Feminist and psychological analysis of The Scarlet Letter

Guilt and Shame in the Scarlet Letter From Three Critical Perspectives

Of all the various themes that can be extracted from Nathanial Hawthorne's classic novel the Scarlet Letter, the themes of guilt and shame appear the most prevalent. They also lend themselves well to the feminist, psychological and historical critical perspectives that follow. Therefore, I have chosen to analyze these themes within the context of each of these critical perspectives, in order to provide a well-rounded examination of the novel's varied interpretations.

The Feminist Critical Perspective

From a feminist critical perspective, the Scarlet Letter is more than just the tale of an adulteress woman called Hester Prynne; it is a commentary on guilt and shame in an unforgiving, sexist society. Moreover, it is an illustration of the strength and dignity it takes for a woman to overcome the stigmas that tend to accompany society's hypocritical double standards.

Hester's infidelity was considered intolerable in Puritan society, and so she was condemned to wear a scarlet "A" on her chest for the rest of her life, to symbolize her sinful behavior. The letter is meant to torment Hester; to provide a constant reminder of her shame and guilt. At the same time, it is intended to serve as a reminder to the rest of the community to avoid following in Hester's wicked footsteps, and of course, to stay as far away from her as possible.

Men in Puritan society who were unfaithful to their spouse, or who engaged in sexual relations with a married woman, were not treated with such disdain. This was clearly a feminine sin, and therefore deserved an emotionally devastating punishment. While Hester's lover's identity remained a secret, her infidelity was made as public can be.

The fact that her affair resulted in pregnancy would have been enough to make Hester's actions known to the community. However, in Puritan society, humiliation was a necessary supplement to any personal castigation a woman endured. One might expect a woman to crumble under such pressure, but Hester rose above the guilt and shame branded upon her, and became a strong and courageous role model for women. As Elbert (2003) writes, "Read within the cultural context of nineteenth-century feminism, Hester's character takes on an interesting, if enigmatic, dimension. Most likely influenced by such events as Seneca Falls Convention (1848) and the Married Women's Property Acts, Hawthorne creates a strong female protagonist, one whom he admires but also fears on some level" (p. 256).

The fear that Elberts writes of is rooted in the changing views of women's roles that were simmering on the horizon. Most men were quite comfortable with their superior status; with their power to invoke shame and guilt on women, simply for being human. The idea that women might actually be equally strong and equally capable alarmed many Puritan men, and women like Hester were well aware of these fears. Hester was eventually able to view men's actions for what they were, and rise above the pettiness with which she was surrounded.

From this perspective, Hester's experiences were necessary in order for her to become a female protagonist that could be admired rather than disparaged. Hester's undying devotion to her daughter Pearl, and her commitment to teach her to be strong and fearless, help to solidify Hester's status as a role model for women, despite her indiscretions.

The Psychological Critical Perspective

From a psychological critical perspective, Hester's daughter Pearl is the manifestation of her own shame and guilt, while at the same time being her greatest source of pride. In fact, the changes in the meaning attached to the scarlet "A" which Hester is condemned to wear on her breast seem to coincide with the changes in personality that occur within her daughter, Pearl. Therefore, it seems likely that Pearl is actually a symbolic embodiment of all of the guilt the scarlet letter represents.

As much as Hester loves her daughter, she is as much a reminder of her shameful past as is the scarlet letter itself; perhaps even more so. Even if she had never been forced to wear the scarlet letter on her chest, Pearl would have served the purpose of reminding Hester and the townspeople of her affair and public humiliation every day.

When Pearl is first revealed as a major character, in Chapter VI, she is three years old and appears to be a very volatile and troubled child. Hester is also feeling very troubled and volatile during this time, making Pearl a perfect representation of her inner turmoil. Hester feels guilty not only about the way in which her daughter was conceived, but in regards to her tainted influence on the child. She feels that her own sinful nature has ruined any chances her daughter has at a normal, happy life.

Interestingly, when the townspeople still considered the scarlet letter to be a symbol of shame rather than the manifestation of a patriarchal, hypocritical society, Pearl's personality and actions were often equally malevolent. Pearl is both beautiful and willful; much like her mother. According to McLean (1955), the child is described almost exclusively in terms of her uncontrollable and chaotic passion. Pearl often isolates herself and seems have a "me against the world" mentality which mirrors Hester's isolation from the community. Although as she points out in Chapter XVI, she wears nothing on her chest "as of yet"; the key word here is "yet" because, she aspires to someday wear a scarlet "A" on her chest just like her mother.

While the child is usually very insightful and makes statements that are far wiser than most children her age, this particular statement at first seems extremely naive in that it appears that she does not understand the true significance of her mother's adornment. Yet at the same time, she is actually very accurate in her assumptions that the letter is something to be admired because in the future, this is exactly what happens. So although Pearl seems naive when she makes this comment, she is actually being quite insightful.

Another perceptive part of this conversation occurs when Pearl tells her mother, "The sunshine does not love you. It runs away and hides itself, because it is afraid of something on your bosom" (Hawthorne, p. 220). She can see that the letter has caused her mother nothing but shame, but she remains curiously fascinated by the letter and continues to want one of her own when she grows up.

Stubbs (1970) writes that the "conflict reduced to its simplest terms exists between the laws of behavior fundamental to an ordered, moral society and the ungoverned, natural emotions of the human heart" (p. 144). From this perspective, Pearl not only is seeing the scarlet letter as it would be seen by others in the future, but she is actually resolving the moral conflict herself, and reaching the right conclusion; that the heart never follows rules, and that there is nothing wrong with that because that is the way human beings were made.

However, although her insights are often profound and extremely mature, she frequently acts like an immature brat. Pearl's temper is fierce, and her behaviors even cause Hester to question whether she has conceived Satan's spawn as punishment for her transgressions. Hester makes this quite clear when she questions, "Oh Father in heaven -- if thou art still my father -- what is this being which I have brought into the world?" (Hawthorne, p. 117)

This question is both literal and metaphorical in that Hester wonders not only about the actual behaviors of her daughter, but also ponders the notion that those behaviors may be acting as a mirror of her own sins. When Pearl would observe her mother' anguish, she "would turn her vivid and beautiful little face upon her mother, smile with sprite-like intelligence, and resume her play" (Hawthorne, p. 117).

This reaction is similar to Hester's own response to her extramarital affair. Despite the fact that hers was a loveless and long-distance marriage, Hester felt guilty about her affair with Dimmesdale because she had been taught the ways of Puritan life and felt bound to honor Puritan morality. However despite her guilt, she "resumed her play" feeling that she knew something others' did not know; which was the exhilaration of being "bad." Pearl seems to contain that same knowledge, which manifests itself in "sin," much as it did with her mother.

Dimmesdale, the real father of Pearl, views the child not as a bitter reminder of Hester's actions but as a chance for her to redeem herself and find her way to heaven. Dimmesdale explains:

"She recognises, believe me, the solemn miracle which God hath wrought in the existence of that child. And may she feel, too -- what, methinks, is the very truth -- that this boon was meant, above all things else, to keep the mother's soul alive, and to preserve her from blacker depths of sin into which Satan might else have sought to plunge her! Therefore it is good for this poor, sinful woman, that she hath an infant immortality, a being capable of eternal joy or sorrow, confided to her care -- to be trained up by her to righteousness, to remind her, at every moment, of her fall, but yet to teach her, as if it were by the Creator's sacred pledge, that, if she bring the child to heaven, the child also will bring its parents thither! (Hawhtorne, p. 139)

This represents the first stirrings of change for the meaning of the scarlet letter from adultery to "able"; able to overcome tragedy with one's head held high; just as Hester Prynne had done. As Hester continues to contribute to the community through her seamstress and charity work, she becomes increasingly admired, once again changing the meaning of the scarlet letter. It has now surpassed mere ability to encompass admiration for a woman who was actually a victim of Puritanical small mindedness rather than a sinner worthy of a public haranguing. If anyone was truly sinful here, it was her husband Roger Chillingsworth, who chose to spend his life hell bent on revenge rather than forgiveness.