Women’s Issues in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s the Scarlet Letter

When an extramarital affair with a minister results in a child, Hester Pryne is publically shamed and ostracized by her community in Puritan Boston. Her subsequent attempts at a quiet life are complicated by a vengeful husband, her rambunctious daughter, her refusal to name the father of her child, and finally, by a desperate attempt to escape from Boston. This compelling edition takes a critical look at Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter through the lens of women’s issues. The text presents readers with a biographical snapshot of the author and examines women’s issues in the novel. Essays discuss topics such as feminism in the nineteenth century, forced marriage, and the subservience of women. The text also provides contemporary perspectives on current women’s issues, creating a dialogue between the events of the text and the world of today.