Blog Post #7: Critical Lens Expert

Text: The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
Critical Lens: Feminism

The novel The Scarlet Letter highlights the idea that many years ago, the power of silence was a part of the daily lives of women. During the time period of the book which takes place in Puritan New England, women were known to remain silent about everything that happened in their lives while men had all the right to speak up and state what was on their minds. Due to the fact that women were supposed to remain silent about everything, since Hester's character committed adultery, she too had to obey the rules and remain silent instead of standing up for her rights and dignity. In the article, "Hester's Revenge: The Power of Silence in The Scarlet Letter" written by Leland S. Person, Jr., the theme of silence and the power of speech are described in full detail. Leland explains how the theme of silence is portrayed in the novel and how it remained a part of everyday lives. The article claims that men had all priority and privilege in their society while women basically had no rights and could not speak up about anything that bothered them or happened to them in their lifetime. Towards the beginning of the book when Hester is committed of adultery and has to wear the scarlet A on her chest, she is asked by a man to reveal who the father of Pearl is. However, Hester refuses to tell him which is proof that she would never go against the idea that women were to remain silent no matter the circumstances. In addition, Hester never revealed to anyone in her society who her husband was when he first appeared in town since during this time period men had total control over women and had the right to force them to remain silent about everything. Leland also makes the claim that while Hester is respectful of the fact that women were to remain silent, her daughter Pearl was the complete opposite. Through the course of the novel, she constantly asks her mother who her father is as well as asking what the scarlet letter means and why the minister keeps his hand over his heart. In knowing this, it is safe to say that Pearl is a lot more rebellious than Hester and might have helped set her mother straight in breaking the silence barrier and revealing her "secrets" to everyone.