Apologia, The Scarlet Letter

Apologia: the Scarlet Letter

The Scarlet Letter by: Nathaniel Hawthorne is, without a doubt, a classic novel. It is a classic novel in many senses; for one it features the character of Hester Prynne, who is one of literature’s first and greatest heroines. It also exemplifies puritan society in the seventeenth century. It has stood the test of time and is still referenced and studied in modern society. The Scarlet Letter is Nathaniel Hawthorne’s masterpiece.
The Scarlet Letter was published in 1850; it was around this time that the idea of feminism began to surface (Nathaniel Hawthorne Biography). As a result of this new idea and the strength found in women Hawthorne’s protagonist, Hester Prynne, is a much stronger woman than had been seen in earlier literature. She never backs down, not even when society pushed her to reveal the father of Pearl, or when they tried to take Pearl away from her; she’s irrepressible. Not only is she strong, she is also relatable; she is not the usual innocent female, nor is she the femme fatale found in gothic literature. She is practically real, she is an “… embodiment of deep contradictions: bad and beautiful, holy and sinful, conventional and radical” (Seabrook). Hester is defiant, but only to help others. She accepts her punishment but will not reveal the identity of her lover for his sake (Seabrook). She has to co-operate with some truly awful characters; even Arthur Dimmesdale, her partner in sin, is a coward; “Happy are you, Hester, that wear the scarlet letter openly upon your bosom! Mine burns in secret!” (Hawthorne 213) He plays up his suffering instead of acknowledging what she has gone through. Hester is enduring because she is complex and flawed. Hawthorne’s Hester Prynne was one of the first of her kind and a standard was set that other powerful female characters have had to meet making Hester the classic example of a powerhouse female.
In The Scarlet Letter Nathaniel Hawthorne truly captures the essence of Puritan society in the Massachusetts of the seventeenth century. The Puritans at this time believed the Bible as the “true law of God that provided guidelines for church government” (Wilson). This is shown clearly in this novel, people who are not devoted Christians are chased out of town and witchcraft is constantly feared. The most obvious sign of the Puritan society is the reaction of the people when they learn of Hester’s punishment for the crime of adultery. “This woman has brought shame upon us all, and ought to die. Is there not law for it? Truly there is, both in the Scripture and the statute-book” (Hawthorne 55) and “At the very least, they should have put the brand of a hot iron on Hester Prynne’s forehead” (Hawthorne 56) are two of the reactions of the women waiting outside the prison for Hester. In modern society the very idea of executing someone for the simple crime of adultery is appalling, but in the Puritan society, as is well captured by Hawthorne adultery was one of the worst crimes a woman could commit and they were much harsher when it came to punishments (Wilson). In a way Puritan society is much weaker than modern society but there are similarities; the weak and innocent are still preyed upon as they were back then, just not as publicly. Hawthorne’s timeless classic lasts because the theme of man, or woman, versus society is one that can be applied to every time period of “civilized” society.
The Scarlet Letter is a timeless classic novel about a young woman who must suffer for the rest of her life as a result of one mistake made. She never caves to society’s demands making her a sort of idol for any woman of any age who feels pressured or exiled. The word “classic” is defined as: “Serving as a standard, model or guide” (Dictionary.com), Nathaniel Hawthorne’s most popular novel was one of the first to use a flawed female as the protagonist. Hester Prynne is an amazing realistic and relatable character making her the standard for all future powerful female champions. She is a classic heroine. Classic can also be defined as: “of the first or highest quality, class, or rank” (Dictionary.com). Hawthorne’s reflection of the Puritan society and his endearing writing style is definitely of the highest quality, making this book an absolute classic. If any more proof is necessary there is always the simple fact that there have been at least two film adaptations of The Scarlet Letter and multiple references in pop culture including the T.V show Gilmore Girls and the recent film Easy A. The Scarlet Letter is an undisputed classic.