When Robert leaves Edna’s life, she finds no worth or chance to achieve liberation without

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188 Words | 1 Pages

The pressures of breaking the gender role barrier are too difficult for Edna Pontellier to handle in The Awakening. By setting the book in the Victorian Era, Chopin displays the obvious struggle between what the expectation is versus the desire to be an individual. Edna’s cold demeanor towards conformity involved in being a motherly woman is shown through the characterization of her close friend Adele Ratignolle. Edna desired to be her own person without a dominant presence lingering overhead to judge and correct her every move in life. This is the opposite of the gender role placed upon Victorian women to be submissive and to avoid conflict with their husbands.

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825 Words | 4 Pages

Edna fully understands that society would brand her as a terrible woman, but she does not view herself as a bad person. There is an external and internal difference that Edna hopes to one day reconcile. Chopin, instead of creating tension within Edna, created tension within the society and Edna with her newfound independence does not mind how society classifies her. Decisively, it can be concluded that the tension between outward conformity and inward questioning builds the meaning of the novel by examining Edna’s role as a wife, mother, and as nontraditional woman in the traditional Victorian period.

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849 Words | 4 Pages

Edna continually questions whether or not she is destined to live a life of subordination or if she can find her own freedom. Edna Pontellier’s defiant nature is brought out

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Edna Pontellier in the novel, The Awakening, is a self-driven woman determined to become independent and free whilst undergoing a significant change in behavior throughout the novel. She attempts to withstand societal expectations by doing certain things that were not socially acceptable during this time period. While doing so, she experiences many different struggles during her awakening. These struggles that Edna undergoes may be described as internal as well as external. In the awakening, there is a constant conflict between inner and outer Edna.

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499 Words | 2 Pages

Her motives for adultery are very deep, and Chopin gives many reasons behind Edna’s decisions. She fought back feelings of lust, want, and independence, trying to conform to the idea of a perfect wife or mother, but always falling short. She lives a “dual life” with “an outward existence that conforms and an inward life that questions.” Edna shows the public a different, fake version of herself in an effort to fit in, while she truly wants to be independent and free. This is a relatable situation, and many readers can sympathize with Edna, who is trying to both fit in and not lose

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466 Words | 2 Pages

Hester Prynne is the very embodiment of feminism because of her refusal to adhere to the societal norms, her independence in thought, and how the view of the society around her changes through the novel. One of the main reasons why Hester Prynne is an important and progressive feminist character in The Scarlet Letter is her refusal to follow societal norms or to be put down by her peers. A primary example of her refusal to be put down by her peers is when Hester brandishes her

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In the late 1800s, nearly all women were viewed as subservient, inferior, second class females that lived their lives in a patriarchal and chauvinist society. Women often had no voice, identity, or independence during that time period. Moreover, women dealt with the horrors of social norms and the gender opposition of societal norms. The primary focus and obligation for a woman to obtain during the 1800s was to serve her husband and to obey to anything he said. Since women were not getting the equality, freedom, or independence that they desired, Kate Chopin, an independent-minded female American novelist of the late 1800s expressed the horrors, oppressions, sadness, and oppositions that women of that time period went through.

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796 Words | 4 Pages

In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s, The Scarlet Letter, the protagonist, Hester Prynne is a Romantic Hero. Throughout The Scarlet Letter, we see Hester Prynne’s struggle in Colonial America after she is condemned by the Puritan society. She is sent to America by her husband, but he never returns, and Hester later conceives a child with the local minister. She is convicted with the crime of adultery, but refuses to identify the father, she is then forced to wear the Scarlet Letter. The novel captures her experience as she struggles to survive the guilt, sin, and revenge.

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At the beginning of the novel, Edna had appeared to be recognizing the fact that her life revolves around her husband and her children, and that it is her main duty to care for them. It is mainly Mr. Pontellier, her husband, who tries to establish an image of her being a both a perfect partner and wife. He views her as an object that must be suitable for the eyes of society. According to him, his wife is a “valuable piece of personal property which has suffered some damage” (Chopin 2). He is controlling over her appearance and actions.

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500 Words | 2 Pages

In Kate Chopin’s “The Awakening” shows a controversial protagonist, Edna Pontellier. The character in the novel showed different expectations for women and their supposed roles. One literary critic, Megan Kaplon showed how this novel can be viewed as a struggle of the world or society around her. Edna in the story is trying to find freedom and individuality Kaplon mentions that “one of her most shocking actions was her denial of her role as a mother and wife.”

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In “The Scarlet Letter” he depicts it as an oppressive 17th – century Puritan society. “The style of Puritanism that Hawthorne presents is drab and gloomy, preoccupied with judgment and punishment, unrelenting and dogmatic,”1 writes Deborah L. Madsen in her book, “American Exceptionalism.” Hester Prynne, the main character accused of adultery, is persecuted by Boston community. Not only adults despise her, but also children who, blinded by the decayed values and norms, humiliate her and her child, Pearl. The character of Hester symbolizes the fight against Puritan enslavement, the need to modernize the prevailing norms that cause nothing but harm to American society.

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784 Words | 4 Pages

Edna said that she would give up unessentials for her children, which means that she does not care about them. Kate Chopin uses Adele to describe how a typical dedicated wife should treat her husband and children. Edna is not Creole and she does not treat her husband and her children right.

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628 Words | 3 Pages

A woman with an independent nature can be described as rebellious, passionate, and courageous. In Kate Chopin’s novel, The Awakening, the reader is introduced to Edna Pontellier, a female who epitomizes the qualities of a woman with such an independent nature. Living in a “patriarchal society” that expects women to be nothing more than devoted wives and nurturing mothers, Edna attempts to seek out her true identity as it becomes apparent how unsettled she feels about her life. Throughout The Awakening, Edna Pontellier, dissatisfied with her duties as a mother and wife, decides to pursue her own interests and express her true identity, resulting in an awakening and her finding the courage to make the changes she deems as necessary. Edna Pontellier had two young boys, Etienne and Raoul, who were ages four and five, respectively.

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The Scarlet Letter, written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, was published in 1850. It focuses on the life of the main protagonist, Hester Prynne, living in a Puritan community. Both Yamin Wang and Maria Stromberg offer insight into The Scarlet Letter and analyze multiple aspects of the story.. Both Wang and Stromberg claim that there is an underlying ideology hidden in the texts of the book. Wang approaches the story from a feminist approach and states that Hester represents the feminism in the Puritan community, and she analyzes the Puritan’s outlook on women in their society.

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439 Words | 2 Pages

“In India, innocent and poor children are victims of child labor,” Malala Yousafzai. Child labor is when adults force minors, people under 18, to do work for them whether it be for paying of their parents debt or as a form as slavery. In the Victorian Era children were put to strenuous labor but in present day most countries now have laws that deny kids under 16 to have jobs, but some countries allow child labor but more striking evidence is in the similarities between the Victorian Era and present day both having companies lure in children only then forcing them to work. Many things have changed from the Victorian Era including that there are laws in place to stop child labor. “in the eighty years between 1780 and 1830, more than 4,000 local acts were passed and between six and seven million acres or just over twenty percent of the land area of Britain was enclosed,”(vichist.blogspot.com,2010).

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