Scarlet Letter According to Tony

¶ … Scarlet Letter According to Tony Tanner in "Adultery and the Novel," the adulteress represents not only a violation of social contract, but also a violation of the harmonic interrelation of defined roles as well. Ideally, the wife embodies the "biological female, the obedient daughter, the faithful mate, the responsible mother, and the believing Christian," and she must harmonize all these differing identities within her (Egan).

However, if her marriage begins to fall apart, so too these identities and roles begin to unravel and often come into conflict without anything or anyone having changed place or roles, thus, adultery becomes a warning sign of the breakdown of all the mediations on which society itself depends. Tanner notes that Hester is caught between these social roles due to her passionate transgression, and Hawthorne even places her "between the city and forest, between the urban and the wild" (Egan).

She must struggle to meet her natural role as mother and mate while meeting the social demands of those roles, thus Hester attempts to be a good wife and mother while living in social disgrace (Egan). In the June 1995 issue of The Explicator, John Reiss states that Hester symbolizes freewill. In fact, it is this characterization of Hester that Hawthorne first exposes his readers.

As the "official staff" is placed on Hester's shoulder as she enters the threshold of the prison door, "she repelled him, by an action marked with natural dignity and force of character, and stepped into the open air as if by her own free will" (Hawthorne Chapter 2). Whether fair or unfair, Hester owns her shame and accepts it for what it is.

Hawthorne writes, "She never battled with the public, but submitted uncomplainingly to its worst usage; she made no claim upon it in requital for what she suffered; she did not weigh upon its sympathies" (Hawthorne Chapter 13). Morality laws have always been questioned, such as the victimless crime. Many people believe that prostitution should be legalized since it concerns no one but the individuals involved. Yet, there are societal laws that are necessary, for example, public nudity.

While some individuals may believe that it is their right to frolic on the beach or even walk down the street without clothing, society as a whole has decided that this behavior is offensive. According to Peter Alces, morality is dynamic and may change over time, both from the individual and the group perspective. For example, slavery was once considered acceptable, a societal norm, a necessary economic institution (Alces). Yet, now it is perceived as vile and unnatural. It is considered a shameful era of history.

Adultery was once considered a great sin, both for the individual and for society. Hester's adultery caused a woman to cry out, "This woman has brought shame upon us all, and ought to die" (Hawthorne Chapter 2). Today, adultery, while not necessarily condoned, is typically regarded as a private matter. Thaddeus Metz writes, "Wrongness admits of degrees...some actions are more wrong than others...There is a ranking of wrong acts" (Metz).

For example, stealing a loaf of bread to ward off hunger is not quite the same as stealing a new dress for the prom. Skipping class to play video games is not the same as forgetting to pay for one's share of office coffee (Metz). In order to maintain civilization, society does have.