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Assignment of Individual v/s Society in “ The Scarlet Letter “
Name : Makwana Daksha D.
Course : M.A
Sem : 3 Roll no : 5
Enrollment no : 2069108420180034
Paper : 10 : The American Literature
Topic : The Scarlet Letter : Individual v/s Society
Submitted to : Department of English MKBU
Makwnadaksha9@gmail.com
Introduction :
The Scarlet Letter : an 1850 novel , is a work of historical fiction written by American author Nathaniel Hawthorne It is considered his "masterwork". Set in 17th-century in puritan colony during the years 1642 to 1649.
it tells the story of Hester Prynne who conceives a daughter through an affair and struggles to create new life of repentance and dignity. As she struggles to raise her rambunctious daughter, Pearl, on her own, the father of her child is revealed and is shown to be experiencing severe guilt.
This novel deals with themes like sin , punishment , revenge , guilt , strict puritan society, suffering of Hester Prynne as individual against society. Hawthorne in the novel explores the story of a woman , her suffering , punishment of adultery by moralistic puritan society.
This novel focused oh a young woman , Hester Prynne insulted by society and punished for adultery. Hester v’s husband was never arrived in Boston , during this time Hester had an affair and also girlchild . whatever happens to her but she not reveals identity of her child ‘s father. when her husband Roger Chillingworth returns , finds that Arthur Dimmesdale was his wife ‘s formal lover. As a sign of punishment society forced her to wear the scarlet letter “ A”.
she received very harsh treatment and cruelty from society. She left the town with her daughter Pearl lived outside . for this sin society not forgives her until her death.so that is rigid belief of puritan society presented by Hawthorne.
Individual v/s society
Hester Pyrnne is the protagonist of the novel “ The Scarlet letter “ . she is portrayed as a woman condemned by her puritan neighbors. The character has been called “ Among the first and most important female protagonists in American literature .”
Hester Prynne is a woman at odds with the members of her puritan town in seventeenth century Boston.
In this novel Hester Prynne stands as an individual , against puritan society. Whatever happens to her , she suffered through very worst situation, with Pearl she have to suffer. Society never accept her adultery and consider it as a sin. But Hester not accepted these morals and traditions of this society. So throughout the novel we find sufferings of Hester and pearl and strictness of society.
Appearance of Hester : “ tall , with a figure of perfect elegance on a large scale . she had dark and abundant hair. So glossy that it threw off the sunshine with a gleam , and a face which , beside being beautiful from regularity of feature and richness of complexion, had the impressiveness belonging to a marked brow and deep black eyes. So she possess certain state and dignity.
Other women of society , they are gossiping quacks they ridicule on Hester out of jealousy . they follow morality of puritan society that’s why behaves badly with Hester as her sin of adultery. Hester is further distanced from the mob throng through her elegant garb and her skill of needle -work.
The townspeople looks at her with disgust , they not respect her any more and behaves badly with her . because she is sinner according to society. So people are not ‘ individuals ‘ but they are ‘ social individuals ‘.
"She had wandered, without rule or guidance, into a moral wilderness. Her intellect and heart had their home, as it were, in desert places, where she roamed as freely as the wild Indian in his woods. The scarlet letter was her passport into regions where other women dared not tread. Shame, Despair, Solitude! These had been her teachers - stern and wild ones - and they had made her strong, but taught her much amiss." : From – The Scarlet letter
Arthur Dimmesdale as an individual
He is also a tragic figure , as an lover of Hester and father of Pearl also suffered. His fate is tragic because there is no possibility of happy ending . his violation of trust , fall from his high vocation and his seven years ‘hypocritical concealment of his sin. This was tragic fall of Arthur as individual against community. He has a conflict , shame and guilt for his deed.
We are bounded by traditions and rules of society. In some sense it controls our freedom . it will suggest you your behavior , your appearance , your religion also , never accept your individuality . this society demands that all members have to strictly follows principles and traditions. Hester not follows that rules , Hawthorne tells us that Hester’s isolation from the community led her to question all of standards of society. “ The whole system of society is to be torn out , and build up anew.”
Hester as strong individualism ,struggle against the community. When she creates her own rules of nature and codes it harms the traditional values.
Nathanial Hawthorne states that in the novel : “ In the view of infinite purity , we are sinners all alike .”
As an individual Hester is fighting for “ love “ even if she have to go against society. She hides the identity of Arthur Dimmesdale. She stands firm in her situation. Her dignity and force of character helps to sustain her.
Hester committed crime of adultery and she have to wear this letter “ A “ on her chest as an adulteress lady. As part of her sin , society give her punishment. It symbolizes the shame. Hester’s individuality is portrayed as shameful , against community.
Strict puritan codes are imposed on people and its difficult to distinguish between right and wrong. People blindly follows it , not thinks individually for themselves. Ideology of their creates sin , guilt , redemption, revenge in minds of people . at psychological glance , they imposed all this accusations on Hester and Dimmesdale. That’s why they punished them.
Hester Prynne suffers from public shame , forced to wear the scarlet letter for committing adultery. She lived as an outcast. She hides the secret of Dimmesdale and Chillingworth . Hester as a single mother raised Pearl and she also reminds her sin. They both have to live majority of her life alone. She lives with burden of scarlet letter on her breast as symbol of adultery. She was helpless when society rejects her.
Pearl have to suffered because of her mother. She was result of her mother ‘s adulterous relationships with Dimmesdale . She is avoided and rejected, not able to make friends. She decided to live with nature in forest. She had no choice because society seen her as a daughter of adulterous lady. So she suffers as individual against society.
All the contradictions of Hester Prynne – guilt and honesty , sin and holiness , sex and chastity – make her an enduring heroine of American literature . she is flawed , complex and above all fertile. Because of her affair shame and alienated from the rest of community. At some points her independence and her ideas are appreciated. Her action are described as appearing to be of her own free will . after humiliated much she remains strong , kind and humble. She accepts everything , isolation from community , endures punishment alone.
Conclusion:
Throughout the novel , the personality of Hester with strength. So we ca say that Hester as individual able to fight against the stick moralistic puritan society. This society blindly follows the tradition and rituals and wants that should be followed by all members. When Hester follows her own wishes and rules , society not accept it and badly punished her . not even thought about her girlchild. At any cost everything controlled by them , if anyone wants to escape from its boundaries then they have to greatly suffer throughout the life by society and its blind followers of traditions.
So Hawthorne express puritan society of the time and their mentality , attitude and nature. He also presents the strong woman character like Hester Prynne against narrowness of society.
Assignment of Individual v/s Society in “ The Scarlet Letter “
Name : Makwana Daksha D.
Course : M.A
Sem : 3 Roll no : 5
Enrollment no : 2069108420180034
Paper : 10 : The American Literature
Topic : The Scarlet Letter : Individual v/s Society
Submitted to : Department of English MKBU
Makwnadaksha9@gmail.com
Introduction :
The Scarlet Letter : an 1850 novel , is a work of historical fiction written by American author Nathaniel Hawthorne It is considered his "masterwork". Set in 17th-century in puritan colony during the years 1642 to 1649.
it tells the story of Hester Prynne who conceives a daughter through an affair and struggles to create new life of repentance and dignity. As she struggles to raise her rambunctious daughter, Pearl, on her own, the father of her child is revealed and is shown to be experiencing severe guilt.
This novel deals with themes like sin , punishment , revenge , guilt , strict puritan society, suffering of Hester Prynne as individual against society. Hawthorne in the novel explores the story of a woman , her suffering , punishment of adultery by moralistic puritan society.
This novel focused oh a young woman , Hester Prynne insulted by society and punished for adultery. Hester v’s husband was never arrived in Boston , during this time Hester had an affair and also girlchild . whatever happens to her but she not reveals identity of her child ‘s father. when her husband Roger Chillingworth returns , finds that Arthur Dimmesdale was his wife ‘s formal lover. As a sign of punishment society forced her to wear the scarlet letter “ A”.
she received very harsh treatment and cruelty from society. She left the town with her daughter Pearl lived outside . for this sin society not forgives her until her death.so that is rigid belief of puritan society presented by Hawthorne.
Individual v/s society
Hester Pyrnne is the protagonist of the novel “ The Scarlet letter “ . she is portrayed as a woman condemned by her puritan neighbors. The character has been called “ Among the first and most important female protagonists in American literature .”
Hester Prynne is a woman at odds with the members of her puritan town in seventeenth century Boston.
In this novel Hester Prynne stands as an individual , against puritan society. Whatever happens to her , she suffered through very worst situation, with Pearl she have to suffer. Society never accept her adultery and consider it as a sin. But Hester not accepted these morals and traditions of this society. So throughout the novel we find sufferings of Hester and pearl and strictness of society.
Appearance of Hester : “ tall , with a figure of perfect elegance on a large scale . she had dark and abundant hair. So glossy that it threw off the sunshine with a gleam , and a face which , beside being beautiful from regularity of feature and richness of complexion, had the impressiveness belonging to a marked brow and deep black eyes. So she possess certain state and dignity.
Other women of society , they are gossiping quacks they ridicule on Hester out of jealousy . they follow morality of puritan society that’s why behaves badly with Hester as her sin of adultery. Hester is further distanced from the mob throng through her elegant garb and her skill of needle -work.
The townspeople looks at her with disgust , they not respect her any more and behaves badly with her . because she is sinner according to society. So people are not ‘ individuals ‘ but they are ‘ social individuals ‘.
"She had wandered, without rule or guidance, into a moral wilderness. Her intellect and heart had their home, as it were, in desert places, where she roamed as freely as the wild Indian in his woods. The scarlet letter was her passport into regions where other women dared not tread. Shame, Despair, Solitude! These had been her teachers - stern and wild ones - and they had made her strong, but taught her much amiss." : From – The Scarlet letter
Arthur Dimmesdale as an individual
He is also a tragic figure , as an lover of Hester and father of Pearl also suffered. His fate is tragic because there is no possibility of happy ending . his violation of trust , fall from his high vocation and his seven years ‘hypocritical concealment of his sin. This was tragic fall of Arthur as individual against community. He has a conflict , shame and guilt for his deed.
We are bounded by traditions and rules of society. In some sense it controls our freedom . it will suggest you your behavior , your appearance , your religion also , never accept your individuality . this society demands that all members have to strictly follows principles and traditions. Hester not follows that rules , Hawthorne tells us that Hester’s isolation from the community led her to question all of standards of society. “ The whole system of society is to be torn out , and build up anew.”
Hester as strong individualism ,struggle against the community. When she creates her own rules of nature and codes it harms the traditional values.
Nathanial Hawthorne states that in the novel : “ In the view of infinite purity , we are sinners all alike .”
As an individual Hester is fighting for “ love “ even if she have to go against society. She hides the identity of Arthur Dimmesdale. She stands firm in her situation. Her dignity and force of character helps to sustain her.
Hester committed crime of adultery and she have to wear this letter “ A “ on her chest as an adulteress lady. As part of her sin , society give her punishment. It symbolizes the shame. Hester’s individuality is portrayed as shameful , against community.
Strict puritan codes are imposed on people and its difficult to distinguish between right and wrong. People blindly follows it , not thinks individually for themselves. Ideology of their creates sin , guilt , redemption, revenge in minds of people . at psychological glance , they imposed all this accusations on Hester and Dimmesdale. That’s why they punished them.
Hester Prynne suffers from public shame , forced to wear the scarlet letter for committing adultery. She lived as an outcast. She hides the secret of Dimmesdale and Chillingworth . Hester as a single mother raised Pearl and she also reminds her sin. They both have to live majority of her life alone. She lives with burden of scarlet letter on her breast as symbol of adultery. She was helpless when society rejects her.
Pearl have to suffered because of her mother. She was result of her mother ‘s adulterous relationships with Dimmesdale . She is avoided and rejected, not able to make friends. She decided to live with nature in forest. She had no choice because society seen her as a daughter of adulterous lady. So she suffers as individual against society.
All the contradictions of Hester Prynne – guilt and honesty , sin and holiness , sex and chastity – make her an enduring heroine of American literature . she is flawed , complex and above all fertile. Because of her affair shame and alienated from the rest of community. At some points her independence and her ideas are appreciated. Her action are described as appearing to be of her own free will . after humiliated much she remains strong , kind and humble. She accepts everything , isolation from community , endures punishment alone.
Conclusion:
Throughout the novel , the personality of Hester with strength. So we ca say that Hester as individual able to fight against the stick moralistic puritan society. This society blindly follows the tradition and rituals and wants that should be followed by all members. When Hester follows her own wishes and rules , society not accept it and badly punished her . not even thought about her girlchild. At any cost everything controlled by them , if anyone wants to escape from its boundaries then they have to greatly suffer throughout the life by society and its blind followers of traditions.
So Hawthorne express puritan society of the time and their mentality , attitude and nature. He also presents the strong woman character like Hester Prynne against narrowness of society.
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