Does "A" Really Stand for Able?

A Closer Look at Chapters 13-15 of The Scarlet Letter

In chapters thirteen through fifteen of The Scarlet Letter we see the transformation of Hester Prynne seven years after she gives birth to Pearl and initially shunned by the Puritan community. Throughout these seven years, Hester has spent her time doing charity around her community, possibly in order to better her social standing and to put an end to the criticism that she still receives from others in the community. With her charity work, Hester has been able to change the meaning of the “A” on her chest from “Adulterer” to “Able.” Along with how she is viewed in the community, Hester has also strayed from the passionate woman she used to be and become a rather “bare and harsh outline” of herself. I found Hester’s ability to completely turn her life around and, for the most part, change public perception so much so that she is now labeled with an “A” for “Able.” However, after taking a closer look to Hester’s current state, I decided that Hester is not ‘able’ in all definitions of the word. She is not able to express herself freely. She is not able to fully redeem herself. She is not able to out Dimmesdale without being ridiculed. Hester’s ability is limited by superficially concrete barriers concerning a woman’s mere existence. Also in these chapters, a more feminist theme becomes evident in that Hawthorne writes about how women are viewed in society, and what must happen in order to improve the condition of women in society.

After explaining how Hester’s life and personality has changed in the seven year gap, Hawthorne goes on to reference the ‘whole race of womanhood’ and recognizes the fault in society in regards to women in general:

As concerned her own individual existence, she had long ago decided in the negative, and dismissed the point as settled. A tendency to speculation, though it may keep woman quiet, as it does man, yet makes her sad. She discerns, it may be, such a hopeless task before her. As a first step, the whole system of society is to be torn down, and built up anew. Then, the very nature of the opposite sex, or its long hereditary habit, which has become like nature, is to be essentially modified, before woman can be allowed to assume what seems a fair and suitable position. (Hawthorne 150)

Hawthorne states that since a system already exists, one in which men make the decisions and women ‘dismiss the point as settled,’ the task of overcoming such a huge obstacle seems hopeless. For this obstacle to be broken down requires tearing down and existing oppressive government and building the community from the ground. It is at this point when women are able to become an active member of society without having to face discrimination or prejudice. This topic is still relevant in the world today, especially with how the media and press views women. Obviously gossip and speculation are difficult to face for anyone that is a subject of it, but for a woman, it is that much more demeaning. For a woman to fight gossip and speculation, she must first be on equal ground with her critics. And to be on equal ground is to fight the very nature of society, which is especially difficult for Hester in that Hawthorne equates the nature of society to essentially being the nature of man. Not being able to fight for her equality, Hester undergoes a transformation from being the passionate woman she used to be into a “bare and harsh outline” of herself.

On the other side of gossip and the media is a person that speaks or writes without first thinking about the lasting implications that what they say will have on the subject. Hawthorne states that “It is remarkable that persons who speculate the most boldly often conform with the most perfect quietude to the external regulations of society. The thought suffices them, without investing itself in the flesh and blood of action” (Hawthorne 149). The idea that most media presenters will judge celebrities on the basis of how that celebrity is already viewed in society is as Hawthorne says: ‘remarkable.’ It is much easier to conform with the flow of society instead of taking a stand against what has already been established. Just to think about doing something to help those who are being attacked or criticized is much easier so that all the ‘flesh and blood’ can be avoided at all costs.

Zendaya at the Oscars

I took these chapters to really represent the modern day feminist movement in response to the media holding conservative and prejudiced views on women. One recent example in particular is Zendaya and the apparent “controversy” that her red carpet hair caused at the Oscars. Most notably, Giulana Rancic of the Fashion Police made an offhand comment about Zendaya’s hair and even included some racial slurs. Rancic stated that she thought that Zendaya’s hair smelled like marijuana, under the commonly held illusion that all people of color are drug addicts. Rancic made these comments out of how society tends to view young people of color and did not think about the consequences that would come with a single comment about someone’s hair. When I was reading these chapters, chapter thirteen in particular, I noticed this underlying theme of feminism and it caused me to reflect on the novel as a whole. The fact that this novel was written in the nineteenth century, yet still contains valuable life lessons that are still relevant today astounds me. In the years after this book was written, our society has yet to break down this oppressive and discriminatory system, and ‘build anew.’

Another relevant problem that this novel brings up is how women are dismissed and their opinion is not considered when a decision is made. We see this most evidently with the ongoing abortion debate with how male politicians are still making decisions about a woman’s body and what she can and cannot do. I find that in the case of The Scarlet Letter, this theme is particularly applicable to the idea that when Hester gave birth to Pearl out of wedlock, she is the one that is punished and cannot get away with her crime. In the case of Pearl’s father, Dimmesdale, although he does start to torture himself about his secret, is able to retreat and not have to publicly live out the consequences of his actions. Like when a male politician speaks out about being pro-life, he does not consider the consequences that many women who are looking to have an abortion face. For one, he does not have to face the constant ridicule of pro-life debaters, or the emotional hardship that would come from giving birth to a child that a woman does not want or does not have the means to for financially.

An example of how the modern feminist movement has helped to portray this idea in the media is prevalent in the television show, “Jane the Virgin.” In this excerpt, Jane has to tell the father of her baby, Rafael, that she does not want to keep her baby. What I find almost comical is that Jane swore to be a virgin until she got married, but her doctor accidentally inseminated her with Rafael being the donor. Her current boyfriend wants nothing to do with a baby that is not his, but Rafael wants Jane to keep the baby despite Jane’s wishes to get an abortion.
Jane the Virgin, Season 1 Episode 1 (26:11-27:30)